31ST SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL: PAUL LEWIS IN RECITAL / Review

 

31ST SINGAPORE

INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL

PAUL LEWIS IN RECITAL

Victoria Concert Hall

Saturday (28 June 2025)

British pianist Paul Lewis has performed in Singapore on multiple occasions since his PianoFest debut in 2012 (the edition held at the School of The Arts). His latest recital was conceived with two C minor Sonatas by Beethoven – one early and one late – as bookends. 

Young Beethoven

He opened his recital not with the Pathetique (Op.13) but Op.10 No.1, which deserves to be better known. Also premised on the classic C minor triad, it shares the same Sturm und Drang tropes as its famous successor, into which Lewis poured his heart. With its big chords applied without apology, this was a no-holds-barred reading, tempered with moments of questioning and levity. Like the Pathetique, the central slow movement was also in A flat major, providing much lyrical respite before the Presto finale, with a resumption of storming and stressing.

Photo: Nathaniel Lim

Lewis then gave the Singapore (possibly Asian) premiere of Austrian composer-pianist Thomas Larcher’s Sonata for Piano (2024). It is so new that no performances have even appeared on YouTube. The accompanying programme notes by the composer just state:

What is a thought, an idea, an invention?

Where does the stream of developments come from, and what feeds it?

What is it, an idea? Where does it come from?

Whose ideas have triggered mine? And whose triggered theirs?

When composing, one is an interface in an infinite and never-ending circuit of connections.

Thomas Larcher (b.1963)

While listed in the programme booklet as a Bergian 11 minutes, it was more a Lisztian 31 minutes, with a Mahlerian scope to encompass everything and the kitchen sink. While contemporary in ideas, it was gratifyingly tonal, so no Singaporean audience had to endure some Boulezian monstrosity. 

In its pages, one (meaning this pair of ears) could hear Minimalism, Oriental (Japanese) influences, Cowell and Cage (with the innards of the Steinway struck and stroked), more Cage as National Day Parade rehearsal fireworks were heard as counterpoint in the quieter sections (Victoria Concert Hall is not sound-proofed), jazz and tone clusters (fisting and forearm smashing galore).

Given its multifarious ideas and influences, this may be included with Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata (yet to be performed here), Frederic Rzewski’s The People United (premiered in this festival in 2008!) and anything by K.K.Sorabji in the pianistic house of oddities. Lewis gave a performance which can scarcely be bettered. Would I hear it again? Yes, but with score in hand the next time around.

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897):
Pre-mortem und post-mortem

The second half began with Brahms’ Three Intermezzi (Op.117), a wonderful follow-through of Kate Liu’s traversal of the Four Ballades (Op.10) from two nights before. Brahms the old man was pretty much the thoughtful thinker as Brahms the young man. The A-B-A schema was relived in these three pieces with the return being transformed again. A beautiful hymn of No.1 gave way to the smouldering disquiet of No.2, before the dirge-like plainchant that opened No.3 becoming more elaborate with every turn. This was Brahms’ “lullaby of sorrow” laid bare in a most eloquent way possible.

Old Beethoven

Concluding with Beethoven’s Op.111, Lewis’ reading was borne of anger, grief, reckoning and finally transcendence. All one needed was to allow the natural born storyteller to do his thing, and be part of a receptive audience. There was close to a half minute of reflection after Lewis sounded the last chord, and a rapture of applause only after he stood up. What could possibly follow a performance of this concentration and intensity? Nothing, only silence. 

This concert was dedicated to the late great Alfred Brendel, Lewis’ long-time teacher and mentor.

Alfred Brendel (1931-2025)

31ST SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL: KYOKO HASHIMOTO Piano Recital / Review

 

31ST SINGAPORE 

INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL:

KYOKO HASHIMOTO IN RECITAL

Victoria Concert Hall

Friday (27 June 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 30 June 2025 with the title "Kyoko Hashimoto's recital a masterclass in sound, colour and nuance".

Japanese pianist Kyoko Hashimoto, originally listed to perform at the Singapore International Piano Festival in 2022 but had to cancel because of Covid, finally made her belated debut here. Her recital, comprising mostly short 20th century works and reminiscent of Frenchman Pierre-Laurent Aimard’s recital in 2023, was a revelation.

Gabriel Faure (1845-1924)

The first half was wholly devoted to preludes by French composers, beginning with three of Gabriel Faure’s Nine Preludes (Op.103) dating from 1909-10. The rarity of these miniatures were matched by the masterclass of sound, colour and nuance provided by Hashimoto. Late Faure is elusive because of chromaticisms and paucity of outright melody, but she made one listen with intent.

Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992)

Following these, three of Olivier Messiaen’s Eight Preludes (1928-29), each carrying descriptive French titles, became far less forbidding. These were essentially extrapolations of Claude Debussy’s sonic palette into the future, and with the imagination piqued, Instants defunts (Departed Moments) simply evoked sorrow and regret.

Photo: Clive Choo

Bell-like registers and frequently altering rhythms in Les sons impalpables du reve (Impalpable Sounds of a Dream) were made to sound catchy and inviting, while Cloches d’angoisses et larmes d’adieu (Bells of Anguish and Tears of Farewell) took hurt feelings and frazzled emotions to another level.

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)

The selections from Debussy’s First Book of Preludes (1909-1910) were the evening’s most familiar music. Most impressionist and atmospheric was Sounds and Scents Mingle in the Evening Air, its feel of mysticism contrasted with the infectious tarantella rhythm of The Hills of Anacapri. The build-up for The Engulfed Cathedral was epic in Hashimoto’s hands, while The Dance of Puck provided moments of comedy which considerably lightened the proceedings.

Toru Takemitsu (1930-1996)

The recital’s second half opened with Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu’s most famous piano work, Rain Tree Sketch II (1992), composed in memory of Messiaen. Hashimoto’s very deliberate approach to this tribute strongly aligned with the earlier idioms encountered.

Pierre Boulez (1925-2016)

Coming as a jolt to the system was iconoclastic French modernist Pierre Boulez’s 12 Notations (1945), atonal aphorisms 12 bars long and each lasting less than a minute. Extremes of dynamics were exploited, including fists slamming clusters on the keyboard, all guaranteed to shock but not long enough to cause lasting offense. 

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)

All this made Polish composer Karol Szymanowski’s early Etude in B flat minor (Op.4 No.3) sound old-fashioned which, like Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor (Op.3 No.2), chagrined the composer with its over-popularity.

Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915)

The recital’s only extended and earliest work was Russian Alexander Scriabin’s First Sonata in F minor (Op.6) from 1892. Hashimoto was the ever-resourceful guide through its four movements which headed inexorably to ultimate tragedy, with a plodding a funeral march as its conclusion. The pleasing symmetry forged with American pianist Kate Liu’s performance of Chopin’s Funeral March Sonata the previous evening was purely coincidental.

Hashimoto’s two encores provided pure respite: the lyricism of Scriabin’s Prelude in C sharp minor (Op.11 No.9) and melancholic lilt of Chopin’s Mazurka in A minor (Op.17 No.4).

Kyoko Hashimoto with
Festival Director Lim Yan (right)
& SSO CEO Kenneth Kwok.

31ST SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL: KATE LIU Piano Recital / Review

 

31ST SINGAPORE 

INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL:

KATE LIU IN RECITAL

Victoria Concert Hall

Thursday (26 June 2025)

This year marks Lim Yan’s final year as Artistic Director of the Singapore International Piano Festival. The Singaporean concert pianist’s tenure began in 2019 but was disrupted by Covid in 2020. Performances resumed in 2021 with an all-local cast of pianists, before the return of international travel led to the festival as we know it. The passing of long-time piano technician Walter Haass in 2024 was a shock, and his 29-year run as resident piano wizard is unlikely to be surpassed. The baton (or keys to the Steinway) has been passed to Albert Tiu and his roster of pianists for 2026 have been named (go check the festival booklet!).

The 31st festival’s curtain-raiser was Singapore-born American pianist Kate Liu, 3rd prizewinner at the 2015 Chopin International Piano Competition. Opening her recital with proper Sturm und Drang was Mozart’s Sonata in A minor (K.310), one of two sonatas in the minor key. She injected an urgency to its stormy first movement without sacrificing beauty of sound. Pedaling was exemplary with no textures being smudged, and this continued well into the elegant slow movement. The finale’s Presto sizzled and caught fire without its fast pacing blurring the lines.

Some may not favour Mozart with a Romantic outlook but Liu’s view of Brahms’ Four Ballades (Op.10) might well be unimpeachable. Beauty of sound was prized, especially the voicing of its intriguing harmonies. Whether these essays were inspired by literary sources is immaterial, but their A-B-A form were opportunities for stark contrasts which she exploited to the fullest. 

Photo: Clive Choo

The opening D minor “Edward” ballade matched sobriety with violence, for example, and when the music returned to each A section, a transformation of sorts would have taken place. Nothing is ever the same again. Liu’s keen musicianship makes you listen to these details and marvel. The final and longest B major ballade, had an extended close, bringing the half to a satisfying end.

Like the late great Fou Ts’ong in 1955, Liu was the winner of the Mazurka Prize in Warsaw sixty years later, and it is not a big surprise. Her inimitable way with Chopin’s Four Mazurkas (Op.30), a poignant combo of melancholy and exultation, steady pacing and rubato, made these Polish dances the evening’s true highlight. Schumann referred to these nationalistic miniatures as “cannons and flowers”, and Liu understood every bit of that ethos.

Chopin Sonata No.2 in B flat minor (Op.35), the Funeral March Sonata, came on without break from the last Mazurka, and Liu reaped the whirlwind. Schumann, again, called it “Chopin’s four most unruly children housed under the same roof”. The opening movement was passionate and full-blooded, and she observed the exposition repeat including the declamatory opening four bars marked Grave. The Scherzo was no less trenchant, with impetuosity balanced with sheer lyricism in the Trio section. The eponymous Marche funebre took an epic turn, its rumbling procession building up to a head of steam before easing to lilting beauty in D flat major. The brief finale came like a shock, the proverbial cold wind over a graveyard sweeping through under two minutes, the marvel being Liu’s unwavering evenness on both hands.

Strange as it may seem, this is a comparatively rare performance of the Funeral March Sonata in 31 years of the piano festival, the Third Sonata (Op.58) being performed many more times. Liu’s sole encore was simplicity and purity wrapped up in two minutes, the first piece (Im ruhigen Tempo) from Schumann’s Gesänge der Frühe (Songs of Dawn, Op.133). Just sublime.

A PIANO DIALOGUE OF NEW GENERATION / RUAN YANGYANG Piano Recital / Review

 

A PIANO DIALOGUE 

OF NEW GENERATION

RUAN YANGYANG Piano Recital

Victoria Concert Hall

20 Jun 2025

This review was published in The Straits Times on 23 June 2025 with the title "Bridging classical music, pop culture with easy listening pieces".

Young Chinese pianist Ruan Yangyang, recent graduate from the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and winner of multiple piano competitions, purports to be a “Pianist of a New Generation”. What does that even mean? His piano recital came some way to answer that poser, with an attempt to bridge the gap between serious classical music and popular culture by appealing to younger listeners.

Addressing the audience in both English and Mandarin, his recital comprised separate chapters with titles like “Love, Longing and Dreams”, “Innocence and Remembrance” et cetera. These juxtaposed classics with arrangements of music written for Japanese Anime movies. The recital opened with Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne in B flat minor (Op.9 No.1), displaying a true feel for cantabile, the art of singing.

This went directly to Your Lie In April (2016), partnered by a trio formed by violinist Christina Zhou, cellist Xu Xuena and percussionist Cheong Kah Yiong which performed in all the Anime pieces. This was very pleasant mood music, lovingly played, which incorporated Mozart’s Turkish Rondo midway through.

A participant in the 2021 Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw, his credentials were again on display for the Pole’s Nocturne in C minor (Op.48 No.1), which was passionate and full-blooded. Butter-Fly from Digimon Adventure (1999), that followed, continued on that thread by including the big chords from Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor (Op.3 No.2).

Ruan’s biggest test came in Chopin’s demanding Ballade No.4 in F minor (Op.52), with pathos aplenty leading up to a thrilling climax, before a memory lapse almost derailed the proceedings. After a spot of premature applause, its coda was nailed on for a perfect close. Joe Hisaishi’s Merry-Go-Round of Life from Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) was a merry little waltz, which had Chopin’s Waltz in C sharp minor (Op.64 No.2) tacked on, but transposed to G minor.

Hisaishi’s Spirited Away (2001) was perhaps the most familiar music for youngsters, with Ruan introducing even younger guests - violinist Rebecca Oh and cellist Annie Dan. They played with confidence and acquitted themselves well, before Ruan polished off Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude & Fugue in E flat major (BWV.876) with utmost clarity of articulation.

For Call of Silence from Attack On Titan (2017) to include Chopin’s Funeral March (from Sonata No.2) was an astute choice, and even smarter was to follow its stormy pages with Debussy’s Prelude No.7 or Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest (What The West Wind Saw). Arguably the Frenchman’s most violent music, Ruan delivered idiomatically and with aplomb.

Young pianist Tiffany Huang then joined him in DJ Okawari’s pretty Flower Dance, making stark contrasts with Zhang Zhao’s Pi Huang (1995), which closed the classical segment for good on a virtuosic note.

There was more light music with Big Fish & Begonia, Senbonzakura and two encores. Variations on Molihua was enjoyable, and so was a mini-ensemble of seven young string players joining Ruan and his trio for a final feel-good piece, the Chinese song Xuan Cao Hua (Daylilies).

Ruan Yangyang's Piano Recital was 

presented by Future Music.

Photography by Yong Junyi.

SINGAPORE'S VINTAGE EATING PLACES: BOLLYWOOD FARMS @ NEO TIEW ROAD (KRANJI)

Imagine having a meal on a farm, in Singapore. Just the mere thought of that does not sound real, but that was exactly what we experienced at the well-known Bollywood Farms located in Kranji. Founded in 2000, the restaurant and surroundings look as if they have been around forever. Here is a piece of Singapore that used to exist but is surely becoming extinct when urbanisation takes over. Even the Lim Chu Kang Road that leads to Neo Tiew Road is new, just opened in mid-June.

Haolian = Arrogant
(a Hokkien term)

The eatery is called Poison Ivy, named after its founder, the social justice warrior Ivy Singh Lim, but everybody knows it as Bollywood Veggies. Its idyllic setting and unpretentious vibe are the perfect place for a healthy meal at modest (for restaurants in Singapore) prices. No pork or beef is served here, and the portions are hearty. Here are the pictures from our simple lunch here, and the lovely greenery that surrounds us. Thanks go to Amy Ho and Phan Ming Yen for introducing to us this bit of paradise in Singapore. 

How could anyone not love this place?

A simple canteen-like atmosphere.

Janet had the nasi lemak, while I
tucked into the Warrior Platter.

Janet's nasi lemak
with blue pea rice.

The Warrior Platter with chicken curry,
fried fish, French bean curry, dhal, mushroom fritters
and Moringa & Mushroom Tempura

Another view of the Warrior Platter,
a hearty and healthy meal at $10++

The once ubiquitous
Papaya and Banana trees

An attempt at padi-farming.

A carpark with a view
of Heliconias & Bananas

It is said that the days of Bollywood Farms may be numbered, as the Singapore Land Authority intends to re-claim the land for development. Soon we may lose this all-too-rare plot of Singapore countryside. Thus, it is best to cherish this heritage of ours before it is gone soon.

Bollywood Farms

100 Neo Tiew Road

Singapore 719026

https://bollywoodfarms.com

Home - Bollywood Farms