This review was published in The Straits Times on 29 August 2023 with the title "Invigorating showcases by Braddell orchestra and Academy of Taiwan Strings".
After the tragic passing of music director Adrian Tan in 2021, Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra, Singapore’s oldest community orchestra, has found a worthy successor in conductor Leonard Tan. Leonard, who is no relation of Adrian, has an excellent track record of having helmed The Philharmonic Winds, Singapore’s leading wind ensemble, for some 15 years. He also continued in Adrian’s friendly manner of demystifying the classics by addressing the audience with simple, well-chosen words.
More important was the music-making, and straight off, Beethoven’s Coriolan Overture was possessed with tension and energy befitting its drama and tragedy. The opening chords were punched out with incisiveness and clarity, and soon the musical narrative sizzled.
Far more substantial was Brahms’ Second Symphony in a performance which highlighted the music’s expansiveness and sunlit vistas. The string playing stood out and if a symphony had a smile, this was it. From the lilting lullaby-like theme from the opening movement, the scherzo’s chattiness to the finale’s trail-blazing close, the results were invigorating.
In Dvorak’s masterly Cello Concerto in B minor, the orchestra partnered talented young cellist Theophilus Tan, Goh Soon Tioe Centenary Award recipient and founding member of the Concordia Quartet. His solo playing was one of much sensitivity, which occasionally got submerged by dense orchestral textures and over-enthusiastic projecting. It was passion which ultimately shone through, in the slow movement’s love song and finale’s irrepressible march.
Singapore was the first leg of the Academy of Taiwan Strings’ Asian tour, which also includes concerts in Kuala Lumpur, Taipei and Kaohsiung. Why it is considered an elite ensemble was immediately apparent by the sheer volume and richness of sonority generated in Elgar’s showpiece Introduction and Allegro, suggesting a group far larger than its 21 members.
The major work in the 2-hour long concert was the World Premiere of Singaporean composer Tan Chan Boon’s newly commissioned Symphony For Strings. Tan is not one for half-measures, and his 38-minute long work relived the Mahlerian dictum that, “A symphony is like a world. It must have everything.” And the kitchen sink one might add, as its three movements got progressively longer.
The first two movements explored ethereal and otherworldly sound textures, including harmonics, slides, pizzicatos and other exotic devices. From the morass of the amorphous issued forth hints of melody, like a newly revitalised world emerging out of Covid-induced chaos. The final slow movement had Brucknerian ambitions, a hymn-like tune without worries or neuroses, later turning into some elegy for lost souls. Its life-affirming close saw a collective stomping of feet from all performers, a trickle turning into a torrential rainstorm.
Applause from the small audience was fulsome but genuine, also accorded to the absorbing reading of Brahms’ Second String Quintet (Op.111) in its string orchestra version. Its charm and luscious melodies were gratefully lapped up by the players, leaving one wondering why it is not more often heard.
Taiwan-based Japanese film composer Koji Sakurai’s Last Forever inspired by Eileen Chang’s novella Red Rose, White Rose was quasi-baroque in style. Reminiscent of a cross between Albinoni’s Adagio and Scarlatti’s “Aria” Sonata in D minor, this elegiac number tugged on the heart-strings like no other. Joined by eight string players from Singapore’s own chamber outfit re:Sound, the concert closed with two tangos by Astor Piazzolla, sultry and brooding Oblivion with violinist Cheng Tze Hsun as soloist and the ever-lively Libertango.
Encores were demanded even after the ensemble had left the stage, and who could resist enjoying that most quintessential of Taiwanese melodies, Teng Yu-Hsien’s Wang Chun Feng or Pining For The Spring Breeze?
A year and a bit has passed since the tragic and premature passing on 12 July 2021 of Singaporean conductor Adrian Tan, music director of the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra (BHSO). A successor has yet to be appointed. This well-conceived memorial concert led by Taiwanese conductor Apo Hsu was a moving memorial to one truly passionate about music, and a timely reminder of our massive loss.
The Maestro Adrian Tan all of us remember.
Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony was an appropriate opener as it was Fate that took Adrian away. Beethoven’s fist-shaking defiance, expressed so dramatically in C minor, was what identified most with Adrian’s “can do” spirit. A naval officer with an arts degree in theatre studies who wanted so badly to be a conductor that he gave up a stable career to study music from scratch deserved our time and attention. His pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was the BHSO, which he whole-heartedly and single-mindedly honed into a fine ensemble capable of very convincing performances.
Under Hsu’s baton-less direction, a tautly gripping performance was the just result. The ensemble played their hearts out for her (and Adrian), often as if their lives depended on it. The opening Allegro con brio had vim and vigour, displaying an admirable cohesiveness. The slow movement sang unabated, the few rough spots from woodwinds doing little to derail the effort. Time seemed to fly and spirits never flagged leading into the valedictory finale, culminating in glorious C major. From the stress of uncertainty to ultimate triumph was the path taken in this symphony and Adrian’s life, and he would have been immensely proud of it.
After the intermission, Singapore-based Filipino pianist Albert Tiu, regular collaborator with Adrian, was soloist in the slow third movement of Brahms’ Second Piano Concerto. Last year, he had crafted a solo piano transcription dedicated to Adrian, and here was the full monty with orchestra. It would have been great if Noella Yan (daughter of BHSO founder Yan Ying Wing and close family friend) had performed the cello obbligato part, but BHSO principal cellist Peh Xiang Hong was no slouch. Her solo was poignantly felt, the perfect introduction to Tiu’s impassioned reading which scaled the emotional heights yet found peace and resolution at its serene conclusion.
Twin composers Low Shao Ying and Shao Suan remember Adrian fondly.
Coinciding with the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II, Nimrod from Elgar’s Enigma Variations was also a fortuitous choice. There can be no music more moving than this, a regal nobilmente which aligned publisher A.J.Jaeger’s (Nimrod was his nickname) championship of Elgar’s music with Adrian’s keen support of Singaporean composers. The performance was a particularly rapturous one, which Song For Adrian by twin sisters Low Shao Ying and Shao Suan became the most logical follow-up. Scored for just strings, this was an elegy but one which channeled sadness into hope and optimism. Cast in C major, its musical idiom may be said to be a cross between Elgar and Sibelius.
Singapore Symphony Orchestra's fourth chair first violinist Chan Yoong Han was an uncredited performer in this tribute concert.
Sama-sama maju ke hadapan pandai cari pelajaran...
A familiar note (particularly for those growing up in the 60s and 70s) was struck with BHSO Arranger-in-Residence Mohd Rasull’s Fantasy on Zubir Said’s Semoga Bahagia (May You Achieve Happiness). Known popularly as the “Sama-sama Song", its melody brought back lots of primary school memories. It was sung in unison gusto by The Joy Chorale (Khor Ai Ming, Choirmaster) and some members of the audience (with whatever childhood memories of those bygone day). This work, which included a fugue among its variations, pulled out the stops in the best way possible.
Handphones were not prohibited in this concert!
A magical atmosphere for Dick Lee's Home Photo: Muhd Firdauz Bin Sapii
The evening concluded with Dick Lee’s Home as transcribed by Kelly Teng. A popular favourite, it had to be encored, this time accompanied by swaying lights emanating from hundreds of handphones within the audience. It was a spontaneous act that captured the spirit of the event, providing magical moments for all who attended. The Last Night of the Proms might have been cancelled in London, but nobody was to deny Adrian Tan his spot in our collective memories. His passion, zeal and courage will never be forgotten.
This is how Adrian Tan will be remembered by all who knew him well.
The Singapore musical community was shocked and saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of Adrian Tan on 12 July 2021, at a tragically young age of 44. He was the Music Director of the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra (BHSO), Singapore’s only community orchestra, and is widely considered the “conductor of the people”.
Through his tireless hard work and missionary zeal, thousands got to enjoy and appreciate classical music at the grassroots level. His concerts involved amateur musicians, included instrumental players and singers, young and upcoming soloists, and he programmed popular works which would have been many people’s first exposure to classical music. Among these were concerts of Beethoven’s Choral Symphony, Handel’s Messiah and Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, which featured hundreds of singers who would have otherwise never encountered these masterpieces.
Many of these concerts were free events, held in venues as large and prestigious as Esplanade Concert Hall, and were often filled to the rafters. In smaller venues, he conducted several Singapore premieres, such as William Walton's Facade (with Edith Sitwell's verses) as well as a choreographed performance of Stravinsky's A Soldier's Tale.
Importantly, he was also a champion of Singaporean composers, an often neglected group of artists, and premiered many local works with the BHSO and Singapore Wind Symphony.
He was well-loved by the many musicians, composers and colleagues who had worked with him, and below is a sample of tributes so generously offered by them. He will be sadly missed but fondly remembered.
Adrian & Albert Tiu taking bows after the Brahms and Liszt concertos.
ALBERT TIU, Concert pianist
The music scene in Singapore just lost a most vibrant participant and a tireless advocate in Adrian Tan, who reached out to so many in his abruptly ended lifetime. Given his insatiable curiosity and affable character, he should have led a long life of fulfilling all the projects on his wish list. Adrian always had this bright spark and smile that made interacting with him so enjoyable.
We worked together on four piano concertos altogether, because he had the eager curiosity of a student to explore repertoire which was new to him. We did the Rachmaninov Second Concerto in 2014, the Brahms First in 2016 (which was later conducted by Apo Hsu), and then the Liszt and Brahms Second Concertos in 2019. In that last concert, he was most intrigued by my proposal to put together two composers who were at opposite ends of an artistic Cold War in the late 19th century. I am now working on a solo arrangement of the slow movement of the Brahms Second as a tribute to Adrian’s legacy. May he rest in peace.
Video of Albert Tiu's arrangement of the slow movement from Brahms' Second Piano Concerto can be viewed here:
or right-click the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv2OhNG--EU
Adrian Tan conducted the World Premiere of Bernard Tan's Cello Concerto in 2014.
BERNARD TAN, Composer &
Singapore Symphony Orchestra Founding Director
It is an irony that Adrian Tan never fully knew how highly the Singapore musical community valued and appreciated his multi-faceted contributions to the cause of music here. Perhaps less well-known to the public at large than some of his conducting contemporaries, Adrian was a driver of many musical projects in Singapore. He made significant contributions to both orchestral and band music, and was Music Director of the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra (BHSO) and Singapore Wind Symphony.
In particular, he took the BHSO well beyond its traditional role as a community orchestra, energising it to a highly commendable standard and promoting his musical objectives through its concerts. One of these objectives was his tireless championing of Singaporean music and composers, who will certainly miss his unstinting support for their cause.
I was most fortunate to have him agree to the BHSO performing the premiere of my ‘Cello Concerto in 2014. Adrian and the BHSO magnificently accompanied Noella Yan’s impassioned and riveting performance. I could not have asked for a better premiere!
Watch the video of Bernard Tan's Cello Concerto (First movement) here:
Adrian was a generous and serious collaborator, as many who have worked with him can confirm. His musical energy knew no bounds, moving effortlessly across the boundaries of classical, jazz, ethnic and pop music. He infused all he did with a broad-minded and knowledgeable eclecticism which respected all musical genres.
Adrian will be very much missed and could have contributed so much more to Singapore music. But what he already achieved will certainly have a lasting impact, and will serve as an inspiration for others who will take up his many worthy musical causes. We need more like him to selflessly move our musical scene to greater heights.
Rest in peace Adrian, and thank you for doing so much for Singapore music in your all too brief time with us!
A meal in Saigon, Adrian Tan with cellist Noella Yan and violinist Yew Shan, after a performance of Brahms' Double Concerto in 2007.
NOELLA YAN, Cellist based in Melbourne
I was on a walk with my two-month-old baby when I received the message Tuesday morning. No, I thought. This can’t be. How could this be the same Adrian? He's far too young to be gone.
Adrian and I first met in 2007 when he invited me to perform with the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra in Hanoi. Over our first meal, I noticed how much Adrian enjoyed talking. A lot. In the early days of our friendship, I remember feeling exhausted and sometimes annoyed keeping up with these wild conversations and crazy ideas of his. Adrian always had a way of looking at life. He was calm when necessary and full of energy at other times. He was bright, ambitious, authentic and fiercely determined. He was unapologetically himself, honest and blunt. He was also a visionary; he dreamed big, worked hard and pursued these dreams with immense boldness. He could be initially misread as obnoxious, but once you got to know Adrian personally, you could see how big and sincere his heart was.
Around 2011, my father Yan Yin Wing, who helmed Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra, was planning to step down, which meant looking for a successor. My father’s vision for BHSO had always been ‘Music for the community by the community.’ I remember vaguely connecting the two of them, and the rest was history. Under Adrian's leadership, BHSO grew to new heights. He knew how to connect people and more importantly, he connected humanity through music. He took the elitism out of classical concerts and made it accessible to the masses. The numerous Esplanade projects he led were a clear reflection of this. I distinctly remember being moved to tears singing in one concert and feeling immense gratitude that I could share in that incredible moment. He always looked to grow, to better himself as a person and a professional. He fought incredibly hard for the local music scene and devoted himself to building others up and finding opportunities to empower others. I was one of them.
Rehearsing Bernard Tan's Cello Concerto with the BHSO
Watch performances of Bernard Tan's Cello Concerto (Second and Third movements) here:
As they say, ‘People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.’ Adrian had a larger-than-life personality and we never imagined how our time with him would be this brief, but it has no doubt impacted us all, reached us all. May his life be a celebration of who he was and a sharing of our happy memories of him. Adrian, may you rest in the peace and quiet delight of Bach's last words, "Don't cry for me, for I go where music is born." Go well, my friend.
Generous, innovative and confident is how I would define Adrian’s Tan’s complex personality.
In 1999 at National University of Singapore Winds which I conducted, Adrian played the saxophone, contributed as an executive committee member and later became my assistant. He was one who burst with energy, asked multiple practical and philosophical questions. Years later, he embraced the reality of conducting and created two ensembles. His musical intentions were confident. I merely advised him to acquire a conducting technique if he wanted to progress. He thus abandoned the security of a full time navy career to study conducting in Sydney.
A focused, driven and confident Adrian returned and became the artistic leader of three estabished Singaporean orchestras. Adrian presented well. He spoke well. He knew how to connect with the audience. His innovative programming really supported our local composers. Adrian was generous with his time and ideas. He created a new concert-ticketing agency and a union to represent and support Singaporean musicians. Adrian’s energy was infectious. He was a people connector. Adrian’s geographic area of activities expanded to the whole region.
Adrian, the number of musicians who attended your wake attests to the mark you leave in the music community. Adrian, you will be missed. Adrian, rest in peace in the eternal joy of music.
After a performance of Sibelius' Violin Concerto with Chan Yoong Han and BHSO.
CHAN YOONG HAN, Concert violinist &
Fixed Chair, Singapore Symphony Orchestra
It’s been a very sad week indeed for all of us, but and very touching to see all the tributes made to Adrian. This is a true testament to how much he has impacted the lives of so many in our musical community.
Maybe pictures speak louder than words in the following photos contributed by Yoong Han:
A photoshoot at the “sand dunes” of Lorong Halus, part of the marketing of Fiddlers’ Feud, featuring Yoong Han and Jin Li in a duo recital. That 2007 concert was presented by the Chamber Music Society of Singapore, set up by Adrian and modelled after the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Centre.
A group photo of the Bridges Collective, a chamber group based in Melbourne, which presented two concerts in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, featuring works of John Sharpley (seated far left), Bernard Tan, Mohamad Rasull and several Australian composers.
JOHN SHARPLEY, Composer
Adrian Tan, a friend and colleague remembered
Adrian Tan was a visionary! His tireless dedication to the development and flourishing of new music in Singapore was extraordinary, exemplary and inspiring. I would count him as one of the most engaging and informed musicians that I have had the pleasure to know. He was also a good friend. Adrian saw possibility where most would see nothing or even impossibility. His projects were often daring, ambitious and successful. As both a conductor and educator, Adrian possessed the ability to bring out the best in others. His musical approach was always towards simplicity, creativity, clarity, confidence and intelligence.
Our first major collaboration was a commission by Adrian and the Singapore Wind Symphony to compose a work based on the Malay folk song, Geylang Sipaku Geylang. It premiered in 2013 at Esplanade Concert Hall. Another collaboration was a commission from Bridges Collective, a music ensemble based in Melbourne, with Adrian conducting. Singapore Dreams, was premiered at Federation Square in Melbourne and later toured in Singapore and Malaysia. The latest collaboration was with Adrian conducting the Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra in the premiere of my oratorio, A Moment of Rest Upon the Wind, based on Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet. The performance took place at SOTA Concert Hall. We also served together in various committees, panels and seminars over the past decade. Even up to his untimely demise, Adrian and I were formulating some new projects together. Each collaboration with Adrian was joyful, meaningful and enriching. His enthusiasm and integrity never waned.
The following quote is from the last lines of The Prophet which are also near the end of my oratorio. During the collaborative process, Adrian and I had a number of impassioned philosophical discussions about the profoundly spiritual texts. In this particular moment of Gibran’s narrative, Almustafa, a man of great wisdom and vision, is dying. He speaks his last words: “People of Orphelese, the wind bids me leave you. Less hasty am I than the wind, yet I must go. We are the seeds of the tenacious plant, and it is in our ripeness and our fullness of heart that we are given to the wind and are scattered.”
Adrian Tan’s meteoric fire burned brightly albeit too briefly. May he long be remembered and the seeds of such a remarkable tenacious plant be scattered!
AZARIAH TAN, Concert pianist
Adrian was a wonderful human being and artist, and I had the privilege of working with him in a soulful Rachmaninoff 2nd Piano Concerto in a 2010 concert. I still vividly remember the moments we had at rehearsals, eating together in the coffee shop, or walking down the streets. The conversations we had revealed a deep passion and personal interest he had in fellow artists. And I will never forget that experience of a lifetime performing the concerto with him. He was inspiring both on and off stage, but more importantly, he was a down-to-earth and humane person. Although the world has lost a wonderful soul, his legacy will continue to live in the the hearts of those whose lives he touched.
Here is the video of the slow movement from Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto performed by Azariah Tan and the Braddell Heights Symphony conducted by Adrian Tan:
HO CHEE KONG, Composer &
Interim Dean of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Adrian had been very supportive of local music and composers since we first met in 2000, while he was still an officer in the Republic of Singapore Navy. At that time, I was teaching at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (National University of Singapore), and together with fellow music-lovers Ng Tian Hui and Chia Han-Leon, we discussed about setting up a local society for composers. He was the most enthusiastic amongst us to draft the initial constitution for the society, which later evolved to suit the needs of composers as more joined the society. It was a tremendous step forward to bring a collective recognition of contemporary art music works by local composers and those based in Singapore.
In the earlier years, four of us were involved in hosting the Singapore-Japan Composers exchange concerts in 2005 and 2006, presentations made to the Asian Composers League (ACL) since 2003 to showcase works and developments in the contemporary art music scene in Singapore, and the eventual establishment of the Composers Society of Singapore (CSS) in 2007, that was registered with Registry of Societies. Adrian became a CSS executive committee member and contributed to welcoming composers to be part of the society.
While pursuing his conducting studies, he continued to help CSS in many ways, including when we hosted the 31st ACL Conference and Festival in Singapore (2013), which was a landmark event showcasing local composers and musicians that resounded beyond Asia. Those of us who e-mailed Adrian know he used avnger as his email id. That id says a lot about Adrian the person, his strong convictions and passion for life. May he find more adventures beyond.
Now a familiar pose: Adrian Tan addressing the audience at a Braddell Heights Symphony concert.
And finally, an entry by yours truly:
My first encounter with Adrian, while writing as a music reviewer for The Straits Times, was not so positive. In a 2005 concert when he conducted his New Festival Orchestra in Rachmaninov’s Second and Third Piano Concertos, I had written of a young conductor, “whose bio suggests he has had more theatre than experience, the ensemble bared coped...” and an Intermezzo which was, “ponderous and ragged, where a better orchestra and less pedantic conductor would have made a difference.” Ouch.
Little had I known that was Adrian’s conducting debut. Years later, I apologised for my scathing words, and his response was one of utter humility. “You were right!” he said. His totally positive and “can do” attitude made me eat my words. He quit his navy career, pursued formal conducting studies and became one of Singapore’s most active and popular conductors.
His work with the Braddell Heights Symphony and proselytising of classical music in general has made a real difference. In his concerts, he often served as master of ceremony, explaining each work performed to the audience as he would a friend, using plain and colloquial English without going into technical jargon, nor ever dumbing down. His approach was always fuss-free, fresh and friendly, making the experience of classical music as easy as possible.
His unwavering support of young musical talents, local composers and compositions have greatly encouraged many artists that their efforts were really worth the while. Singapore’s musical scene has indeed become better all round. He will be missed, but the shining example of his love and passion for music will live on.
Quite appropriately, we conclude this tribute with a video of Adrian Tan conducting the Singapore Wind Symphony in Mohamad Rasull's Fantasia on Zubir Said's Semoga Bahagia (May You Achieve Happiness):
Dr Chang Tou Liang is a Singaporean family physician in private practice. From 2004 to 2008 he was the Artistic Director of the Singapore International Piano Festival. He has also been the classical music reviewer of The Straits Times (Singapore's national daily) since 1997. He is married to Janet, has a son Shan Ming, and keeps a household of four rescued cats.
