Photographs from WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD / The Young Musicians' Foundation Orchestra

WELCOME TO THE NEW WORLD

The Young Musicians’ Foundation Orchestra

Victoria Concert Hall

Tuesday (22 May 2018)

Of the young orchestras that have sprung up in Singapore over the recent years, The Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra (TYMFO), founded by Darrell Ang and now under the baton of Alvin Seville Arumugam, is one of the more dynamic and promising ones. Its most recent concert demonstrated a level of ambition that is encouraging and more than recommendable.

The Singapore premiere of Toru Takemitsu’s From Me Flows What You Call Time, composed in the 1990s for the 100^th anniversary of Carnegie Hall, was a highlight. A helpful preamble was provided by Arumugam, introducing the main themes of the work and the five percussionists. The performance itself was excellent, with the orchestra carving out a sumptuous sound. The opening flute solo from Alvin Chan, reminiscent of Debussy’s Prelude a l’apres-midi dun faune, was pivotal and it was this theme pervaded the 25-minute long work.

  

The percussionists, Chaiyaphat Prempree, Tan Lee Ying, Chinnabut Kaewkomin, Lim Xing Hong and Kevin Tan, performed on a wide array of instruments including exotic ones like Trinidadian steel-drums, Tibetan singing bowls, rainstick, angklungs and the piece de resistance, - two sets of chimes strung up from the hall’s high ceiling and controlled by multicoloured cords.

They stole the show with an exuberant display, besides blending in seamlessly with the general ensemble. The music was classic Takemitsu – calming, lush, hushed, even when rising to sonorous climaxes which were never became harsh or strident. This was certainly one of the more significant local premieres in recent years, and kudos especially because it came from a young orchestra (rather than the SSO).    

The longer second work was Dvorak’s Ninth Symphony, better known as the “New World Symphony”. This is very familiar and over-exposed music, but the orchestra gave it a good shot and the overall impression was one of freshness and vigour. The introduction was taken at a comfortable pace dictated by conductor Arumugam, and when the actual allegro ensued, it was one of urgency and renewed energy. Control was the key, and there was little risk of the movement being overdone or rising to levels of hysteria.

The opening of the famous Largo was also well-handled by the orchestra’s brass chorale, and Rafika Wiryono’s cor anglais solo was a steady and confident one. There were some solo issues in this and the third movement but that did not diminish the stature of the overall ensemble and playing. The bracing finale with its striding theme provided the final gloss, with the brass again leading the charge to the symphony’s heroic close.

  

As before and again, TYMFO has come up with a concert that is commendable and true to the spirit of music. Young conductor Alvin Seville Arumugam leads with conviction and dedication, and there is much scope for this young group to further contribute to our burgeoning local musical scene. 

TCHAIKOVSKY'S FIFTH / The Young Musicians' Foundation Orchestra / Review

TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIFTH

The Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra

Victoria Concert Hall

Wednesday (16 August 2017)

The Young Musicians' Foundation Orchestra was founded several years ago by conductor Darrell Ang to give young musicians who have aspirations of turning professional a chance to perform in an orchestra of a high standard. Similarly, it also provides a platform for young, up-and-coming conductors in their study and preparation of repertoire works. Singapore is already producing conductors who go on to win international conducting competitions, thus adding to the universal pool of maestros to sustain classical music's future. Thus, an orchestra such as TYMFO has much to contribute to the local and international music scene.

Its latest concert was an ambitious one, conducted by Music Director Alvin Seville Arumugam who is pursuing his Masters of Music at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory.  Opening with Beethoven's Egmont Overture, he wrung out as much pathos as possible in its slow introduction. The opening notes and series of chords that followed were trenchant and well-defined. The heroism of its subject, the martyred Dutch patriot who defied Spanish oppressors, was captured with much vividness as the orchestra built up the drama ever so assuredly to its triumphant end. 

Next was another orchestral staple, Brahms Variations on a Theme by Haydn. It isn't so regularly heard in concerts these days, but it still makes for a meaty offering. The opening St Anthony Chorale theme, wrongly attributed to Haydn (who merely wrote a harmonisation), was delivered clearly and with sprightly steps. That and the opening variations showcased very good woodwind and brass playing, which was consistent through the entire concert. For some reason, the variations following Variation No.5 (the one with the “hunting horn” quartet) were omitted in this performance, and that fact did not seem to be shared by all aboard. This resulted in an abrupt break and several awkward page turns from the conductor before continuing to the finale (the passacaglia), where semblance of order was returned for a strong finish.

I think someone got the beards mixed up.

Speaking of mix-ups, did one check the programme booklet which had Brahms' and Tchaikovsky's photographs mixed up? There were no programme notes either, but the deficit was made up by conductor Alvin's helpful comments to new concert-goers. He spoke about the main motto theme in Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony in E minor and its transformation from tragedy to triumph through the work's four movements. He also touched on Tchaikovsky's depression, troubled personal life, and unexpected death (suicide or cholera?), while managing to stay politically correct (no LGBT issues even hinted at). The orchestra also played passages to illustrate the short talk, but all this took place before the interval.

One wonders whether concert-goers these days have sufficiently retentive memories for such facts, as the symphony was played after the intermission, some 20 minutes later. Nonetheless, the audience was treated to a very convincing reading of another popular work. The opening clarinet solo from principal Teow Yue Se was excellent, supported by low strings. This was a very promising beginning that got better as the movement progressed. The build up to its climax was thrilling and the orchestra brought out a very full-bodied sound before retiring to a quiet end.

The slow movement's glorious French horn solo was accorded to Alan Kartik (who is a member of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, no less) and he embraced it with open arms and a gorgeous tone. Again, the defiance and vehemence displayed as the opening motto theme returned was very well handled, and the movement's blaze of triumph was spine-tingling to say the least. The third movement's waltz provided some measure of respite, and the orchestra responded with requisite lilt before yet another reprise of the motto theme, now sounding surreptitious and subdued.

Conductor Alvin did not break between the 3^rd and 4^th movements, and so the motto theme was heard immediately, now in the affirmative key of E major. The transformation was now complete, and the hell-for-leather ride was underway too, providing for one of Tchaikovsky's most exciting finales. The pacing was excellent too, never hectic or overstated, as the orchestra built from strength to strength. Singapore orchestras are regularly praised for the strength of strings, and based on this performance, woodwinds and brass should not be ignored as these sections truly made the symphony their own as it raced to a breathless close. The applause was equally vociferous, with cheers aplenty, all of that richly deserved. One eagerly awaits the TYMFO's next concert.       

Students from the Clementi Town Secondary School
band attending their first symphony concert.

  

EVENSONGS / Vox Camerata / Review

MUSICA INTIMAE: EVENSONGS

Vox Camerata

Yong Musicians Foundation Orchestra

Esplanade Concert Hall

Tuesday (17 January 2017)

The first choral concert of the year was given by Vox Camerata, a choir founded by Mohamed Shahril bin Mohamed Salleh which has a distinction of programming serious choral repertoire yet without subjecting its members to a formal audition. This open-handed and egalitarian approach, characterised by a total absence of snobbery, has been rewarded by seriously good performances in venues as diverse as the Armenian Church, School of the Arts and The Arts House.

Its Esplanade Concert Hall debut was backed by an orchestra, no less than the young and very promising The Young Musicians Foundation Orchestra. The concert opened without voices, in Mendelssohn's The Hebrides Overture, also known as Fingal's Cave, conducted by Ignatius Wang. The evenness of the playing was remarkable, led by very good strings (with ex-SSO veteran violinist Lim Shue Churn as concertmaster), and as the work progressed, a very fine woodwind section with an excellent clarinet principal. If the slow opening pages sounded little soporific in pace, it soon built up a head of steam. This was a performance of polish, if not one of raw passion and a little wildness. That would come with some more experience.

The chorus of Vox Camerata, joined by guests from the Anderson Junior College Alumni Choir and German Protestant Church Choir, had their say in Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs with baritone Brent Allcock as soloist, and conducted by Alvin Seville Arumugam. Using the poems of George Herbert, the music relived the English pastoral tradition which the New Zealander Allcock was totally at home with. His is a warm and reassuring voice that sounded gorgeous in the opening Easter, with the words “Rise, heart. Thy Lord is risen”, echoed with deep resonance from the chorus. This set the tone, further lit up with I Got Me Flowers, gently accompanied by harp and strings, and Love Bade Me Welcome, with subtle woodwind contributions and the chorus joining in later with fine and discreet unison humming.

Credit has to go to conductor Arumugam for his command of the orchestra, which was always sensitive to the voices, and never threatened to overwhelm. The transparency of the strings and  sublime woodwind solos were true to the music's gentle spirit. The Call was for a short but moving baritone solo, followed by the final song Antiphon, perhaps the most exciting for the chorus, which proclaimed “Let the world in every corner sing”, and meaning every word of it. Vaughan Williams is not often performed in Singapore, so this was indeed a real treat.

The strings remained onstage, joined by pianist Ong Seng Choo to accompany the choir in Gabriel Faure's Cantique de Jean Racine, which was conducted by Ignatius Wang. This short work breathes the same ethereal air as the French composer's Requiem, that is it sounds otherwordly. The men's voices that opened sounded uneven, with the volume weighted to the lower registers, but that soon leavened with the entry of the women. The strained voices sounded exposed here but the spirit with which the music was sung made up for this shortcoming.

It was laudable that in order to save trees, no programme booklets were printed for the concert, with all programme information and notes made available in a downloadable soft copy. The price to pay was that the audience applauded after every single movement, and that trend continued well into the second half.

The excellent orchestra was dispensed with in John Rutter's Magnificat, which was conducted by Vox Camerata Chorusmaster Shahril himself with Ong again on piano accompaniment. In this larger scale work, the chorus occupying centrestage under the acoustic canopy seemed overmatched by the venue, and some parts sounded thin as a result. A choir double its size would have been preferable, but make no mistake, it still brought out a gutsy and committed performance, full of heart and feeling.

The syncopated opening Magnificat was well-delivered, with a keen mastery of its tricky rhythms. Rutter's very tonal and highly approachable music risks sounding saccharine, so the chorus avoided over sentimentality in the slower movements. The 2^nd movement, Of a Rose, a Lovely Rose, was poetically sung, contrasted with pomp and ceremony of Quia fecit mihi magna. Guest soprano Akiko Otao was a standout, her lovely voice wafted clearly over the chorus in Et Misericordia and Esurientes. If one wondered what an angel sounds like, this would be a pretty close approximation. There was a jazzy choral fugue in Fecit potentiam which was unfortunately not further elaborated by the composer, but the final Gloria patria recapped the opening's high spirits and the concert closed on a celebratory high.

The audience clearly enjoyed the music and effort put in the performance, and the applause showed it. Thus it was a pity that the performers chose to leave the stage at the very first opportunity, which curtailed any further plaudits. So there were no curtain calls at all! Here amateur musicians could take a leaf from their professional counterparts by staying onstage for a longer duration, and milk the applause for themselves and their collaborators what it is worth. This would be a lesson for future concert opportunities: You put in the hard work, so you deserve all the credit!   

RACHMANINOFF'S SECOND CONCERTO / The Young Musicians' Foundation Orchestra / Review

RACHMANINOFF'S SECOND CONCERTO

The Young Musicians' 

Foundation Orchestra

School of the Arts Concert Hall

Sunday (10 April 2016)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 12 April 2016 with the title "Promising public debut by young orchestra".

It is always exciting to greet the appearance of yet another new orchestra in Singapore, a city-state already filled with young orchestras. The Young Musicians' Foundation Orchestra (TYMFO) was founded by Darrell Ang several years ago, but this evening marked its first public concert under the leadership of present Music Director Alvin Seville Arumugam. 

Regular concert-goers might recognise several familiar faces in Concertmaster Lim Shue Churn on violin, viola principal Siew Yi Li and cello principal Lin Juan, all of whom are experienced hands. Their mentorship of the young musicians was to provide the much-needed stability for the demanding enterprise of performing a live concert.

The programme opened with Morning Mood from Grieg's Peer Gynt. This was a very clean and fresly minted reading, evocative of the Sahara Desert at dawn (rather than the cliched vision of Norwegian fjords) lit up by confident showings from flautists Rachel Ho and Shaun Leoi. The tonal colour brought out by the orchestra was also close to perfection in this short curtain-raiser.

The less said about the titular Second Piano Concerto by Rachmaninoff, the better. The soloist was Charles Cousins, a mature amateur with far more enthusiasm than experience. A highly uneven performance with some sublime spots marred by many mistakes, lapses and an outright collapse (necessitating an emergency page-turner, not for the first time at this venue) showed that public performances of Rachmaninoff concertos should be best left for professional concert pianists. 

There was nothing amateurish about the performance of Beethoven's Symphony No.5 in C minor that took place after the intermission. In reality, it was a very good one, in terms of overall ensemble, projection and the realisation of that most Beethovenian of commands – con brio. The familiar 4-note opening motif was launched with precision and verve, and the first movement brimmed with a palpable vitality that was hard to resist.

As if to prove that was no fluke, the opening of the slow movement with violas and cellos was beautifully sung, almost weightless in its delivery. The Andante thus unfolded with grace and purpose, rising to a ecstatic climax. If there were any quibbles, the tricky changing metre of the 3^rd movement gave the ensemble a few problems, the sort which could be ironed out with time and experience.

Leaving best for last, the Finale blazed with an incandescence of white heat that was totally memorable. Conductor Arumugam's secure and steady beat which kept the ensemble focussed at such high speeds seemed almost implausible. The trombones, first heard in this symphony, were excellent, blasting off with great aplomb. Always in pitch, they never came close to hogging the show.

Although urgent in feel, this did not feel like a hard-driven performance. That is the rare skill of a good conductor, one always sensitive to the music and ensemble, but directing with a single-minded vision according to an innate sense of aesthetics. This life-affirming outing bodes well for a young orchestra with very much to offer.