ASIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA CONCERT TOUR 2024 / Review

 

ASIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA 

CONCERT TOUR 2024 

Esplanade Concert Hall 

Wednesday (14 August 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 17 August 2024 with the title "Display of prowess by young Asian musicians".

For its tenth visit to Singapore, the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) led by French-Swiss conductor Joseph Bastian performed a substantial all-French programme. Its 103 players, representing 13 East Asian nations and territories, gave an excellent account of its prowess and potential. French music is notoriously difficult to master on account of multiple nuances and meticulous instructions demanded by its composers but AYO more than prevailed. 

Opening with Maurice Ravel’s Suite No.2 from ballet Daphnis et Chloe, the young musicians immediately got into their stride by generating a luscious sonority evocative of the breaking of dawn. Murmuring flutes conjured a dream-like state, while mellow violas and cellos provided a warmth and calm that was totally atmospheric. 

Notable were the short woodwind solos that graced this sumptuous score. Piccolo, flute, oboe and clarinet all shined, every member being a virtuoso in his or her own right. These would eventually be subsumed in the breathtakingly orgiastic Danse Generale which literally swept the board. 

The other major work was Claude Debussy La Mer, another score with so much fine details packed into its three movements as to risk being fussy. No worries, as this study of colour and movement flowed as naturally as breathing itself. The opening From Dawn to Midday on the Sea became the perfect tone painting, with every brushstroke, drip and splash in place, contrasted by the scherzo-like dynamism in Play of the Waves. 

The closing Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea saw the churning of ominous waves, and forces of nature unleashed to devastating effect. Close one’s eyes and listen, imagine a storm taking place with Bastian leading his charges to another wonderfully characterised performance. 

In between these works, AYO provided splendid support to renowned German cellist Alban Gerhardt in Edouard Lalo’s Cello Concerto in D minor. The martial mood set in the orchestral introduction was reciprocated by Gerhardt’s big and blustery tone, but this would soon relax into playing of a more lyrical mien. 

These contrasts were well brought out, as was the central movement’s elegiac song later followed by a playfulness and nimbleness which was pure delight. The finale began seriously but virtuoso fireworks soon took over for a rousing close. Gerhardt’s encore provided yet another facet of artistry, J.S.Bach’s soulful Prelude from Cello Suite No.2 in D minor. 

Ravel described his Bolero as “a piece without music”, but this live performance provided a thrill and elan that went beyond its gradual crescendo and seemingly endless repetitions. Credit went to the snare-drum solo steadfastly helmed by Singaporean percussionist Jeremy Ng, and the many soloists that repeated its droll and hypnotic melody over his beat. 

That spectacular ending and overwhelming response was rewarded with two encores, Georges Bizet’s festive Carmen Overture contrasted with the stringed wonder that is the Intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana. For the record, four Singaporeans proudly flew the flag in AYO, also including Samuel Phua (saxophone), Lee Yan Liang (French horn) and Abner Wong (trumpet).

ASIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA in Singapore / Review

ASIAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA
Esplanade Concert Hall
Friday (12 August 2011)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 15 August 2011 with the title "Pure and pristine Jackiw".

Audiences in Singapore may be excused for being sated by the excellent youth orchestras that abound in our island-state, which could be the reason for the smallish house that greeted the Asian Youth Orchestra (AYO) on its fourth leg of a 16-concert tour of ten Asian cities. The 100-strong AYO, formed by the cream of East Asian musical talent, including four Singaporeans, nevertheless impressed with its show of polish and purpose.

Beginning on a rousing note with Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, the strings immediately shone with a silky sound which could turn flexible and resilient at a moment’s notice. There were also excellent solos from the flute, oboe, clarinet and cor anglais, adding to the tonal allure of this popular opener.

In an unfortunate repeat of that infamous “Poets of Poland” SSO concert, the Third Circle again erupted with noise from rowdy students. It took British conductor James Judd and American violinist Stefan Jackiw almost a minute of staring down the mob before a semblance of decorum was restored. Don’t our self-centred and far-too-pampered youngsters ever learn?

Total silence was crucial as from the ether of pianissimo string tremolos emerged Jackiw’s (left) pure and pristine solo for Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D minor. Here is an uncommonly sensitive soloist, from whom every note and phrase is so carefully weighted and thoughtfully shaped as to bring maximum pleasure. Rarely has this rough-hewn masterpiece been played with such beauty and poise.

Credit goes to the orchestra which provided tautness and nervous tension to keep the performance on a knife’s edge throughout. The rhythmically tricky finale was a brilliant case in point, romping home with the authority of far more experienced and matured performers.

The final showpiece was Rachmaninov’s sprawling Second Symphony in E minor. Its hour-long musings never felt protracted, as Judd (left) guided his charges on a thrilling journey displaying not just mere virtuosity but also sheer cohesiveness. The mellow sheen of strings provided the “wow” factor, pulling at the heartstrings in the manner only the Russians know best. The clarinet solo in the slow movement was breathtaking in its clarity and simplicity as it unfolded.

Climaxes were brought to almost unsupportable highs, only to mount further surges to prove that the players had even more in reserve. Their unity and passion had made this an unforgettable reading. The 21st century is destined to be dominated by Asian orchestras.