Saturday, 5 April 2025
CELLISSIMO / Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Cello Ensemble / Review
Wednesday, 26 March 2025
EIN MUSIKALISCHE ABEND @ RC4, NUS
EIN MUSIKALISCHE ABEND @ RC4,
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
Monday (24 March 2025), 6 pm
Yes, another soiree, but one with a difference. This time, it's held at the National University of Singapore's Residential College 4 where I am a guest of its Master, Professor Peter Pang of Mathematics. He's a regular concertgoer at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, and he's gathered three pianists, two former students and a college resident of his to perform a programme of piano music. They included a mathematician, an English Literature major and a student of Communications and New Media.
Prof Peter Pang hopes this piano will get played often. |
The Yamaha grand piano at the Master's lounge was donated by NUS Centre for the Arts, and it is hoped it will continue to get more air time. Here are some photos from the 90-minute programme and what they performed.
A really ambitious 90-minute programme. |
Tan Weiyu opened the soiree with J.S.Bach's Goldberg Variations. |
He did not play the entire thing, but the Aria, Variations I-IV, Quodlibet & Aria da capo. |
Pamela Cheong contributed with Mozart's Sonata in B flat major (K.333) |
...and Schubert's Impromptu in G flat major, a typical Horowitz programme from the 1980s. |
Benjamin Cheah is happy to share his programme of rarities, by Pancho Vladigerov, Nikolai Kapustin & Maurice Ravel. |
Benjamin performed his demanding programme completely from memory! |
Applause for the three pianists. |
Let's have another Abend sometime soon! |
Tuesday, 25 March 2025
MUSICAL VOYAGE II / WHERE WORLDS CONVERGE: A NIGHT AT THE CROSSROADS / Singapore National Youth Chinese Orchestra / National University of Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Review
A reunion of the Kent Ridge Fine Music and Steak Appreciation Club (No vegetarians accepted). |
Saturday, 22 March 2025
HAPPY 340TH BIRTHDAY, J.S.BACH! / Soiree at Ying's with Red Dot Baroque
Happy Birthday, Papa Johann Sebastian Bach! 340 years ago, he was born in Eisenach, Thuringia on 21 March 1685, long before anyone had heard of Deutschland. What better way to celebrate his birthday than to organise a party bash with Singapore's foremost baroque group, Red Dot Baroque?
That was the idea of Huang Ying, Head of Culture, Press and Public Diplomacy at the German Embassy in Singapore, when she invited her Singapore and German friends to her lovely home in Katong for a Bach und Freunde soiree. Here are the photos from a most gemutlich evening through possible.
Ying introduces Red Dot Baroque and violinist Alan Choo to her guests. |
The musical evening opened with J.S.Bach's Sonata No.4 in C minor (BWV.1017) |
The opening movement uses the same melody as Erbarme dich from the St Matthew Passion. |
From the living room to the dining area, Leslie Tan introduces the baroque cello. |
Leslie performs a work by Italian composer Joseph Dell'Abaco and the Prelude from JSB's Cello Suite No.1. |
Christopher Clarke on theorbo offers a Toccata by Alessando Piccinini. |
Brenda Koh performs Fantasia No.9 by Bach's best buddy Georg Philipp Telemann. |
To close the concert was a dance work by Giovanni Fontana. |
Red Dot Baroque doing what they do best, having musical fun. |
Singapore Writers Festival director Yong Shu Hoong meets the Meyers. |
Alan Choo chats with Singapore Symphony Orchestra CEO Kenneth Kwok |
Germans and Singaporeans meet. |
Lianhe Zaobao's Zhang Heyang with Kenneth Kwok and soprano Alison Wong. |
Red Dot Baroque's harpsichordist Gerald Lim cuts the JSB birthday cake. |
Informal music-making, with Alan and Heyang playing J.S.Bach's Double Violin Concerto in D minor (BWV.1043) |
![]() |
Photo: Gerald Lim |
They finally got a real keyboardist to complete the concerto. |
Alison served as the page-turner for the 21st century tablet. 17th century tech at work. |
The Air and Gavotte from J.S.Bach's Suite No.3 in D major as arranged by Max Reger. |
That bag's not going anywhere near Berlin Brandenberg Airport. |
We had a great time, did you? |