THE HEART OF JUN: MEMOIRS OF ZHAOJUN / Siong Leng Musical Association / Review

 

THE HEART OF JUN: 

MEMOIRS OF ZHAOJUN 

Siong Leng Musical Association 

Singtel Waterfront Theatre 

Friday (14 February 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 17 February 2025 with the title "Intense reflection and melancholy in The Heart of Jun".

Nanyin (music of the south) is the music of Southern China, centred around the province of Fujian (Hokkien), which was transported to the lands of Southeast Asia during the Chinese diaspora. A two thousand-year-old tradition, its designation as a “living fossil” is a double-edge sword, emphasising its antiquity but risks becoming an immobile museum piece. 

Much credit thus goes to Singapore’s Siong Leng Musical Association for contextualising its seemingly simple content with this elegant piece of musical theatre at Esplanade’s Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts. This collaboration with playwright Katherine Chou and director Lee Yi Hsiu, both from Taiwan, yielded true dividends. 

Its plot revolved around the ballads of Wang Zhaojun, one of ancient China’s four classical beauties, who was married off by the Western Han emperor to a Xiongnu king. Undertaking a perilous journey of uncertainty, her songs were essentially laments on loss, sacrifice and homesickness. 

These were beautifully personified in the soulful voice of Lim Ming Yi, playing Azhao, a tragic character in traditional outfit who appeared distant and aloof to the chatty but diverse personalities of a modern-attired Yi Xin (Ang Xiao Ting) and the kebaya-clad Nan Jun (Jodi Chan). All three ladies, with their own aspirations and agencies, were united on a sea voyage from Fujian to Nanyang. 

In its three connected scenes, beginning with The Wind Blows Through Yanmen Pass, Azhao’s mellifluous songs in the Minnan dialect, were accompanied by pipa (played by Seow Ming Fong), sanxian (Anita Yeong), erxian (Joel Chia) and dongxiao (bamboo flute, Seow Ming Xian). With a backup ensemble of eight musicians, this set a dominant tone of melancholy and intense reflection. 

For the second scene, Family Letters Amid The Rhythm of Drums and the finale, The Treacherous Sea Outmatches Rugged Mountains, the same lament was reprised, yet sounding different on each occasion. It was as if transformations took place with a change of scenarios and fortunes, with the singing and instrumentations varied accordingly. 

The cognitive incongruences between the three protagonists soon become apparent with the sudden and repeated appearance of the play’s only male character Jian Huang (Hang Qian Chou). He was a bearer of impending doom, whether by a gale-force typhoon or bloodthirsty pirates, who shattered their illusions. Where does he come from, and why the urgent messages? 

In the third act, they (and the audience) soon realise being trapped in an eternal space and time warp, where every character is part of a ghost story. The plot twist came at just the right time, as the vessel was being dredged from the sea floor, bringing an audible gasp from the audience. 

When asked what pursuit one character would undertake after the “rescue”, her reply was to “perform Nanyin”. Thus an allegorical parallel may be inferred with the art of Nanyin being revived from the dregs of history by the implausibly young practitioners from Siong Leng. This production should be repeated, if anything to recapture its artistry and all the nuances.

Photo: Pianomaniac

Professional photography 

from Siong Leng Musical Association.

A PIANO RECITAL NOT TO MISS: ELISEY MYSIN on 23 February 2025

Here is a piano recital not to be missed. The prodigious 15-year-old Russian pianist and YouTube sensation Elisey Mysin makes his Singapore debut recital on Sunday 23 February 2025. Not since Evgeny Kissin has there been a piano prodigy such as this, and his numerous prizes in international piano competitions attest to his artistry and virtuosity.

His programme as follows:

BEETHOVEN Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.2 No.1

SCHUMANN Papillons, Op.2

LISZT The Bells of Geneva 

   from Years of Pilgrimage (Switzerland)

LISZT Venezia et Napoli 

   from Years of Pilgrimage

PROKOFIEV Sonata No.5 in C major, Op.38

TCHAIKOVSKY-PLETNEV 

   Nutcracker Concert Suite

Sunday, 23 February 2025

Victoria Concert Hall, 4.30 pm

Tickets available at SISTIC:

https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/elisey0225

Watch this video and marvel:

Another video to enjoy:

Elisey Mysin is presented by

Finger Waltz Music Productions.

GO LOCAL! HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR CONCERT / Ding Yi Music Company / Review

 

GO LOCAL! 

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR 

Ding Yi Music Company 

China Cultural Centre Theatre 

Sunday (9 February 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 11 February 2025 with the title "Ding Yi's Chinese New Year concert is a musical joyride".

Ding Yi Music Company’s annual Chinese New Year concerts, supported by the Chinese Cultural Centre on Queen Street, are often remembered for their heady combination of artistry, informality and fun. This year’s offering conducted by Dedric Wong, which had a significant contribution of Hong Kong talent, was no different. 

When Law Wai Lun’s very camp Happy New Year medley opened a concert instead of closing it, one knew a musical joyride was in the offing. The big band treatment of God Of Wealth Comes (财神到) and Welcoming Spring Flowers (迎春花) and with Gong Xi Gong Xi (恭喜恭喜) turned into a tango, these overplayed seasonal favourites became hard to dislike. 

Two members of Hong Kong’s Windpipe Chinese Music Ensemble were guest performers in this concert. In Lui Man Shing’s light and catchy The Lion Dance, based on Cantonese tunes, Leung Kin Ping helmed the highest pitched huqin, the gaohu. 

He later exchanged it for a violin for Hong Kong composer Alfred Wong Hok-yeung’s Tango in Temple Street. Obliged to play demanding cadenzas which included numerous portamenti (sliding between pitches) at its beginning and close, the violin attempted to sound like an erhu. Here was a curious case of reverse appropriation which worked pretty well, being very idiomatic on this occasion. 

A touch of nostalgia was afforded with the introduction of local jazz singer-songwriter Miss Lou (卢佩莘 Lou Peixin), hailed as Singapore’s Glamour Vintage Songbird, for three songs. Attired alluringly in a cheongsam, The Spring Breeze Kisses My Face (春风吻上我的脸,made popular in the 1950s by Yao Li) sounded totally inviting in a jazz setting by Chan Nga Man. 

In A Spray of Plum Blossoms (一剪梅, championed by Fei Yu-ching in 1980s Taiwan), she reveled in its long-held high notes. Her prowess as composer came in the original composition Qing Ying Feng Ying (轻盈风影, Fresh Air), a love song which sounded even more convincing in its Mandarin version. 

The second of Windpipe Ensemble’s members was percussionist Chak Yuet Man, who partnered Ding Yi’s own kitchen department specialist Low Yik Hang in Alfred Wong’s Once Upon A Time In China. Inspired by the martial arts of Wong Fei Hong, this vibrant music saw a pitched battle between both drummers. They were unfortunately placed behind the orchestra, thus partially obstructing what would have been an epic view. 

As if that were not loud enough, the concert proper concluded with Nie Er’s highly popular and suitably rowdy Dance of the Golden Snake, as arranged by Tang Jianping, which raised the roof for the new “year of the snake”. As an encore, Miss Lou was trotted out for another of her original works, the jaunty Guo Nian Jiu Shi Jiang (过年就是酱, This Is CNY). With many local references to family dinner reunions, it closed with a lusty cheer of “Huat ah!”

HUAYI CHINESE FESTIVAL OF ARTS: THE TEMPLE OF RESONANCE / WHAT IS QIN / Review

 

THE TEMPLE OF RESONANCE 

Uni Percussion (Taiwan) 

Esplanade Annexe Studio 

Saturday (8 February 2025)

WHAT IS QIN 

Zi De Guqin Studio (China) 

Singtel Waterfront Theatre 

Saturday (8 February 2025)  

This review was published in The Straits Times on 10 February 2025 with the title "Fun exploration of percussion and qin in two shows".

Esplanade’s annual Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts takes place near the Lunar New Year, showcasing a wide range of artistic events with artists and groups from China and East Asia. Two highly contrasting ticketed musical events captivated audiences on a busy Saturday evening that also saw the Chingay Parade taking place. 

Photo: LIJESH PHOTOGRAPHY

If one wandered into the black box venue which hosted The Temple of Resonance and gazed at the hundreds of instruments and bric-a-brac involved, one could be forgiven for imagining Uni Percussion of Taiwan to be a large group of percussionists ready to make a big noise. However, Uni was literally the singular person of Hsueh Yung-Chih, a veritable one-woman-band. 

Photo: LIJESH PHOTOGRAPHY

A loud clangour announced her entry through a sliding door, and she proceeded to work on a bass drum and gong, separately and together, than systematically moving to the xylophone where many mallets did their job. There was a definite method to this, which paralleled a worshipper’s rituals when visiting a Chinese temple. 

PHOTO: LIJESH PHOTOGRAPHY

Why do they do it, what and how, were some of the ideas explored here. This also included the playing of mechanical plastic toys – the noisier the better – a large drum-set and eventually tossing jam-jar covers into a heap. The seemingly mundane sounds, also magnified by overdubbing, were eclectic and exhaustive, making viewers ponder that all actions have motives and nuances. 

Photo: LIJESH PHOTOGRAPHY

The final bit of dissecting Taiwan’s temple culture was interactive, involving the audience making wishes for the new year by the drawing of fortune sticks (in this case, drumsticks). The usual platitudes of “world peace”, “good health” and “success in exams” came up trumps. This zippy yet thought-provoking 55-minute show had no time for dull moments. 

Photo: LIJESH PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo: AlvieAlive

Completely different was the formal concert by Shanghai-based Zi De Guqin Studio which posed the question “What Is Qin?” Qin is a generic Chinese word for an instrument, whether bowed, plucked or struck. On this evening, the six member ensemble attired in traditional period costumes and led by percussionist Chen Xi focussed on music performed on the guqin, guzheng, zhongruan and pipa, with support from bamboo flutes and percussion. 

Photo: Alvie Alive

There were atmospheric solos, such as Flowing Water for guqin, with its deep sonorous twang, Lin Jiliang’s Touring Mount Tai (zhongruan) and Liu Tianhua’s Ethereal Sounds (pipa), showcasing splendid instrumental technique. Duos like The Quiet Orchid (guqin and dagu) and Wei Jun’s The Traveller (guzheng and Middle Eastern drums) were remarkable for their vivid accompaniment. 

Photo: AlvieAlive

Photo: Alvie Alive

The famous guqin classic, Parting At Yangguan (Yangguan Sandie) as scored for an ensemble of four, seemed par for the course until it took on a modern percussive beat. That surprise showed the group to be more versatile than initially expected, with Drunken Fishermen Singing in the Sunset being another “crossover” item with the slow waltz rhythm of Erik Satie’s Gymnopedies accompanying the popular fisherman’s song. 

Photo: AlvieAlive

Photo: Alvie Alive

The full ensemble of six which also included Bai Wuxia and Ye Lijia (guqin), Yu Chenyao (guzheng), Wang Muyu (pipa), Huang Jieying (zhongruan) and Lin Zeqin (flutes) performed Artistic Director Tang Bin’s The Desolate Frontier, The Grape Fairy and Shattering The Siege, louder and flashier showpieces which had prerecorded orchestral and electronic sounds in the mix. 

Photo: AlvieAlive

Further letting down their hair, the 100-minute concert concluded by tickling the full-house audience with a medley of familiar local songs (Singapura and Dick Lee’s Home included) and the celebratory Hua Hao Yue Yuan (Blooming Flowers Full Moon) as popular encores.

Photo: AlvieAlive

FRACTURED MIRRORS / Off-Menu / Review

 

FRACTURED MIRRORS 

Off-Menu 

Conservatory Concert Hall 

Thursday (6 February 2025) 

There is a new piano trio in town, and it's called Off-Menu. Formed by veterans of Singapore’s chamber music scene, it comprises violinist Yang Shuxiang (concertmaster of re:Sound), cellist Leslie Tan (founding member of T’ang Quartet and Red Dot Baroque) and pianist-composer Jonathan Shin, with the intention to specialise in off-beat repertoire and unusual juxtapositions of chamber music. 

Its concert debut opened with Shin’s Four Pictures of Mid-Winter Boston (2017), previously heard in a 2022 Concordia Piano Quartet concert. It sounded even better on this occasion, the neo-Impressionist tonal idiom coming across more vividly, beginning with a visage of snow in a quiet and atmospheric opening movement. 

What followed were two brief scherzo-like vignettes of morning rush-hour traffic and a snowstorm with Petrushka-like dissonances and glissandi. The final picture was mostly Yang’s show, with a beautiful extended solo that married the pentatonic world of Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending with Paganinian arpeggios, before his partners returned for a placid close. This was Shin’s paean to New England solitude. 

The Singapore premiere of American-Russian composer Lera Auerbach’s Triptych – This Mirror Has Three Faces was next. The threesome explained its form as a kind of renaissance altarpiece formed by three folding blocs in five movements. The work recalled the polystylism of late Russian composer Alfred Schnittke, an anarchic mishmash involving modernist hair-pulling dissonances, neoclassical tropes, dance music and sentimental melody, all trapped within a carnival funhouse with distorting mirrors and prisms. 

Photo: Ong Shu Chen

That sounds wild but the trio brought out a very cohesive reading that repays relistening. One hopes this performance was recorded. Its individual movements were linked but the sense of dynamic changes taking place when one part segued into the next were well-defined. The piano intoned chime-like chords, a recurring feature, while screeching string dissonances endeavoured to find some resolution. 

There were moments of loud, violent rumbling turbulences, giving way to an off-kilter waltz where string pizzicatos were bounced off tipsy slurs and a frequent sliding between wide range of pitches. Wiry sul ponticello (bowing near the bridge) effects were de rigeuer, so were quasi-baroque exercises on the violin in the fourth movement, before the finale’s sickly sweet melody – a memorable one at that – dominated the proceedings before the work coming to a soft quizzical end. Had too many shots of vodka? This trio had that kind of effect. 

To prove that Off-Menu could still perform music of a more conventional kind, Schubert’s Piano Trio No.2 in E flat major (D.929) was programmed. This classic is scarcely esoteric, but how often does one hear it in concert? That is our loss because the late monumental work (almost 50 minutes in duration) is cut from the same congenial fabric as the better-known Trout Quintet. You won’t find a more perfect unison for the opening bars of the Allegro, in a reading of such cohesiveness that the camaraderie was palpable from the very first bar. The warmth in the strings perfectly complimented the piano’s scintillating running high notes, working to a passionate high in the development section. 

The Andante con moto second movement in C minor was a slow march (the sort that Schumann would later revel in) for which Tan’s cello had the most say. His theme would later figure prominently in the finale. It was typical of Schubert to have his weightiest material in the first two movements while take it easy later for the final two movements. The Scherzo contrasted a gemutlich opening canonic theme with a more martial sounding Trio, but the whole atmosphere was still congenial with the threesome lapping it up. 

The Rondo finale’s Allegro moderato was even lighter in feel, its Hungarian-flavoured melody (more subtle than usual) with the piano’s repeated notes (now sounding like a cimbalom) lighting up the proceedings. A welcome return of the slow movement’s cello theme now made more sense as its provenance was probably Hungarian as well. The interplay of both Magyar themes made this rather repetitious movement (with the trio performing the longer unedited version with 100 more bars) all the more absorbing. 

The joie de vivre displayed by Schubert in his final year made this music even more poignant, and this YST (Yang, Shin and Tan) Trio could not have made a more spirited maiden voyage with its inclusion. It is hoped that it won’t be too long before Off-Menu’s next concert.

Till we meet again,
for our next Off-Menu!