IN HARMONY 41: COLOURS / SAF Central Band / Review

 

IN HARMONY 41: COLOURS 

SAF Central Band 

Esplanade Concert Hall 

Sunday (21 April 2024) 

It’s been ages since I last attended a wind band concert. The Philharmonic Winds used to be my fix until it lost National Arts Council major grant funding sometime pre-pandemic. I was thus happy to be reacquainted with wind band music through the Singapore Armed Forces Central Band in its annual concert In Harmony. It's very well-attended 41st edition at Esplanade Concert Hall was led by director of music ME5 Ignatius Wang and renowned British conductor Douglas Bostock. 

I had been reminded that the SAF Central Band is Singapore third largest full-time professional orchestra, after the Singapore Symphony and Singapore Chinese Orchestras. Its history actually predates the other two, having origins as a British army ensemble dating from 1958, one year before Singapore achieved internal self-government. Its first band masters were British, but local conductors who led the outfit since were trained in the United Kingdom, graduates of the Royal Military Music colleges. All its members are professional musicians, and this concert was further augmented by some familiar names from the Singapore Symphony and local classical music scene. 

First timers to wind band concerts will be pleasantly surprised to learn that the repertoire – a parallel universe running alongside the classical scene – does not consist of just military marches or ceremonial music, but encompasses music worthy of any serious concert stage. This evening’s offerings were proof of that. 

The concert’s first half was led by the young and charismatic Ignatius Wang, looking spiffy in ceremonial military uniform with full regalia, mirroring the orchestra’s equally smart turnout. Zubir Said’s National Anthem Majulah Singapura opened the evening, followed by Kenneth Hesketh’s Masque (2000), which began life as a Scherzo for orchestra. Right away, the orchestra unfurled its wide range of colours with pin-point articulation and warmth of sonority. The dynamism and cinematic quality of this short overture was reminiscent of the best of John Williams. 

Frank Ticheli’s Lux Perpetua (2020) was next, a heart-felt elegy in memory of two close friends tragically lost in an auto accident. Fragmentary strains of tuned percussion in high registers are heard over a background of brass chorales straining to emerge. Emanating warmth at each turn, the music would gain in pace and volume, transforming into the blazing eternal light of its title, before a gentle and quiet close. The band’s radiant reading was a touching tribute. 

Spanish composer Ferrer Ferran’s Red Dragon (2008) opened with a crash not unlike the Danse Infernale from Stravinsky’s Firebird, following which would be the concert’s most dissonant music. Snarling brass with woodwind murmurings of disquiet colour this portrait of feral and brutish invincibility, as personified in the dragon. One will be forgiven for thinking that the driving rhythmic ostinatos bringing the work to a savage close would also be totally at home in The Rite of Spring. With this, the virtuosity of the players is undisputed. 

The second half was conducted by Douglas Bostock, a well-known figure in both international symphonic orchestral and wind band circles. David Bedford’s Sun Paints Rainbows on the Vast Waves (1984) fully exploited all possible timbres of the instruments by displaying a dazzling array of textures and figurations. Its idiom is somewhat minimalist, referring to the minute changes in spectral wavelengths as the music evolved, but also impressionist, bringing to mind the sound worlds of Debussy and Ravel. 

The orchestra was augmented with cellos, harp and piano in Philip Sparke’s A Colour Symphony (2014) which closed the concert proper. Here, colours represented in its five movements are equated with varied moods and temperaments. White opened with a horn solo, and the ensemble soon established a milieu of harmony and happiness with its reassuring musings. Yellow was scherzo-like and playful, its modal (verging on pentatonic) melody resembling a Vaughan Williams folksong arrangement. 

Blue was scored for woodwinds, harp and piano, a slow movement with a gospel vibe, not unlike chorales sung in small-town churches of heartland America. Red for brass and percussion was volatile and choleric, an incessant snare-drum beat providing the driving impetus. Finally, Green symbolising all that is good with Mother Earth gave this very accessible and enjoyable symphony a vibrant and vivacious conclusion. 

Bostock and the band had two encores up their collective sleeves. Derek Bourgeois’s joyful little Serenade, with pianist and harpist “goofing off” (all in good-hearted fun) until the final cadence, was followed by a delicious piece of Graingeriana in Philip Sparke's Garboldisham Jig from Four Norfolk Dances. 

This marvelously presented and very enjoyable concert, with tickets free of charge for all comers, was not just the perfect advertisement for wind band music, but for music itself.

All band leaders have a sense of fun!

BRAHMS REQUIEM AND SCHUMANN CELLO CONCERTO / Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Review

 

BRAHMS REQUIEM 

AND SCHUMANN CELLO CONCERTO 

Singapore Symphony Orchestra 

Esplanade Concert Hall 

Saturday (20 April 2024) 

This review was published in The Straits Times on 22 April 2024 with the title "Concert celebrates triumph of having lived".

There is good reason to couple Robert Schumann (1810-1856) and Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) in a same concert. The older German composer and his wife Clara were mentors to the young upstart, with the latter two maintaining a passionate platonic friendship till the end of their days. The spiritual connection between their music is real, shown in this Singapore Symphony concert led by Hans Graf. 

Schumann’s Cello Concerto opened the evening, with locally-based Chinese-Australian cellist Qin Li-Wei as soloist. Composed during his troubled late years, the concerto’s mellow and lyrical quality found a perfect advocate in Qin. Absent was outright Romantic-era virtuosity, in its place limitless song, sympathetically partnered by pared-down forces. 

The brief central slow movement saw the added voice of SSO principal Ng Pei-Sian’s cello, accompanied by gentle pizzicatos, which was sublime. The sprightly finale with accompanied cadenza provided the composer’s last flourish before his terminal descent into insanity. The warm reception accorded Qin was rewarded with two encores, both in G major, an ultra-smooth rarity in David Popper’s Etude (Op.73 No.22) and the ever-popular Prelude from J.S.Bach’s Suite No.1. 

There is a special relationship between the Singapore Symphony Chorus (SSC) and Brahms’ masterpiece, A German Requiem. It was with this work that the chorus made its debut in 1980 under Choo Hoey’s baton, albeit sung in English. 

In this more authenticity-driven age, Ein Deutsches Requiem would only be performed in its original German. SSC augmented by juniors from Singapore Symphony Youth Choir, numbering over 100 singers, was accompanied by SSO boosted by thirty string players from the Singapore National Youth Orchestra. All in all, a love-in for the Singapore Symphony family. 

Eschewing fire and brimstone of the Latin requiem mass, this was one of comfort and solace, with texts drawn from the Lutheran bible. In the opening chorus Selig sind, die da Leid tragen (Blessed Are They That Bear Suffering), the chorus’ hushed entry, every consonant clearly enunciated, provided a measure of the excellence to come. 

It has been quite a journey for
longest-serving SSC member alto
Ng Beng Choo (front row, second from right),
who has been singing since 1980!

The indefatigable chorus sang in all seven movements, with no break in between. They more than coped in big choral fugues, notably in the second movement Denn alles Fleisch, es ist wie Gras (All Flesh Is As Grass) and the penultimate Denn wir haben hie keine bleibende Statt (For Here We Have No Continuing City), known for being particularly taxing. 

In the popular Wie lieblich sind dein Wohnungen (How Blessed Is Thy Dwelling Place), one could be mistaken for already being in paradise. Kudos go to choral directors Eudenice Palaruan and Wong Lai Foon for their sterling work. 

Both vocal soloists were also excellent. Danish baritone Bo Skovhus’s throaty delivery of Herr, lehre doch mich (Lord, Make Me To Know Mine End) and Siehe, ich sage euch ein Geheimnis (Behold, I Show You A Mystery) had a special resonance, the latter’s words also shared in Handel’s Messiah. Swedish soprano Susanna Andersson sang in one movement, Ich habt nun Traurigkeit (And Ye Now Therefore Have Sorrow), which was beauty itself. 

By the final chorus Selig sind die Toten (Blessed Are The Dead), the consolation was one need not face mortality with trepidation, but instead celebrate the triumph of having lived.

PLUCKED STRINGS / DOUBLE FEATURE / Ding Yi Music Company / Chen Le & Friends / Review

 

PLUCKED STRINGS 

Ding Yi Music Company 

Esplanade Recital Studio 

Wednesday (17 April 2024)

DOUBLE FEATURE 

Chen Le & Friends 

National Library Board Building 

Friday (19 April 2024) 

This review was published in The Straits Times on 22 April 2024 with the title "Ding Yi, Chen Le & friends explore the intricacies of Chinese tunes".

There is no better way of getting close to Chinese musical instruments than attending concerts of Ding Yi Music Company’s chamber music series. These often involve interesting and unusual repertoire, stimulating and empowering the listener after each show. 

Seven contrasting works in this 90-minute concert offered a deep dive into the piquant world of plucked strings. The guzheng is haunting when heard on its own, as Yvonne Tay proved in Liu Le’s serenely beautiful Sound of Emerald. Even in the plain heterophony of The Deep Night (arranged by Liu Dehai), five unison instruments – two pipas, one each of zhongruan, guzheng and yangqin – provided a satisfying simplicity. 

Sonic textures varied when more instruments entered the fray. The world premiere of Cao Wen Gong’s Sweetness in Every Step upped the ante, with accompaniment by cello and percussion. In Liu Xing’s Dance, Chua Yew Kok’s pipa and Wong Wai Kit’s zhongruan gave rhythmic impetus with unusual results. This animated romp had a beat closer to Western jazz than Chinese music. 

Two concertante works were showcases of solo virtuosity, with Tan Jie Qing’s yangqin first putting a shine on Wong Fei Yun’s Ten-Mile Red Dowry. This dramatic work opened slowly, then gradually ramped to a fast dance before receding into quietude. 

Zhang Ying, pipa principal of Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, was the memorable guest in Luk Wai Chun’s Moments between Ledges and Frets. Belying its mundane title, this was an imperious display of pipa as both string and percussion instrument. Accompanied by 14 players and conductor Dedric Wong, its ten minutes of contemporary idioms defied expectations by providing both a visual spectacle and entertaining listen. 

The work that truly summed up the evening was Li Bo Chan’s Sorrowfully and Quietly. Five plucked instruments (including two ruans) placed centrestage coursed through ruminative and playful moments before a surprise. It was Bekhzod Oblayorov’s cello - a bowed string instrument - that had the big tune at its conclusion. 

Unlike Ding Yi’s clear intentions, the world premiere of Double Feature (2024) by Nanjing-born and locally-based composer Chen Le was left nebulous, perhaps deliberately. Was this a concert work or a piece of theatre? Was Chinese or Western music being played? 

Held at National Library’s ground floor foyer, its six movements opened with Hu Tao Jiazi playing violin exercises. She was later joined by soprano Zhang Jie singing in Mandarin and English, which included a spot for audience participation. 

This was merely a prelude to the entrance of Beijing opera artist Ren Wei Chen, playing Chang Er (moon goddess of Chinese mythology), clearly the production’s star, accompanied by the composer on piano. Her elaborate make-up and period outfit bedecked with jewelled finery were matched by an intense Chinese operatic voice, gazing eyes and sleek swirls with sashes circumscribing wide arcs of graceful motion. 

Both vocalists, understandably, did not sing together, instead alternating their acts of divergent idioms. The absence of projected texts and transliterations was a handicap, so one had to be content with enjoying the stunning visuals. That was until Chen systemically removed accessories and head-piece, disrobing nearly completely to reveal under the facial paint - a man! 

With climax over and done with, what remained was more violin music, now accompanied by piano four hands (Chen with Zhao Ling Yan), in a quasi-New Age, quasi-minimalist idiom. LaSalle College of the Arts’ head of contemporary music Timothy O’Dwyer made a cameo improvising on saxophone, having no relation with the earlier 45 minutes. 

Despite interesting ideas, Double Feature is a work in progress, falling short of the sum of its parts.

HEARTSONGS / More Than Music / Review

 

HEARTSONGS 

More Than Music 

Esplanade Recital Studio 

Monday (15 April 2024) 

This review was published in The Straits Times on 17 April 2024 with the title "Chamber group More Than Music hits you in the heart".

More Than Music, the chamber group founded by violinist Loh Jun Hong and pianist Abigail Sin, has now become more than a duo. Augmented by heavy-hitters of the local classical music scene, their partnership was joined at its latest concert by violinist Chan Yoong Han, cellist Ng Pei-Sian, both principals in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and violist Martin Peh of the Concordia Quartet. 

Opening the concert with movements from serenades by two 20th century Hungarian composers was a novel idea. The first movement from Zoltan Kodaly’s Serenade for two violins and viola (Op.12) was founded upon folk music, with vigorous rhythms and lilting melodies. It was fascinating to see the viola, for a change, having the big tune and accompanied by violins. 

The first three movements from Erno Dohnanyi’s Serenade for string trio (Op.10, for violin, viola and cello) – march, romance and scherzo – were more conventional, closer in idiom to that of older composers Brahms and Dvorak. From the threesome of Chan, Peh and Ng, one got absolute cohesion and pinpoint ensemble, which sizzled in the rapid-fire closing movement. 

Pianist Sin was heard for the first time, in partnership with Ng in Claude Debussy’s Cello Sonata. The three-movement late masterpiece was performed in its entirety, sounding worlds away from his trademark impressionist style. The Frenchman had opted here for leaner and clearer textures, where melodies came to the fore in preference to nebulous harmonies and thick counterpoint. 

Ng’s cello singing lyrical lines, with Sin’s transparent keyboard work in support, was the triumph of this often-elusive work. While the central movement’s Serenade delighted in comedic pizzicatos and quirky guitar-like effects, the earlier fluency was restored in the finale as the duo romped home to an emphatic close. 

Violinist Loh and pianist Sin were finally united in American pianist-composer John Novacek’s Intoxication from Four Rags, a sped-up and off-kilter ragtime variation of Turkey in the Straw, closing the first half on an animated high. 

The main work of a programme centering on music’s heart ware was Antonin Dvorak Piano Quintet No.2 in A major (Op.81), long regarded as one of the classical repertoire’s three greatest piano quintets (Schumann and Brahms being the other two). It takes a heart of stone not to respond to its wealth of melodic invention, folksy rhythms and all-round congeniality. 

That was exactly what all five musicians delivered on the evening, a reading of tautness and cohesion, yet one that radiated a shared warmth borne by near-telepathic communication. The first movement’s introduction from piano and cello feigned a bask in indolence, but that was ultimately dispelled with the entry of the other strings. 

Thus began an exhilarating ride into the heart of Bohemia’s fields and forests. Even if its second movement was a deeply felt Dumka, a Slavic lament that reached deep into one’s soul, it was the infectious high spirits exhibited in the Scherzo and Finale that won the day. Cue loud and long applause, and one knows exactly why chamber music is so loved and cherished.

OUR VOICES, OUR SONGS / Singapore Choral Artists / Review

 

OUR VOICES, OUR SONGS 

Singapore Choral Artists 

School of the Arts Concert Hall 

Sunday (14 April 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 17 April 2024 with the title "Choral delights from all over the world by Singapore Choral Artists". 

Singapore Choral Artists (SCA), established in 2021, joins a rich tradition of local a cappella groups performing at a professional level, including the Singapore Youth Choir Ensemble Singers, Philharmonic Chamber Choir and another recent addition, Resonance of Singapore. SCA’s latest concert, led by veteran choral conductor Nelson Kwei, provided nearly two hours of aural delights from the world over. 

Its first half comprised Western compositions, dominated by sacred and liturgical music. The 21-member choir (11 women and 10 men) opened with Lithuanian Vytautas Miskinis’ Pater Noster (The Lord’s Prayer) and Hungarian Gyorgy Orban’s Nunc Dimittis (Now Lettest Thou Depart), both in Latin, establishing the chorus’ strengths at the outset. 

The ensemble sounded larger than the actual number of singers, and control of voices largely excellent. Contemporary choral music is far more diverse and dynamic than the traditional SATB (soprano/alto/tenor/bass) configuration of old strophic hymns, essentially evolving into vibrant vehicles of multiple constantly moving parts. 

This was no better illustrated in American Eric Whitacre’s Sainte-Chapelle which opened with men’s unison voices, a throw-back to Gregorian plainchant, then branching into the myriad riches of polyphony. The 13th century Parisian edifice of awe-inspiring stained-glassed splendour could not have had a more glorious musical representation. Delivered with passion, the music rose to a high in Hosanna in Excelsis before closing with the calm of Gloria Tua. 

That chapel was supposed to have held Jesus’ crown of thorns, the subject of Tchaikovsky’s The Crown of Roses, a more traditional Slavic song of bittersweet sacrifice sung in English. Also in English were Ivo Antognini’s Come To Me, Edward Elgar’s Serenade and McKay Crockett’s arrangement of Marta Keen’s Homeward Bound, sung with innocence and heartfelt conviction. 

People who message / text during concerts
are better at home watching Korean drama.
Really sia suay.

The second half was devoted to songs and arrangements by Singaporean composers. The choir changed to Southeast Asian costumes and men performed on bare feet. Sung in Mandarin, arrangements by Ethan Mark Chua and Phoon Yew Tien of Qing Ping Diao (after Tang dynasty poet Li Bai) and Azaleas respectively were lovely muses on the beauty of women. 

Arranged by conductor Kwei was Indonesian song Potong Padi (Harvesting Rice) in Malay and Luo Da You’s The Golden Age in Mandarin, the latter luxuriating in the dulcet tones of men’s voices. Women’s voices had their spotlight in Xiao Xiao Yang Er Yao Hui Jia (The Lambs Return Home), innocence expressed in Americ Goh’s arrangement. 

Kenneth Tay’s luminous Ave Regina Caelorum (Hail Queen of Heaven) in Latin, which could have belonged in the first half, stood like the odd person out. The evening concluded with the Singapore premiere of Zechariah Goh’s Da Feng Ge (Song of the Great Wind), comprising three songs inspired by characters in Chinese history, with the the titular song, a paean of victory and regret, accompanied by a vigourous drum-beat. 

If there were to be a lingering memory, the encore of Latvian Eriks Esenvalds’ Only In Sleep, with a soprano voice wafting above the throng like an angel ascending to heaven above, was just that.