JOURNEYING TOGETHER: SHAO EN & SCO / Singapore Chinese Orchestra / Review

 

JOURNEYING TOGETHER: 

SHAO EN & SCO 

Singapore Chinese Orchestra 

Singapore Conference Hall 

Saturday (28 April 2024) 

This review was published in The Straits Times on 29 April 2024 with the title "SCO reunites with conductor Shao En for a lively evening of classics".

If one needed a reminder of what Chinese orchestral music is all about, the Singapore Chinese Orchestra provided a timely showcase led by veteran Chinese conductor Shao En. Well-respected in both Western classical and Chinese music spheres, his well-curated programme focussed on time-honoured classics and a modern look at age-old traditions. 

The first three works could be classified as light classics, optimistic and cheerful short pieces which extolled virtues of the toiling farming masses. Xu Jingqing’s Flowers Blooming Everywhere was a lively dance, which got faster as it progressed. 

Arranged by Peng Xiuwen were two other similarly joyous works, Shi Wanchun’s very brief Days of Emancipation and Liu Tianhua’s Towards a Bright Future. One might baulk at the claptrap of such socialist-realist titles, but there was no denying the sumptuous orchestrations, vivacity and vigour of the playing that really meant it. 

The best moments in the concert’s first half were two nocturnes with descriptive titles which went to the heart and spirit of Chinese music. The ancient tune Moonlit Night on a Spring River, as orchestrated by Qin Pengzhang, Luo Zhongrong and Liu Bin, was quiet and atmospheric, distinguished by refined textures and exquisite solos from Yu Jia (pipa) and Yin Zhiyang (dizi). 

Just as beautiful was Autumn Moon over the Han Palace, another ancient tune, in Jian Fengzhi and Huang Xiaofei’s orchestration. Despite an imposing orchestral opening, the show was stolen by SCO concertmaster Li Baoshun, swapping his gaohu for the rich mellowness of a diyin erhu. His highly sonorous solo was lightly accompanied, further enhancing the artistry involved. 

The concert’s second half was built upon visions of antique musical traditions as viewed through lenses of modern musical techniques. Nobody knows exactly what court music during the Tang dynasty and earlier sounded like, thus Night Banquet at the Shu Palace, a 1980s project as reimagined by three composers Zhu Zhou, Yu Shi and Gao Weijie, attempted to address the issue. 

The bamboo flute of Zeng Zhi featured prominently in a sequence of ceremonials and dances, which got progressively pacier with each section before closing quietly. Given the pre-existence of the Silk Road, one might even sense Indian, Central Asian and Middle Eastern influences in the mix. 

Arguably the more memorable work was Guo Wenjing’s Dianxi Folk Tunes, three highly rhythmic movements inspired by Yunnan folk and tribal culture. Throbbing percussion and strident winds dominated A Va Mountain, occupied by peoples who practised animistic religions. Tuned percussion dictated the pace and beat of Jino Dance, the variations of which resembled at times the improvisational freedom of jazz. 

Dissonance and primitivism ruled in the final Sacrifices.Fire.Spirit, a movement of suspense and violence, common to many such scores from the 20th century. It could only have had one grand-forebear: Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. 

Photo: Singapore Chinese Orchestra

The very well-received concert closed as it began, a cheery encore of Huang Yijun’s Hua Hao Yue Yuan (Blooming Flowers, Full Moon).