8 AT PLAY / Philharmonic Wind Ensemble / Review

 

8 AT PLAY 

Philharmonic Wind Ensemble 

Esplanade Recital Studio 

Sunday (1 December 2024) 

Harmoniemusik refers to music for wind ensemble, typically with pairs of oboes, clarinets, bassoons and French horns, which was all the rage during the 18th century in Central Europe. These ensembles were typically employed by the aristocracy, performing serenades, divertimentos and music from the popular operas of the day for fun and profit. The Philharmonic Wind Ensemble, an elite group from The Philharmonic Winds, made its debut in this enjoyable 70-minute concert led by its music director Leonard Tan. 

The afternoon’s programme opened with Mozart's Overture to The Magic Flute, as arranged by Joseph Heidenreich. The music is familiar, with its solemn chordal Masonic opening in E flat major, followed by the fugal chatter which all of us have come to love. The playing was very well articulated with its contrapuntal lines coming through clearly from all parts. The ensemble could have played a whole concert of operatic overtures, and no one would have minded, but more later. 

A rare outing for Francis Poulenc’s Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano, from oboist Tay Kai Tze, bassoonist Daniel Aw Yong and pianist Chenna Lu, was alone worth the price of admission. As Tay waxed lyrical in his preamble, this was music of jollity and sadness as reflected in the Frenchman’s inimitable duality of idioms. The apt descriptions of “saint and sinner, monk and scoundrel” comes to mind. The performance was en pointe throughout, from the stark Stravinskyan opening, Parisian playfulness to the finale’s fast banter. As with much of his music, the moving central slow movement was contemplative, tinged with melancholy but the work’s beating heart. 

20th century American composer Vincent Persichetti's Parable for solo horn from French hornist Alan Kartik came like a bolt from the blue. Its atonality was more than bearable largely due to his clear-headed virtuosity, tonal warmth while delineating its themes with exacting clarity. It also helped by him indicating to the audience what recurrent motifs to listen out for. 

The concert’s major work was another relative rarity, Beethoven’s Octet in E flat major (Op.103). Its advanced opus number suggests it belonged to the same period as his late cello and piano sonatas, but this was a work of callow youth, dating from 1792. Its idiom is closer to Mozart’s Gran Partita (from 1781) and his youthful Septet (1799) than what we are more familiar with. So, no chest-thumping or fist-shaking, but much more fun, opening with a lively burst of energy. 

The depth and volume of this excellent ensemble was evident from first to last. The slow movement with its juicy operatic aria-like solo from oboe and bassoon solo was memorable to say the least. Even the Minuet with its quizzical motif of repeated notes was a departure from the usual courtliness, and a Trio with clarinet, horn and bassoon in sequence was part of LvB’s brand of humour. The finale romped with a rustic ebullience, led by the clarinets, and its irresistible oompah vibe has defined what is loveable about Harmoniemusik. 

Dvorak’s Slavonic Dance in C minor (Op.46 No.7), as arranged by Patrick Clements, very cheerful despite its minor key, closed the concert on a spirited high. This afternoon, I was privileged to be in the presence and company of Singapore’s finest wind players.

The ensemble comprised:
Oboists Simon Lee & Tay Kai Tze,
Bassoonists Daniel Aw Yong & Emerald Tan,
Hornists Alan Kartik & Joey Aston Lim,
Clarinettists Ralph Emmanuel Lim & Daniel Ong
& Bassist Sanche Jagatheesan.