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| The full semi-finals schedule |
The semi-finals of the Singapore International Violin Competition has begun. I only managed to attend the first session, held on a free and easy Sunday. From 10 am to 6 pm, I got to witness violin artistry from six of twelve young and very talented artists. Each was to perform a recital of up to 60 minutes, inclusive of the competition's specially commissioned set-piece, Soliloquy by Singaporean violinist-composer David Loke.
Loke is an alumnus of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory and member of the Lorong Boys "garage band" ensemble. His six-minute solo work Soliloquy relives the spirit of virtuosity in Eugene Ysaye's solo sonatas but minus the chromaticism. Written in two parts, the first is slow and introspective but before long launches into an animated dance of its second part which demands nothing short of violin calisthenics including galloping runs of doubling stopping to a brilliant close in A minor. Needless to say, the violinists (who have already mastered unaccompanied Bach and Ysaye by this point) made short work of it.
With so much artistry on show, one cannot but feel disappointed by the meager attendances at the Conservatory. The sessions were free and showcased the great sonatas of the violin repertory, and yet there never seemed more than 20 people in the audience at any given time. Where were the many violin students that Singapore was purported to have? And where were the violin teachers and their hordes of students from whom they have amassed a fortune? Busily spending Sunday teaching, I suppose.
That the competition was so little publicised was also disappointing, almost stooping to the level of the Singapore International Piano Competition. This has been a massive come down from the hoopla of the first competition in 2015, which seemed like a long time ago.
What was not disappointing, however, was the standard of playing, which afforded me six hours of enjoyment. As one equally faithful member of the audience told me, "I came because these are simply great free chamber concerts!"
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| Yesong Sophie Lee (USA) with Evgeni Sinaisky performed Richard Strauss Violin Sonata and Franz Waxman's Carmen Fantasy. |
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| SongHa Choi (South Korea) had the most adventurous programme, playing Bartok's Violin Sonata No.1 & Stravinsky's Divertimento with Evan Solomon. |
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| Emmanuel Coppey (France) with Arthur Hinnewinkel performed an all-French programme of Faure's Violin Sonata No.1 and Ernest Chausson's Poeme. |
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| Zou Meng (China) with Ge Xiaozhe made music with Brahms' Violin Sonata No.1 and Saint-Saens- Ysaye's Etude in the form of a Waltz. |
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| Georgii Moroz (Ukraine) with Ge Xiaozhe performed Bartok's Rhapsody No.1 and Prokofiev's Violin Sonata No.1. |
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| Haram Kim (South Korea) with Ge Xiaozhe in Brahms Violin Sonata No.2 and Franck's Sonata, both in A major. |
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