IN RELATION (不着一字)
Siong Leng Musical Association
Black Box, Drama Centre
Saturday (22 August 2026)
Nanyin is literally “music of the south” in China, localised in Quanzhou, Fujian province and sung in the Minnan dialect, accompanied by instruments including xiao, pipa, erxian, sanxian and sometimes percussion. This intimate form of chamber music has been referred to as a “musical fossil” dating many centuries back to the Tang dynasty. Its prime practitioner in Singapore is Siong Leng Musical Association, founded in 1941 by Cultural Medallion recipient Tang Mah Seng (1916-1992).
Nanyin in Singapore has developed an identity that is unique and distinctive, its sound being different from the mainland variety by virtue of geographical location and multiculturalism. Siong Leng’s inclusive model of Nanyin has seen collaborations with other ethnic musical cultures, and recent productions have involved Indian and Malay musicians.
The latest production, In Relation (不着一字), was all about inclusivity. Its Chinese title bu zhao yi zhi differed from the English by its meaning, which is “no words to find” or what remains unsaid. What remains unsaid in the Singapore context is the ongoing effort to maintain harmony in a world increasing fractured by race, religious and cultural differences.
Recognisable HDB void deck icons are part of the visuals in the set design by Crystal Sim. Void decks are where people of different cultures mingle in the heartlands - socialising, playing games, having drinks, attending weddings and funerals. In artistic director Lin Shao Ling’s vision, the concert’s 75-minute uninterrupted run comprised five continuous chapters, entitled Encounter, Dialogue, Transmission, Gratitude and Continuation. These encompassed the meeting of minds, social intercourse, learning and assimilation, being grateful and passing on the message, all taking place in the melting pot that is local society, hence the void deck references.
In addition to Chinese instrumentalists, Seow Ming Xian (dongxiao), Xiao Ming Fong (pipa), Joel Chia (erxian), Lin Siyao (percussion), and Lim Ming Yi’s moving Minnan vocals, composer-arranger Ng Kang Kee’s scoring included Mohd Azli Tazim (Malay accordion), Niranjan Pandian (Indian flute), Nawaz Mirajkar (tabla) and Aditi Gopinathan (vocals in Tamil). These take their turn, and are not all heard at once except at the end.
Nanyin does not leap out of the page to strike you in the face. It is music to be savoured when you are not in a hurry, or out for an adrenaline fix. Superficial and spectacular are the enemy, while understated grace and elegance rewards one’s patience with dividends.
Gabriel Fauré’s beautiful song Après un rêve (After a Dream) is heard twice, the second time played by cellist Chee Junsian. Following that, the words translated to Minnan from French is sung by Lim to a different melody. Its inclusion is intentional and symbolic. After inheriting the “dream” from the good graces of one’s forebears, what does one do?
The answer is to pay it forward, which is the essence of this concert. Through the instrumental virtuosity, vocal eloquence and expressive abilities of the musicians – Chinese, Indian, Malay, it does not matter whom – this version of Nanyin has the power to touch, transform and hopefully empower. We certainly need all of these in our troubled times.
Photographs by the kind courtesy of
Siong Leng Musical Association.
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