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.

KREISLER, STRAVINSKY & MOZART / Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Review

KREISLER, 

STRAVINSKY & MOZART

Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Victoria Concert Hall

Friday (12 April 2024) 

This review was first published by Bachtrack.com on 15 April 2024 with the title "Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider impresses again in welcome Singapore return".

The year 1997 was when Danish violinist-conductor Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider last appeared in Singapore. Then known as just Nikolaj Znaider, the newly-crowned winner of the Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition gave one of the most memorable performances of Bruch First Violin Concerto with the Singapore Symphony at Victoria Concert Hall in recent and past memory. Now returning in a dual role of soloist and conductor, the chamber-sized concert he led was another classic in the making. 

The neoclassical first half opened with Austrian violin virtuoso Fritz Kreisler’s Violin Concerto in C major, composed in 1927 and subtitled “in the style of Vivaldi”. This was much in the same vein as his pastiches of baroque composers, such as “long-lost” pieces by the likes of Pugnani, Porpora, Couperin, Leclair and others. These were later revealed to be from his own hand. At a time when early music scholarship was less well-established, such hoaxes could be pulled off. 

More aptly described as “in old style” (im Alten Stil), the characteristic most resembling Vivaldi was length, its three movements playing around ten minutes or so. It would take a stretch of imagination by mistaking the luxuriant solo part, and accompaniment by lush strings and organ for the real thing. Szeps-Znaider exuded a warm and fulsome tone for the opening Allegro energico, contrasted by the aria-like Andante doloroso, its heart-on-sleeve emotions being more a comforting balm than evoking pangs of sorrow. The finale was positively Mozartean, its swift main theme having more than a passing resemblance to the finale of Mozart’s Symphony No.39. 

It would be remiss not to have heard more from Kreisler’s 1741 Guarneri del Gesu, used to premiere this very work, Elgar’s Violin Concerto and others. Szeps-Znaider thus obliged with more of his ravishing tone in Kreisler’s tender arrangement with string accompaniment of Mexican composer Manuel Ponce’s lovely Estrellita. 

Also in the first half were the eight movements from Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite (1949 edition), with woodwinds and brass augmenting the strings. The opening Sinfonia echoed the Kreisler first movement with its festive spirit, and the Serenata delighted in Rachel Walker’s oboe and guest concertmaster Erik Heide’s violin with its delicate sicilienne. A musical arc soon development in pace and drama all through to its buffo conclusion. It would take cloth ears not to respond to Allen Meek’s trombone slides in the penultimate Vivo and David Smith’s trumpet high kicks for the riotous Finale. 

The concert closed with Mozart’s Symphony No.38 in D major, nicknamed the “Prague” as it was premiered in the Bohemian capital in 1787. Emphatic, cleanly delivered opening chords and an elaborate introduction were statement of intent, that the orchestra under Szeps-Znaider pulled no punches. A world away from period-instrument sensibilities, this performance had full-on vibrato, with unabashed flexing of muscle and sinew. The Allegro section was choc-a-bloc with familiar motifs, some of which would later appear in the Jupiter Symphony and The Magic Flute. If this were one’s first encounter with Mozart, one would be instantly hooked. 

The slow central movement was the symphony’s heaving heart, being one of deeply-breathed expansiveness. Did anyone else think that its second subject might have been the inspiration of the “original” theme in Edward Elgar’s Enigma Variations? The constant reprises in various forms certainly make that a plausible notion. A most buoyant and light-footed Presto concluded the symphony with the thought that the Singapore Symphony has now become a model Mozart orchestra. Whoever thought that a possibility five years ago? 

Star Rating: ****

The original review on Bachtrack.com may be found here:

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider impresses in welcome Singapore return | Bachtrack

ONE YEAR LATER: REMEMBERING DENNIS LEE THROUGH HIS CD RECORDINGS

 

ONE YEAR LATER: 

REMEMBERING DENNIS LEE 

THROUGH HIS CD RECORDINGS 

It has been one year since the passing of the pioneering Malaya-born concert pianist Dennis Lee. A native of Penang, he was the first Malaysian pianist to make an international career from concertising, teaching and judging piano competitions. He and his wife, fellow-pianist Toh Chee Hung, were based in London but made regular visits to Singapore and Malaysia for performances and teaching. 

While we all have fond personal memories of Dennis, it was his piano recordings that will withstand the posterity of time for the rest of the listening public. He made precious few recordings for an artist of his stature, but quality rather than quantity defined his output. There was nothing he recorded which was less than his personal high standards, and much can bear scrutiny alongside the best in the highly competitive recording industry. 

Released in 1991 was arguably Dennis’ greatest recording of all, a recital of Polish composer Karol Szymanowski’s piano music (Hyperion CDA 66409). His was one of the first Szymanowski piano recordings to have come out on CD (way before the likes of Anderszewski, Zimerman, Blechacz, Roscoe and Tiberghien) and was warmly received by critics and listeners alike. 

The varied programme included the Scriabinesque Four Etudes (Op.4), the rarely-heard Lisztian Fantasy (Op.14), and the great cycles inspired by mythology, Metopes (Op.29) and Masques (Op.34). The playing is sensitive yet febrile in intensity. Its success saw it being reissued on Hyperion’s budget label Helios (CDH 55081) during the noughties. 

The Helios reissue is still available.

Prior to this classic saw Dennis as a junior partner to great French pianist Philippe Entremont in a selection of Ravel’s piano works for four hands, including the Mother Goose Suite and Habanera on two pianos from Sites Auriculaires / Rapsodie Espagnole. These were recorded in London for Columbia Masterworks in 1974. Entremont needed a second pianist, and it so happened that he and Dennis shared the same concert agency. The recording I have was a budget reissue on Sony Classical (SB2K 53528), which was autographed by both pianists. These may now be found in Entremont’s big box of solo recordings, also issued by Sony. 

Piano duo music occupied much of Dennis’ concert life, and his most celebrated partnership was with Singapore-born pianist Toh Chee Hung. The husband-and-wife pairing became the most prominent piano duo in this part of the world, a Southeast Asian version of the famous Israeli Eden and Tamir duo. Piano Music for Four Hands (DL-001) from 2002 was a self-produced disc which relived a cross-section of the duo’s repertoire. 

Pride of place is Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite, and the programme includes sonatas by Mozart (D major, K.381), Hummel (E flat major, Op.51), and selections from Moritz Moszkowski’s From Foreign Parts (Op.23) and Dvorak’s Slavonic Dances, capped off with the encore Qui Vive (Grande Galop de Concert) by the little-known Wilhelm Ganz. This is piano duo playing at its finest. 

There is an early-1980s LP recording that features Dennis, Chee Hung and former Singapore Attorney-General Tan Boon Teik playing Mozart’s Concerto for Three Pianos (K.242) with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Choo Hoey, issued as a fundraiser for the orchestra. This is likely to be the only recording of the duo in a concertante work. Immaculate fingerwork and ensemble are to be discerned, notwithstanding a certain amateur pianist’s contribution. The final Rondo was later excerpted for a 2000 commemorative CD of the orchestra’s 21st anniversary. These are true rarities likely only to be found in private collections. 

It was a pity that the duo did not make any further recordings, but one is grateful that the Singapore Symphony Group captured a live performance at the 2005 edition of the Singapore International Piano Festival. Impressions and Encores, a limited-edition CD which showcased highlights from that festival, replicated some earlier repertoire (Dvorak and Ganz) but included Schubert’s Variations on an Original Theme (D.803) and the Ravel transcription of Debussy’s Fetes (from Three Nocturnes). These are masterly performances that bear repeated listening. 

Speaking of Debussy’s piano music, this was a project that occupied the last decade of Dennis’ musical and recording career. Issued by the UK-based Independent Creative Sound and Music (ICSM) Recordings label, we are fortunate to have two discs of this wonderful music. Debussy Piano Works Vol.1 (ICSM 007) released in 2015 contains the First Book of Images, posthumously-published Images oubliees (Forgotten Images), Estampes, Two Arabesques, La plus que lent and L’isle joyeuse. 

Piano Works Vol.2 (ICSM 015) from 2020, issued during the Covid-19 pandemic contains both books of Debussy’s Preludes. Only ill health prevented him from completing the set, which would have included the Second Book of Images, 12 Etudes and assorted short pieces. His illness was no impediment to his musical imagination and vision, not to mention technical virtuosity, judging how fine these final recordings are. These will certainly stand the test of time. 

Dennis did not live to autograph
my copy of his final CD recording...

... however, he did leave me a 
souvenir of our very first meeting
some 34 years ago. 

Dennis Lee was a friend and inspiration to us all who love music in Singapore and Malaysia, and those who knew him in the rest of the world. Even though he is no longer with us, his recordings serve as a constant reminder of his artistry and ultimately, his humanity.

ZOLTAN FEJERVARI & KENNETH HAMILTON Piano Recitals / Review

ZOLTAN FEJERVARI 

Piano Recital 

Victoria Concert Hall 

Saturday (6 April 2024) 

MORE DEMONIC AND DIVINE 

KENNETH HAMILTON 

Piano Recital 

Esplanade Recital Studio 

Tuesday (9 April 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 12 April 2024 with the title "Lyrical readings of Romantic composers".

Piano music of the Romantic era was on the cards in two recitals given by visiting artists. Last Saturday evening saw young Hungarian pianist Zoltan Fejervari’s Singapore debut, presented by Altenburg Arts. The repertoire offered is well-represented on record but how often does one encounter these in recital? 

Photo: Ung Ruey Loon

Russian great Piotr Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons should have been called The Months, as its 12 pieces – from January to December – were commissioned by a subscription musical journal. He dutifully churned these out every four weeks, but Fejervari showed in sensitive and feeling performances this was no hack job. 

Although these were mostly salon-like miniatures crafted with amateurs in mind, he brought out longing and nostalgia, not least in March (Song of the Lark), June (Barcarolle) and October (Autumn Song). August (The Harvest) and November (Troika) posed considerable technical challenges but were whipped off with greatest of ease. 

Photo: Ung Ruey Loon

Johannes Brahms’ final Four Piano Pieces (Op.119) provided more profound utterances. The first two explored ambiguous tonalities looking ahead to 20th century modernism, where Fejervari found an implicit poetry, while the last two – a playful Intermezzo and heroic Rhapsody – reverted to virtuoso form. 

Photo: Ung Ruey Loon

Robert Schumann’s Humoreske (Op.20) is almost a rarity, comprising varied mood pieces tightly strung together. Lyricism, alternating with whimsical diversions, was his brand of “humour”, possessed with the unpredictability of not knowing what comes next. 

Despite such seemingly diffuse ideas, Fejervari’s masterly reading was one that sought fantasy, probed for truths but ultimately found beauty within. His quiet encores of Schumann’s Night Piece (Op.23 No.4) and Janacek’s Madonna of Frydek from On An Overgrown Path were just sublime. 

Photo: Ung Ruey Loon

A typical Kenneth Hamilton pose,
with gesticulating hands doing the talking.

Scottish pianist Kenneth Hamilton is a regular visitor here, his recitals being entertaining discourses on Romantic era and Golden Age pianism. Tuesday’s show juxtaposed divinity and devilry by alternating and contrasting works of close contemporaries Frederic Chopin and Franz Liszt. 

Chopin is the musical goody-two-shoes. His Nocturne in E flat major (Op.55 No.2) unfolded like an operatic duet with intertwined voices. The Prelude in C sharp minor (Op.45) was an oasis of calm, and the Barcarolle (Op.60) as rapturous love song seemed to bear that notion out. Hamilton’s playing was vivid and luminous, unafraid to dig in with heartfelt emotions. 

Liszt is classical music’s bad boy, but was he really? The Scherzo and March (previously titled Wild Hunt) was unruliness personified, its brutish assault on the senses being calculated for maximal effect. Hamilton let fly without apology, with fistfuls of wrong notes part of the territory. Polish and politeness would simply not do here. 

The chaste and contrite Andante Lagrimoso, from Poetic And Religious Harmonies, saw profound sadness morphing into spiritual comfort. Far more nuanced than people give him credit for, more conflicting forces came to bear in Liszt’s Reminiscences de Robert le Diable, which grafted the transcription of Cavatine from Giacomo Meyerbeer’s opera with its riotous Infernal Dance. 

This Singapore premiere had it all, with gushing lyricism and lush harmonies devolving into the unadulterated vulgarity of unabashed note-spinning. With added passages and flourishes rendering the original even more brilliant, Hamilton took this musical circus act in his stride, closing with the kind of din intended to shock and enthrall. 

As before and now, how the audience loved it. Hamilton’s encores were both by Chopin, a fussily filigreed edition of the famous E flat major Nocturne (Op.9 No.2), and the Heroic Polonaise (Op.53) with far more raging octaves thrown into the mix. By now, the aesthetic divide between Chopin and Liszt had become irrevocably muddied.