SSO'S FORGOTTEN RECORDINGS: VERDI SINFONIAS & PRELUDES on HONG KONG RECORDS / MARCO POLO

Honestly, this is a terrible likeness
of what the young Verdi looked like.
(See the photograph below)

VERDI

Sinfonias and Preludes
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Choo Hoey (Conductor)
Hong Kong Records
Marco Polo 6.220184

Recorded in August 1983, this album of overtures and preludes from early operas by Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) was SSO’s second recording of Western classical repertoire after its take on Respighi’s Concerto Gregoriano. There is nothing remotely familiar here for most listeners – no La Traviata, I Vespri Siciliani, Nabucco or La Forza del Destino. Thus this is mostly an album of discovery as were those SSO concerts conducted by Choo Hoey in 1983 which opened with overtures to Joan of Arc and The Battle of Legnano.

Make no mistake, this is still very good music by a future great composer. The Overture to Il Finto Stanislao (The False Stanislaus, 1840), also known as Un Giorno di Regno (A Day for the King) opens the collection, in a comedic tone befitting the opera buffo. The resemblance to Rossini’s overtures is striking here. By contrast, the Overture to Giovanna d’Arco (Joan of Arc, 1845) is serious and dramatic, while showcasing some fine woodwind solo-playing. The Prelude to I Masnadieri (The Robbers, 1847) is dominated by a cello solo, by then-principal Chiu Chun Chiu.

The stories of these obscure operas are more often than not convoluted and forgettable, but the music is much more easily enjoyed. The Overture to Alzira (1845) with its drum roll and French horn solo, the trumpet solo in the Overture to Aroldo (1857) displayed the of prowess of SSO’s principal musicians even in those early years. 

Perhaps most memorable of these is the Overture to Oberto, Conte di San Bonifacio (Count of Saint Boniface, 1839), Verdi’s first opera, where the influence of bel canto was strong. Also enjoy the brass ensemble in the opening of the Overture to La Battaglia di Legnano (The Battle of Legnano, 1849), which true to its title, is filled with much martial music. The SSO performs these works well, and given the rarity of such repertoire, this album is worth listening to.

This album exists only on vinyl LP, and to my knowledge, has never been released on CD. Now a collector’s item, I have to thank Ng Siew Eng to gifting this album to me after a spot of spring-cleaning.

VERDI'S MACBETH / Lirica Arts / Review

 

VERDI’S MACBETH

Lirica Arts

Victoria Theatre

Friday (27 March 2026)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 30 March 2026 with the title "Bold staging of Verdi's Macbeth by rising opera company Lirica Arts".

Lirica Arts, a local opera company formed just four years ago, has produced its second fully-staged opera since its very encouraging debut with Gioachino Rossini’s L’Inganno Felice in 2022. Giuseppe Verdi’s first Shakespearean opera Macbeth, which premiered in 1847 and revised in 1865, was a very brave and ambitious choice, but one the opera scene here really needs having had multiple La Traviatas, La Bohemes and Carmens.

The two Martins:
Martin Ng's Macbeth with
and Martin Ohu's Banco

Verdi’s Macbeth has exactly the same plot as Shakespeare’s play, with the same sequence of events but the added dimensions of music and being sung in Italian. It was first presented by Singapore Lyric Opera in 2001 conducted by Lim Yau, and 25 years later, this production with The Philharmonic Orchestra was led by his son Lin Juan.

Zhang Jie's Lady Macbeth
commands King Duncan to be killed.

With familiar characters and a story easy to follow, it was left for stage director Tang Xinxin to pique the imagination of the audience. Her task was considerably aided by baritone Martin Ng (artistic director of Lirica Arts) in the titular role, and soprano Zhang Jie as his infamous spouse. Ng’s transformation from humble Thane of Glamis to blood-thirsty King of Scotland was the stuff of tragedies, where self-doubt gradually turned into fatal ambition with all nuances in between.

Good as Ng was in his chest-beating stentorian arias, it was Zhang’s Lady Macbeth who delivered the tour de force. Her blood curdling La Luce Langue (The Light Fades) and sleep-walking aria Una Macchia E Qui Tuttora (Out, Damned Spot!) were solo high points, with deserved accolades from the audience.

Their respective deaths were strangely low key. She in her blood red gown just walked into the shadows, while he was unceremoniously dispatched by excellent tenor Jonathan Charles Tay’s MacDuff. Supporting them were South Korean bass Martin Ohu as the short-lived Banco (Banquo) and tenor Jonathan MacPherson as Malcolm, the new king.

Banco's ghost returns to haunt Macbeth.

The 18-strong Lirica Arts Festival Chorus (Chorus master Terrence Toh) was very effective in the crowd scenes, singing the famous chorus of exiles Patria Oppressa! (Oppressed Homeland!) and scenes involving the Witches (which had nine members rather than just three). Significant in community outreach was the inclusion of three students from Art:DIS (Arts & Disability Singapore) among the refugees.

The Birnam Wood marches forward
to confront Macbeth.
Photo: Pianomaniac

Set and lighting design by Dorothy Png was particularly evocative with the dark hues employed in scenes involving supernatural elements. The Lion Rampant to represent Scottish monarchy was historically accurate and smart use of AI-generated backdrops helped cost-savings without looking cheap. Costume design by Hayden Ng, subdued for the oppressed and bolder shades for main characters, contributed to generating the right atmosphere.

The two Jonathans:
Jonathan Charles Tay's Macduff
declares Jonathan MacPherson's Malcolm king.

The 2001 production of Macbeth may have been more opulent owing to a bigger budget, but Lirica Arts must be credited for even attempting this at the time when arts funding for classical opera is comparatively conservative. Lirica Arts is now ready to join the esteemed ranks of the more established Singapore Lyric Opera and New Opera Singapore.

There are two further shows on Saturday evening at 7.30 pm and Sunday afternoon at 4 pm.

Photo: Pianomaniac

Photo: Pianomaniac

All professional photography 

by Chris P.Lim

The review as published 

in The Straits Times:

Bold staging of Verdi’s Macbeth by rising opera company Lirica Arts | The Straits Times

RIGOLETTO / New Opera Singapore / Review

 

RIGOLETTO 

New Opera Singapore 

Victoria Theatre 

Sunday (18 August 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 20 August 2024 with the title "NOS puts on snappy staging of Rigoletto".

Western opera is in such a parlous state of state funding in Singapore these days such that the only fully staged opera production of the year was Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto (1851) presented by New Opera Singapore (NOS). Despite being one of the Italian’s most popular operas (after La Traviata and Aida), one has to go as far back at 1993 for its last production here. 

That was during the fledgling years of Singapore Lyric Theatre, fronted by conductor Lim Yau and the late producer Leow Siak Fah, where setting Rigoletto in stylish Shanghai of the 1920s was both audacious and creative. This latest production directed by NOS founder Jeong Ae Ree and conducted by her husband Chan Wei Shing was more traditional but no less edgy. 

A more contemporary noir setting with hints of Italian mafioso elements coloured this sorry tale of curses and vendettas. The hunchbacked court jester Rigoletto has been cursed, and as he vainly protects his secret daughter Gilda from the clutches of the lascivious Duke of Mantua, he dooms her instead. There were three shows featuring three different casts, and the final evening was none too shabby. 

Photo: New Opera Singapore

Front and centre was Korean baritone Min Seung Kang as the eponymous anti-hero, whose bitterness in life was as pronounced as his limp. He was the perfect antithesis to Korean soprano Renata Hann, whose Gilda was purity and innocence personified in her pure lilywhite dress. Her fateful mistake was being self-sacrificial for someone as unworthy as the Duke. 

That smarmy antagonist was sung by Latvian tenor Martins Smaukstelis, whose suaveness came through in the hit arias Questa o Quella (This Woman Or That) and La Donna e Mobile (Women Are Fickle). More important were the duets involving Hann and both men, which were heartrending and totally believable. She herself hit all the high notes in Caro Nome (Sweet Name), a favourite of coloratura sopranos. 

Photo: New Opera Singapore

Another highlight was the final act’s famous quartet Bella Figlia dell’Amore (Fairest Daughter Of Love), with mezzo-soprano Carolyn Holt’s Maddelena making the foursome, where the Duke’s infidelity is exposed to both Rigoletto and Gilda. 

The supporting roles were well cast, with cheap assassin Sparafucile (he charges 20 dollars a kill but operates a Harley?) portrayed by Fionn O hAlmhain attired as a biker, Shaun Lee (Borsa), Cai Xiaofeng (Count), Li Yang (Countess), Stefan Szkafarowsky (Monterone) and Jasmine Towndrow (Giovanna), a truly cosmopolitan team. 

Photo: New Opera Singapore

The choir led by Chong Wai Lun provided mostly light-hearted relief, the men donning masks as voyeurs and kidnappers being particularly comedic. The set and lighting design was simple but effective by setting the boundaries between groups of singers, making small spaces seem like fair distances. It took little for the storm / lightning scene leading to the opera’s fatal end to suggest bad weather and bad karma. 

Director Jeong Ae Ree and
Conductor Chan Wei Shing take their bows.

Ultimately, the story-telling through music was direct, well-paced and nothing was left to drag. All in all, a very successful outing for NOS, which could more than just tip the scales for a shout of being Singapore’s leading opera company today.

VIVA VIVALDI! THE LOST OPERAS / AN EVENING WITH MR JOE GREEN / Lirica Arts / Review

VIVA VIVALDI! THE LOST OPERAS

Lirica Arts & Red Dot Baroque

School of the Arts Concert Hall

Saturday (14 January 2023), 7.30 pm

 

AN EVENING WITH MR JOE GREEN

Lirica Arts & Beatrice Lin (Piano)

Esplanade Recital Studio

Thursday (19 January 2023), 7.30 pm

 

This review was published in The Straits Times on 24 January 2023 with the title "Soprano showdown in two concerts celebrating Vivaldi and Verdi's music".

 

Everyone loves Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, four out of his 500 concertos, but did anyone know that the prolific Italian also wrote no less than 94 operas? Only 20 of these are ever performed, thus this sparkling 140-minute concert by Lirica Arts and Red Dot Baroque led by violinist Alan Choo was a revelation as virtually none of this music has ever been heard in Singapore.

 

Excerpts performed included numbers from operas such as Motezuma (composed 1733) and Orlando Furioso (1714), only discovered within the last twenty years. In these baroque arias, Vivaldi’s mythological characters come across as personable and relatable humans with real feelings and emotions, including pain, anguish and joy.   

 

Soprano Joyce Lee Tung

Among the seven singers who performed, a battle royale emerged between two sopranos, locally-based Joyce Lee Tung and Taiwanese soprano Cheng Szu-Yun. Both were winners in high stakes on who could sing faster notes, hit higher pitches, emote and bring the house down. In Alma Oppressa (Soul Oppressed) from La Fida Ninfa, Lee projected vehemence in high registers, with furious running passages looking forward to coloratura divas of the future.

 

Soprano Cheng Szu-Yun

Cheng lapped up virtuoso runs in Qual Guerriero (As A Warrior) from Bajazet with great relish, culminating with siren-like whoops, reminding listeners of Wagner’s valkyries of over a century later. Complementing their heroics were visually-impaired soprano Claire Teo, who echoed Lee in Zeffiretti, Che Sussurate (from Ercole Sul Termodonte), mezzo-soprano Rebecca Chellappah, tenor Jonathan Macpherson and baritone Martin Ng, founder-director of Lirica Arts.

Countertenor Chan Wei En

 

Some of the evening’s best moments were offered by countertenor Chan Wei En with two of the orchestra’s solo instrumentalists. Nuttakamon Supattranont’s trumpet lit up the stage in Lucio’s Aria from Tito Manlio while Rachel Ho’s flute was the sublime presence in Ruggiero’s Aria from Orlando Furioso. There were simply no dull moments.

Photo: PianoManiac

 

Joe Green is none other than the Anglicised name of great Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, whose many operas are already well-known. But trust Lirica Arts to showcase familiar numbers from La Traviata and Il Trovatore alongside arias from Simon Boccanegra, The Sicilian Vespers, Don Carlo and Macbeth, not exactly household names. The close proximity of this concert with the Vivaldi gig was to harness the outsized talents of soprano Cheng, the evening’s undisputed star.

 

Verdi heroines are truly close to her heart, with no better example than Desdemona’s Willow Song and Ave Maria from Otello. Her beautiful voice brought a fragile pathos to the innocent and tragic figure whose premonition of death by her husband’s hand was simply chilling. Elena’s Bolero from The Sicilian Vespers, by contrast, was joyous and rhythmically charged by her ringing vibrato.

 

Her chemistry with baritone Martin Ng and tenor Jonathan Charles Tay was also clearly palpable in the highly dramatic Ciel! Mio Padre! (Heavens! My Father!) from Aida and waltz-inflected closing duet Parigi O Cara (Paris, My Dearest) from La Traviata respectively. The singers’ ability to listen to each other yet hold their own was the essence of operatic duets.

 

Pianist Beatrice Lin, a most sympathetic accompanist, was afforded a solo spotlight in a reduction of the Overture to The Force Of Destiny, which had the audience enraptured. In lieu of programme notes, host James Poole provided brief but coherent synopses of each number, which were helpful and much appreciated.

 

The evening closed with all three singers in Tace La Notte (The Night Is Silent) from Il Trovatore, a passionate romp which was so well received that its ecstatically-charged ending had to be encored. Viva Verdi, or Verdi lives, indeed.

All photos courtesy of Lirica Arts

unless otherwise stated.

 

VIVA VERDI! / Bellepoque / Review

VIVA VERDI!

Bellepoque

Esplanade Recital Studio

Thursday (28 November 2013)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 30 September 2013 with the title "Operatic entertainment".

The third concert this year celebrating the bicentenary of Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi’s birth was undertaken by Bellepoque, an enterprising local group specialising in light musical theatre. Unlike the large-scaled productions by the Singapore Lyric Opera and Singapore Symphony Orchestra, this was salon concert of arias, duets and choruses modestly accompanied by piano.

Five operas were represented, with highlights performed in mostly chronological order. With popular numbers interspersed with the less familiar, the arrangement worked well if not for the variability of the singers. Veterans appeared alongside relative novices, and the marked disparity of abilities was sometimes all too obvious.

La Traviata (1853) opened the show with the popular Brindisi (Drinking Song) sung by the full ensemble of seven singers. It was misfortune that tenor Edwin Cruz (Philippines) had to lead, as he could barely keep in time. The empty champagne flutes the singers pretended to drink from seemed symbolic, as the performance lacked fizz.

The role of Violetta was shared by sopranos Angela Cortez (Philippines) and Sabrina Zuber (Italy), in Un di felice and Addio del passato / Parigi o cara respectively. Both were competent enough, and the transformation of the courtesan from a picture of health to frailty was very believable. Opposite them was Singaporean tenor Shaun Lee’s Alfredo, whose raw and desperate heroics in this highly demanding part was reminiscent of the legendary and now-retired Leow Siak Fah.

Baritone William Lim (Singapore) was his usual unflappable self in Germont’s aria Provenza il mar, easily the most convincing moment of the segment. He and soprano Satsuki Nagatome (Japan) united in A tal colpa e nulla il pianto from Un Ballo In Maschera or The Masked Ball (1859) gave the best duet of the evening, with passion now in full flow.

Nagatome in Ritorna Vincitor! from Aida (1871) also provided the single most arresting aria of all, spitting the words with true fervour and vehemence. Contrast this with the struggling Cruz in Celeste Aida, who never quite hit the high notes and whose final last gasp was achieved by falsetto rather than full voice. It was a small mercy that the great closing duet of Aida and Radames was not on the programme.

From Verdi’s last opera Falstaff (1893) came Fenton’s little aria Dal labbro il canto, sung with sensitivity and finesse by tenor Brendan-Keefe Au (Singapore), clearly someone who knows where his strengths lie. The concert ended with the famous Hebrew slaves’ chorus Va Pensiero from Nabucco (1842), where unison singing sometimes eluded the men.

Pianist Vincent Chen dutifully filled in for the indisposed Robert Casteels in accompaniment, and Thomas Manhart’s conceptualisation was narrated with engaging humour in Italian-accented English by actress Alessandra Fel. A mixed bag, to be sure, for a fair evening’s entertainment.    

VERDI GALA: A BICENTENARY CELEBRATION / Singapore Lyric Opera / Review

VERDI GALA:

A BICENTENARY CELEBRATION

Singapore Lyric Opera

Esplanade Concert Hall

Friday (24 October 2013)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 26 October 2013 with the title "Concert of Verdi highlights a success".

Following hot on the heels of a successful La Traviata, the Singapore Lyric Opera celebrated Giuseppe Verdi’s birth bicentenary with a two-hour long concert of operatic highlights. Given that just five of the great Italian’s operas have ever been performed in Singapore, the eleven represented this evening seemed impressive, but this was just the uppermost tip of a gigantic undiscovered iceberg.

There was a goodly mix of the familiar and the less familiar, but all the qualities that made Verdi great – lyricism, dramatics and expert settings of words - were delved upon. Conductor Darrell Ang gave a brief introduction on the legacy, and then let the music sing for itself. It was a pity that the usual brief synopses of the arias and characters were not included in the programme booklet. That would have given the audience a better understanding of the contexts of each item presented.

The quartet of two locally-based and two Australian singers was generally well cast. Of the latter, tenor Jason Wasley exuded an easy and laid-back charm in the well-known De miei bollenti spiriti (La Traviata) and Quando le sere al placido (Luisa Miller) without fully extending himself. Baritone Christopher Hillier struggled somewhat to overcome the orchestra in an aria from Attila, but exhibited both emotion and fine control in Giorgio Germont’s ballad Di provenza il mar from La Traviata. Together, both voices blended very idiomatically in the duet Solenne in quest’ora from La Forza del Destino.

Mezzo-soprano Anna Koor, usually a coquettish presence, was given pitifully small parts. She made most of the bel canto melody, however brief, in Oh, dichiuso e il firmamento (Nabucco), but the onomatopoeic and drumming beat in Rataplan (La Forza) with the chorus was underwhelming.  

That leaves soprano Jessica Chen (above, with conductor Darrell Ang), head of voice at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, who completely stole the show. Remembered for her chilling portrayal of Turandot  in 2008,  she brought a wondrous range and intensity to the recitative and aria of Ecco l’orrido campo (Un Ballo in Maschera), her perfect intonation and emotional heft carried into Pace, pace, mio Dio (La Forza). She garnered the loudest cheers, and deservedly so. And if one wondered if claques existed in Singapore, they most certainly do.

The Singapore Lyric Opera Orchestra has improved vastly over the years in terms of sensitivity and instrumental prowess, which showed in purely orchestral numbers from La Forza, I Vespri Siciliani and Aida.  The small choir of 25 women’s voices (men are a particularly rare resource here) coped well in the Witches Chorus from Macbeth.

The four solo voices came together mellifluously for the marvellous Quartet from Rigoletto and that indestructible Brindisi (Drinking Song) from La Traviata which closed the concert. Taken at an all-too-leisurely pace, that built-in encore was itself encored, the second time at a slightly more champagne-infused mood which brought on a standing ovation.

All photographs courtesy of Singapore Lyric Opera.