RE:SOUND 10TH ANNIVERSARY / BRADDELL HEIGHTS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERTS / Review

 

10TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT

re:Sound

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concert Hall

Saturday (29 August 2026)

40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT

Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra

Victoria Concert Hall

Sunday (30 August 2026)

This review was published by The Straits Times on 1 September 2026 with the title "re:Sound and Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra's anniversary galas prove diversity of classical scene".

Over last weekend, three local musical ensembles marked their respective anniversaries with a gala concert each. These were Red Dot Baroque (8th), re:Sound Collective (10th) and Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra (40th). By actively programming local composers, the latter two groups have helped shape the concert repertoire enjoyed in Singapore today.

Photo: @Joelcaptures

Singapore’s first professional chamber orchestra re:Sound opened accounts with J.S.Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor (BWV.1041), showcasing 13-year-old Chua Suen Ern in an exacting solo role. With spotless intonation and technique as natural as breathing, she blended seamlessly with players double to quadruple her age. A very bright future beckons.

Photo: @Joelcaptures

Warmth and lushness of re:Sound’s strings were caught in full bloom with harpist Charmaine Teo for the Adagietto from Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Led by violinist Yang Shuxiang, this love letter to Mahler’s wife Alma felt right at 10 minutes, its passionate climax coming at just the perfect moment.

Receiving its world premiere was Germaine Goh’s Sleepless In Singapore, a re:Sound commission. A suite for chamber orchestra, it played like a 21st century concerto grosso in four movements. Between Concrete and Sky evoked dawn in Little India with use of raga scales. Through Windows recounted a frenetic pace of traffic (and life) with the added impetus of pelting rain.

Highly effective scoring included solos for clarinet and soprano saxophone (Ralph Lim), French horn (Alan Kartik) and bassoon (Lim Tee Heong), the latter starring in its slow movement Sleepless, mimicking the call of a nightjar. The finale Tomorrow, Again combined Malay percussive beats with John Adams-styled minimalism for an excitingly manic conclusion.

Photo: @Joelcaptures

The concert’s main work was Ludwig van Beethoven Fifth Symphony in C minor (Op.67) guest-led by Ohio-based Jonathan Ong, first violinist of the Verona Quartet. Although not performing on period instruments, the ensemble adopted the spirit of early 19th century’s “age of enlightenment”.

Photo: @Joelcaptures

Lithe textures and swift tempos did not translate into thin wispy sounds, instead gained an edginess that kept listeners engaged on the edge of their seats. The use of natural horns (without valves) and calfskin timpani heads were added points of authenticity. For an old familiar favourite to sound this refreshing and revitalised is exactly why re:Sound exists.

Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra (BHSO), Singapore’s oldest community orchestra, was led by Leonard Tan in an unusually creative programme. It opened with the winner of a call-for-scores, Seem Jia Ang’s The Journey Ahead. Within a single minute, a flute solo expanded into something with cinematic aspirations but ended as soon as it began, leaving one guessing myriad possibilities for development.

Tan Chan Boon’s In Memory of Franz Schubert (1997) was built on two motifs from the slow movement of the Austrian composer’s “Unfinished” Eighth Symphony. First heard as fragments, these coalesced into actual quotations before launching into an inevitable fugue. The orchestra’s masterful handling of its scholarly discourse was admirable.

Even more impressive was its partnership with Cheong Kah Yiong, founding member of Morse Percussion, in Chinese-American composer Chen Yi’s Percussion Concerto (1998). A solo tour-de-force premiered here by renowned Scottish percussionist Evelyn Glennie and the Singapore Symphony in 1999, Cheong headily relived all its dynamic moments on gongs, drums and xylophones.

In the central movement Prelude To Water Tune, vocal recitation of Beijing Opera was where Cheong had the advantage of language and fine auditory nuances. The rapid-fire Speedy Wind finale drew the longest and loudest ovation of all soloists who have played with the orchestra.

BHSO literally pulled all the stops for Camille Saint-Saens’ Third Symphony in C minor, popularly known as the “Organ” Symphony, in a performance that lacked nothing in full-blooded passion and visual spectacle. On Victoria Concert Hall’s Klais organ, Loraine Muthiah did the honours, in the hymn-like slow movement and the grandstanding finale which unleashed voice and vibration to spine-chilling effect.

Professional or volunteer, long may communal music-making in Singapore thrive.

Jeremy Monteiro's very detailed personal account of the re:Sound concert:

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FIREBIRD: 25TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT / Philharmonic Wind Orchestra / Review

FIREBIRD:
25TH ANNIVERSARY GALA CONCERT

Philharmonic Wind Orchestra

Esplanade Concert Hall

Sunday (9 November 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 11 November 2025 with the title "Landmark works of Philharmonic Wind Orchestra's 25th anniversary".

The Philharmonic Wind Orchestra (PWO), formerly known as The Philharmonic Winds, celebrated its 25th anniversary as the nation’s leading wind band with a concert of landmark works performed during the course of its illustrious history. Conducted by Leonard Tan, who also served as an engaging host, the concert was a showcase of the orchestra’s prowess in a variety of virtuoso repertoire.

Opening the evening was late Singaporean composer Leong Yoon Pin’s own wind arrangement of Giocoso Largamente from his Second Symphony (1979). Influenced by Tang dynasty poet Li Bai’s words on the duality of life, its alternating fast and slow sections reflected conflicting emotions of happiness and sorrow. Its distinctly Chinese musical idiom and use of percussion felt close to home, also matched by the warm sonority coaxed from the players.

PWO’s biggest coup was its 2015 premiere of Spanish composer-conductor Luis Serrano Alarcon’s epic triptych Marco Polo. An ambitious programme symphony, its three parts followed the Venetian’s journey from West to East, and back. Its first part, The Silk Road, began with him as a jailbird, recounting travels through exotic lands with perils ahead to be faced. The scoring for massive forces included traditional instruments such as the oud (Middle Eastern lute), hulusi (gourd flute), Tibetan singing bowls and a host of Eastern reeds.

Concertmaster Ralph Emmanuel Lim
performed on the duduki while guest performer
Boo Chin Kiah played a hulusi.

Getting the colours right was key, and so was the musical story-telling with Marco Polo represented by a leitmotif first heard on Kartik Alan Jairamin’s French horn. By the time he arrived at the gates of Cambaluc (Beijing today), one had gone through a journey of musical discovery. This is what symphonies such as this were meant to do.

After the intermission, French composer Florent Schmitt’s Dionysiaques, composed in 1913 but premiered in 1925, was heard to brilliant effect. Considered the first true modern classic written for wind orchestra, its opening was redolent of Debussy’s Impressionism, and the Bacchanalian dance that followed rivalled the orgiastic writhings of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring.

Albert Oliver Davis’ arrangement of Richard Strauss’ song Allerseelen (All Souls’ Day) was significant for being the first work PWO performed on its first overseas concert. Its lyrical lines, building to a passionate climax, was accompanied by old photographs and footage from the orchestra’s early years. Nostalgia indeed.

The evening closed with Igor Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite (1919) in a virtuoso orchestration by Randy Earles. Following the exact same storyline of the original, winds and brass took the place of ethereal string effects – not an easy task – but by dint of sheer grit, succeeded. Even the jump scare provided by King Kashchei’s Infernal Dance following the Khorovod (Round Dance) was there, all thanks to an alert bass drummer.

Emerald Tan’s lovely bassoon provided the soothing balm to the Berceuse (Lullaby) before the magnificent crescendo that is the grand Finale. With the evil spell broken and the captives released, the resounding close was symbolic of PWO’s past quarter-century. With hard graft comes just reward.

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.

BRUCKNER AND "THE GREAT" / PROGRESSION III / Braddell Heights Symphony & MacPherson Symphony Orchestras / Review

 

BRUCKNER AND “THE GREAT” 

Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra 

School of The Arts Concert Hall 

Saturday (28 September 2024)

PROGRESSION III 

MacPherson Philharmonic Orchestra 

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concert Hall 

Sunday (29 September 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 1 October 2024 with the title "Community orchestras prove mettle with ambitious programmes".

Community orchestras in Singapore have progressed so much over the years that they now comfortably perform repertoire that was once the reserve of Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Two concerts over the weekend eloquently proved that point. 

Braddell Heights Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leonard Tan commemorated the birth bicentenary of Austrian composer Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) by giving the Singapore premiere of his early Overture in G minor (1863). 

Just 10 minutes in duration, its debt of influence to Richard Wagner and Ludwig van Beethoven was evident. Despite a hesitant opening, the orchestra made the most of its fussy string figurations, busy counterpoint and brassy climaxes. 

More impressive was its take on Franz Schubert’s Ninth Symphony in C major, nicknamed “The Great” because of its “heavenly length”. Conductor Tan’s vision took some 49 minutes to complete, with tautness and cogency as qualities. The music benefited from his attention to detail and a propensity for good-natured humour. Nobody would have missed the finale’s heroics and its playful quote of Ode To Joy from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. 

The evening’s piece de resistance was young double bassist Julian Li’s fearlessly virtuosic solo in living Argentinian composer Andres Martin’s Double Bass Concerto No.1 (2012). Its accessible idiom encompassed tango and film music but necessitated playing in high registers approximating the cello’s. 

Li’s tonal projection, accurate intonation and utter confidence all through its three movements were an inspiration to behold. His encore of Giovanni Bottesini’s Elegy No.1, accompanied by his sister Gemma on piano, was simply touching. 

Equally impressive was the showing of pianist Clarence Lee in Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor with the MacPherson Philharmonic Orchestra led by Lester Kong. His was an expansive view, with big-boned barnstorming tempered by sensitivity and subtlety such to be able to smell the flowers. 

The slow movement’s full-on lyricism and the finale’s big melody could have been laid on with a shovel, but in Lee’s hands, poeticism ruled instead. Nobody could have expected an excerpt from Nobuo Uematsu’s Final Fantasy X as an encore, but it was lovely. 

Clarence presenting flowers to his mother,
bringing tears to her eyes.

The orchestra supported him to the hilt and was just as alert to the nuances of Gioachino Rossini’s Overture to The Barber of Seville. Its tricky dotted rhythms, decorative running note passages were well-negotiated, with wit and good humour being the end result. 

Its biggest test was Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No.5 in E minor, a concert warhorse so often heard as to be tainted with over-familiarity. Conductor Kong took the well-filled hall to be mostly concert newbies by addressing them and playing examples before each movement. 

The ostensible aim was to demonstrate the symphony’s “Fate” theme being transformed over four movements. That was laudable but the music’s natural flow was disrupted by these stops and starts, with audience applause between movements being encouraged. 

The performance itself was very good, with tightly-knit ensemble and a palpable pulse propelling the music along. The string sound had a nice sheen, and the brass was excellent, with the solo French hornist acquitting himself generally well in the slow movement. 

Breathless excitement ruled the finale and the inevitable happened, with an over-eager audience prematurely applauding at the climactic pause just before the coda. That would have been embarrassing at an SSO concert, but this was a family-friendly event, thus easily forgivable. 

As long as our community orchestras purposefully continue to engage the public and make new friends for the classics, that cannot be a bad thing.

Watch the Rachmaninov concerto performance here: