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

SONGS OF OUR FOREFATHERS III / Lirica Arts / Review

 

SONGS OF OUR FOREFATHERS III

Lirica Arts

Esplanade Recital Studio

Friday (26 September 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 30 September 2025 with the title "Chinese art songs take centre stage in Lirica Arts' adventurous series".

Besides presenting chamber opera productions, Lirica Arts led by local baritone Martin Ng also lives up to its name by promoting the cause of art songs. In the third concert of its Songs of Our Forefathers series, some 19 Chinese art songs were performed, illustrating the sheer variety within this genre.

The Chinese language provided several millennia of source material, from Han dynasty (c.200 BC to 200 AD) texts through to the present day. Although presented in Mandarin, projected surtitles in both Chinese and English were a boon.

Beginning with songs accompanied by pianist Beatrice Lin, the evening felt like a recital of German lieder. Chinese soprano Peng Ying opened with three songs, Li Yan’s The Green Jadeite Bowl (On The First Night of the New Year), Wang Long’s The Ornamented Zither and Fu Jing’s Qing Ming (Tomb Sweeping Day), based on Han verse. Despite its sober content, the last asked, “Where is the wine shop?”, suggesting the ancients also had similar urges and vices as us. The songs were Romantic in idiom although through-composed rather than strophic in form.

Peng emoted well, her voice possessing heft, later flexing coloratura acrobatics in Xu Jingxin’s Fantasia of a Moonlit Night by the Spring River, which was spectacular. She also sang a Suzhou Pingtan number, Ode to the Butterfly, with lyrics by no less than Chairman Mao Zedong.

Local tenor Shaun Lee bared his heart and vulnerability in Huang Zi’s Homesickness and Liu Xue An’s Song of the Red Bean with words from the Qing dynasty. Baritone Ng’s songs juxtaposed polar sides of love relationships, Li Yan’s The Phoenix Seeking His Mate and To a Faithless Husband, the latter being a song of farewell after a change of heart.

Song dynasty polymath poet Su Shi’s words were celebrated after the intermission. Beijing Opera artist Tian Ping was introduced in Qingzhu’s The Yangtze River Flows East alongside tenor Lee. Her highly stylised singing, with nasal overtones, brought authenticism when heard on her own.

The union of Beijing opera and Western-styled singing in Huang Zi’s Song of the Southern Country in duet with Ng was however jarring in the extreme, like oil and water. Throw in Wang Yan Tong’s jinghu (the highest pitched huqin) with its piercing sonority in Yang Nailin’s Ode to the Pear Blossom, even voices struggle to get heard.

The highlight of the evening, also the longest song, was the world premiere of local composer Chua Jon Lin’s Melody of the River Town. Sung by baritone Ng, this was a contemporary work unafraid to experiment. String piano technique, including directly plucking the strings produced an otherwordly effect, over which Ng mused about separation and homecoming. Moving from a sedate pace to agitation, heavy chords and Bartok-like ostinatos were likely to move emotions.

The two-hour concert closed with all the performers joined by host Wenxia (also a soprano) for Zhong Xingmin’s Lan Ting Xu (Orchid Pavilion Preface), based on ancient calligraphy by Wang Xizhi, and popularised by Taiwanese singer-songwriter Jay Chou. The old met the new this evening and with its hits and misses, Lirica Arts is encouraged to continue searching and discovering.

QUEENS AND DIVAS OF THE BEL CANTO / Lirica Arts / Review

 

QUEENS AND DIVAS OF THE BEL CANTO 

Lirica Arts 

Esplanade Recital Studio 

Thursday (17 April 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 19 April 2025 with the title "Lirica Arts' recital series combines outreach and education without dumbing down". 

Want to learn something about opera besides listening to wonderful singing? One could do worse than attending Lirica Arts’ Opera 101 recital series. Its carefully curated and meticulously researched concerts are what the musical scene really needs, genuine outreach and education with absolutely no dumbing down.

Shridar Mani did all the detailed research
for this excellent programme.

Its latest offering was a solid 95-minute treatise without intermission on the world of Italian bel canto opera. Listeners will already know something about this early 19th century’s operatic trend of seamless melodies and elaborate ornamentation, and the usual composer suspects. This concert, eruditely narrated by Shridar Mani and accompanied by pianist Samuel King, offered so much more about its interesting and often scandalous history.

It all began with castrati, young males surgically emasculated to retain pure unbroken voices allied with muscular heft. German composer Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Il Crociato in Egitto (The Crusader in Egypt) of 1824 was the last opera to cast a castrato in a lead role. Armando’s aria Oh come rapida fuggi la speme was beautifully sung by Korean soprano Renata Hann, opening the evening on a pristine high.

Then came the lives of four historical sopranos, famed for their ability to sing like men, effectively replacing the castrati. Giuditta Pasta was responsible for two major roles, Gaetano Donizetti’s Anna Bolena (Anne Boleyn) and Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma.

Photo: Moonrise Studio

The dramatic duet Sul suo capo with French soprano Serine de Labaume and Malaysian mezzo-soprano Samantha Chong portraying Anne with her lady-in-waiting (and queenly successor) Jane Seymour was a touching display of sympathy between rivals. Here the acting also matched the singing.

Hann had the honour of singing bel canto’s most famous aria, Casta Diva from Norma, and she did so spotlessly. She was joined by Chong as fellow Druid priestess Adalgisa in the memorable duet Mira, O Norma, where their voices separated by the interval of a third was perfectly balanced on a knife edge before a race to the finish.

Photo: Moonrise Studio

Soprano Giulia Grisi was responsible for the role of Elvira in Bellini’s I Puritani, whose mad scene Qui la voce saw Labaume skillfully shift vocal gears from slow lament to outright rave. Norina from Donizetti’s Don Pasquale was also created for her, and the duet Pronto io son with baritone Martin Ng in a cameo as Malatesta provided the evening’s precious moments of comedy.

The final two historical sopranos were sisters Maria Malibran and Pauline Viardot, daughters of the fanatical Spanish tenor and vocal pedagogue Manuel Garcia. Both were represented by Desdemona’s Willow Song from Gioachino Rossini’s Otello, its G minor melancholy with harp-like accompaniment lovingly captured by Hann. Chong accounted for O mio Fernando from Donizetti’s La Favorita which brought the concert to a satisfying close.

Before that, all three lady singers were united in the dramatic finale of Act 1 of Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda (Mary Stuart) in a final climactic clash of queens and divas. One goes to the chopping block but not without making a big song and dance about it.

Photo: Moonrise Studio

PUCCINI - A LIFE IN 7 WOMEN / Lirica Arts / Review

 

PUCCINI – A LIFE IN 7 WOMEN 

Lirica Arts 

Esplanade Recital Studio 

Friday (2 August 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 5 August 2024 with the title "Japanese soprano Mako Nishimoto sings with power in Lirica Arts' Puccini tribute".

Commemorating the centenary of his death, local chamber opera company Lirica Arts presented a tribute to Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini by performing highlights from eight operas spanning the years 1883 to 1924. Curated and presented by Shridar Mani, much research and detailed history was crammed into 100 illuminating minutes of music and oration. 

Puccini was deeply in love with the female voice. The roles of Cio-Cio San, Tosca, Mimi, Turandot and Liu come to mind, but the seven women in the title also included Puccini’s ambitious mother Albina and his mistress-turned-wife Elvira. All of them shaped his musical life and helped seal his reputation as Western classical opera’s most popular and perhaps greatest-ever composer. 

Given its subject, sopranos dominated the concert accompanied by splendid collaborative pianist Beatrice Lin. Korean soprano Renata Hann opened the concert with Anna’s aria Non ti scordar di me from Puccini’s first opera Le Villi (The Fairies), revealing a sweetness of tone and excellent vocal control. 

As each opera was presented chronologically, Manon Lescaut was next. Japanese soprano Mako Nishimoto, who stole the show in Singapore Lyric Opera’s 2013 production of Madama Butterfly, displayed a healthy ringing vibrato in In quelle trine morbide. Opposite her, Des Grieux’s aria Donna non vidi mai sung by tenor Shaun Lee was put to a strain at its highest notes. 

The excerpts from La Boheme came from the Third Act. Donde lieta usci was Mimi’s touching aria of separation from her lover Rodolfo, with Nishimoto at her most sympathetic. Following that was the evening’s only quartet, Addio dolce svegliare alla mattina, with the opera’s two couples (Mimi and Rodolfo, Musetta and Marcello) breaking up, but for different reasons and to tragicomic effect. 

The concert’s other male singer was baritone Martin Ng, founder-director of Lirica Arts. His imperious role in the Te Deum as villainous police chief Baron Scarpia in Tosca was convincing for its gravity and grim determination. The opera’s finest aria, Vissi d’arte, belonged to Nishimoto’s Tosca, whose powerful performance will be remembered by many present. 

And who was not waiting for her Madama Butterfly? She did not sing the familiar Un bel di vedremo but rather the opera’s heart-wrenching final minutes in Tu tu piccolo iddio, where Cio-Cio San’s act of seppuku becomes inevitable. 

Two relative rarities came in Ch’il bel sogno di doretta from La Rondine (The Sparrow) and Senza Mamma from Suor Angelica (Sister Angelica), both brilliantly helmed by Hann. Dramatic soprano roles should not overshadow those of a lyric soprano’s, and this concert succeeded by highlighting this aspect. 

Turandot was Puccini’s final opera, left uncompleted at the time of his premature demise. The vast contrasts between blood-thirsty Turandot and self-sacrificing Liu were laid bare by Nishimoto and Hann in an astonishing sequence that included In questa reggia (Turandot), Tanto amore segreto and Tu che di gel sei cinta (Liu) before closing with Liu’s Funeral. And that was where Puccini finally laid down his pen.