CONCERT SERIES: SIBELIUS & BRAHMS / Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Orchestra / Review

 

CONCERT SERIES: SIBELIUS & BRAHMS

NAFA Orchestra

Victoria Concert Hall

Thursday (26 March 2026)

Singapore has become a city of orchestras, and if one wondered how that came about, it would be prudent to check out the musical education institutions and their student orchestras. Much has been written about the Yong Siew Toh Orchestral Institute, and its now time to also focus on the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Orchestra (NAFA Orchestra). NAFA’s School of Music is the older institution, having being founded in the 1984 (YST arrived in 2003), and its orchestra benefits from the experience of Singapore’s most senior living conductor, Lim Yau.

Lim’s career has taken him to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Singapore Lyric Opera, the Singapore National Youth Orchestra and The Philharmonic Orchestra and Chamber Chorus, and now NAFA. Literally thousands of musicians in Singapore – professionals and amateurs, adults and young people – have made serious good music under his guiding wings for the past four decades. In this respect, his legacy extends further than that of Choo Hoey or Lan Shui, and older pioneering figures like Paul Abisheganaden and Goh Soon Tioe.

NAFA Orchestra’s concert opened with Sibelius’ Karelia Suite, and the young musicians barely needed to warm up to create a warm sonorous atmosphere. String tremolos and a very confident quartet of French horns (who were in tune throughout) established the main theme of the opening Intermezzo, and the festive procession of Finnish self-determination kicked off from there. The velvety string sonority continued in the Ballade, where solo cor anglais also got a rare moment to shine. The concluding Alla Marcia strided with purpose and direction, little wonder how this suite came to symbolise the pride of Finnish nationalism.

Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor (Op.47) is now a staple of young violin virtuosos, and 4th year student Zhu Zunzun boldly stepped up to the challenge. From the outset, she brought out a robust and brawny tone, beginning with quiet mystery and later embracing the unlikely lyricism of this rough-hewn work. She was never overwhelmed by orchestral forces, instead projecting with authority, including in the first movement’s two very thorny cadenzas.

In the slow movement, the tension was built up organically to a fine climactic high. Only in the fiery finale’s “Polonaise for polar bears” did her technique fall somewhat short, finding some difficulty in matching its quicksilver pace. However that treacherous passage of harmonics was negotiated with perfect intonation, its tight-rope act surmounted before closing in a brilliant flourish to cue in loud and prolonged applause.

The concert’s second half belonged to Brahms’ Second Symphony in D major (Op.73), sometimes referred to as his “Pastoral” due to its congenial spirit and overall warmth. The orchestra employed was not a particularly big one, and a spirit of chamber music was to be upheld this evening. The quartet of French horns shone again in its opening, something which wasn’t always a guarantee during the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s early years. 

I still remember SSO’s first attempt at this symphony at the Singapore Conference Hall in January 1980, and in many ways, NAFA Orchestra has already surpassed its forebears. The famous quote of Brahms’ Wiegenlied (Op.49 No.4) was a curious look at nostalgia without being over-sentimentalised, and the movement’s development was excellently handled.

The slow movement came like a veil of dark clouds, but Lim’s magisterial handling of its narrative ensured that sunshine was not too far away. Notwithstanding a French horn fluff along the way, the playing reflected that certainty with immediacy. The Allegretto grazioso chattered along amiably with woodwinds including an excellent oboe solo holding court in this cheerful scherzo-like movement.

Then came the valedictory finale, where Allegro con spirito started with hushed tones, but the joyous spirit could never be suppressed for long. The outburst of good feelings was palpable in the playing throughout, and there should be no apology for Brahms’ happiest and most optimistic symphony. Lim Yau and his NAFA charges did themselves proud in this performance, and the audience heartily concurred.

AN EVENING OF DOUBLE HAPPINESS / Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (University of the Arts Singapore)

Judging from the title, I thought this was going to be a Chinese wedding dinner. In a way it was, as the evening marked the union of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (University of the Arts Singapore) and London's Royal College of Music with the formation of their Bachelor of Music (Honours) degree programme. 

NAFA and RCM have been dating had over a decade of working together, with local music undergraduates spending their last semester in London to complete their basic B.Mus degree. This one goes all the way one step further, a consummation of a joint project to further our musical students' education. The evening also marked the start of a working relationship with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Here are photos of the auspicious event, complete with a gong-beating ceremony and a concert to boot.

Guest-of-honour Heng Sweet Keat
and NAFA CEO Tan-Soh Wai Lan
gave mercifully short speeches.

Singapore Symphony Group CEO Kenneth Kwok
receives a gift from NAFA.

All the honoured guests reveal
the inner percussionists in them.

Zechariah Goh conducted the opening work,
Joey Yeo's Retrospect. The composer was also
the guitarist in this performance

NAFA Chinese Ensemble performs
Li Bochan's Ancient Tea-Horse Road.

Close-ups of the exquisite performers.

The piece de resistance was 
Dante Tan performing Henri Tomasi's
Alto Saxophone Concerto with the 
NAFA Orchestra conducted by Lin Juan.

Dante had earlier performed this concerto 
with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra
at the President's Young Performers Concert.

The repeat performance was just as awesome.

And here are some of

the wedding guests:

Esplanade's Christel Hon with
NAFA Head of Vocal Studies Jessica Chen.

SSO's Ong Shu Chen with
Lianhe Zaobao's Zhang Heyang.

Former Ding Yi Music Company's Elvia Goh
with former NAFA CEO
Mr & Mrs Choo Thiam Siew.

British concert pianist Ashley Wass
with Kenneth Kwok and 
NAFA's Nellie Seng

Pianists all:
See Ning Hui, Nicholas Ong & Zhou Yun.

NAFA Dean of Performing Arts Ernest Lim (centre)
made sure everyone had a good time.

MYTHICAL MOUNTAINS & THE BOHEMIAN SPIRITS / NAFA Orchestra / Review

 

MYTHICAL MOUNTAINS 

& THE BOHEMIAN SPIRITS 

NAFA Orchestra 

Victoria Concert Hall 

Saturday (12 April 2025)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 14 April 2025 with the title "Conductor Lin Juan leads NAFA Orchestra in popular staples".

Much has been written in these pages about the inexorable rise of young orchestras and ensembles in Singapore’s educational institutions in recent years. The Yong Siew Toh Orchestral Institute (National University of Singapore) has been exceptional but not to be ignored are the strides made by the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Orchestra (University of the Arts Singapore) within a short space of time. 

Photo: Joe Nair

Led by second generation conductor Lin Juan, the NAFA Orchestra gave a concert of popular staples that would not have looked out of place in Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s Familiar Favourites concerts once led by his father Lim Yau. The results were nothing short of very satisfying. 

Opening the evening was Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s Peer Gynt Suite No.1, from incidental music written for Henrik Ibsen’s play. The very familiar Morning Mood, an atmospheric visage not of fjords but of the Sahara Desert, had lovely flute and oboe solos, and could have been a little more subtle in feel. 

The muted all-string sonority in The Death of Ase was, however, the perfect portrayal of grief and regret. Anitra’s Dance waltzed seductively with perfectly-timed pizzicatos and a tingling triangle, while In the Hall of the Mountain King possessed the relentless drive that brought the suite to a romping close. 

While strings shone in Grieg, winds had a field day with Modeste Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain in Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s colourful orchestration. This well-known showpiece is a wild and unbridled depiction of a witches’ sabbath, which saw snarling brass snapping at the heels of slashing strings. 

Photo: Joe Nair

Here passion was unleashed without apology, but within the seeming chaos was an innate discipline with cues being strictly observed. That the work closed with a beatific quiet, where the purity of a solo clarinet and flute became protagonists, showed the ensemble was fully capable of switching codes when called for. 

All the faculties united for Antonin Dvorak’s Eighth Symphony in G major, which was a wiser choice than his over-exposed “New World” Ninth Symphony. Less tainted by familiarity, this performance had a freshness of a spring morn, with the orchestra coaxing a well-rounded and whole-hearted sonority that would even be the envy of professional orchestras. 

Conductor Lin’s direction was crucial for the music’s ebb and flow. When the ante was upped for the first movement’s development, the tension generated was hair-raising. A pastoral feel coloured the slow movement, yet the ensemble was quick to adapt to abrupt changes in nuances and mood. 

The third movement’s Slavonic dance had an earthy and rustic lilt that felt totally natural, while the festive finale could not have been more joyous. Trumpets heralded its procession which began at a measured pace, but soon gathered pace and level of tipsiness. An extended flute solo almost stole the show before being consumed within the grander scheme of things. This was simply an excellent performance for whom all on stage should be proud of.

NAFA SCHOOL OF MUSIC 40TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT / Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Orchestra / Review

 

NAFA SCHOOL OF MUSIC 

40TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT 

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Orchestra 

Victoria Concert Hall 

Friday (5 April 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 8 April 2024 with the title "NAFA's orchestra proves its mettle in 40th anniversary concert".

Much ink has been spilt about exceptional musical phenomena taking place at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. What should not be ignored is a similar process brewing at an older musical education institution, the School of Music at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA). Celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, the NAFA Orchestra conducted by Lin Juan gave a genuinely good concert of celebrated Russian classics. 

Opening with Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, the orchestra provided solid partnership for young pianist Nicole Ng Xin-Yu. A graduate of London’s Royal College of Music and now pursuing her masters at NAFA, she gave an all-round solid performance of the virtuoso piano concerto in all but name.

Concertgoers will remember French pianist Alexandre Kantorow’s blistering account with the Hong Kong Philharmonic in February. Ng’s reading was more measured and thoughtful, never speeding for the sake of thrills, instead making every note count. When it came from push to shove, she showed she could also let it all rip. 

Photo: Chung Ee Yong

The harp-like cadenza of Variation 11, accompanied by harp glissandi, was brilliant, and she negotiated the hair-pin turns of the treacherous Variation 15 with stunning aplomb. And who in the audience was not waiting for the bleak B flat minor of Variation 17 to transform into D flat major sunshine of the famous Variation 18? 

How she wound up the tension to its glorious chordal climax was a masterstroke of understanding this often-sentimentalised moment. From then onwards, Paganinian scintillation took hold as the music barrelled to its rapturous conclusion and an ironic closing bar. It was a pity Ng offered no encore, as many who attended were hoping for one. 

Photo: Chung Ee Yong

The concert’s second half was energised by earlier euphoria, but did anybody expect as strong a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony in E minor (Op.64) as the one delivered? Under Lin’s firm guiding hand, the players knew exactly what was needed. The slow opening introduction with clarinets voicing the recurring Fate motif set an excellent tone for the rest of the work. 

Photo: Chung Ee Yong

Passion and commitment drove the first movement’s narrative. The slow movement’s famous French horn solo came across confidently, and ensuing woodwind solos followed suit with equal authority. They have been very well schooled. As with much of Tchaikovsky’s melodramatic music, Fate always intervened, and this interpretation realised the impact and did not pull punches. 

The third movement’s elegant waltz provided some respite, but it was the finale which dealt the knock-out blow. The Fate motif, now cast in the major key and sounding bolder than ever, returned with a vengeance. Its arc of redemption would go through upheavals, each handled with increasing vehemence and excitability, all through to its inexorable conclusion. 

Photo: Chung Ee Yong

The NAFA Orchestra has never played this well. Judging by its latest show, the Conservatory Orchestral Institute could do worse than looking over its shoulder and realise a friendly rival.