ASCO IS 5! / Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra / Review

ACSO IS 5!

Asian Cultural 

Symphony Orchestra

Victoria Concert Hall

Tuesday (30 August 2022)

 

The Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra (ACSO), founded in 2016, occupies an important niche in Singapore’s music scene by performing works that merge Asian cultures and sensibilities with the western symphony orchestra. By championing music by Singaporean and Asian composers, it has complemented the good work fostered by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and its Nanyang music projects. It also filled the gaping lacuna left by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, which had earlier in this century marketed itself as a “destination orchestra by bringing together musical cultures from the East and West”, but quietly dropped that tagline somewhere along the way.

 

ACSO is led by a team of two conductors, Dedric Wong Deli, well-known as a conductor of the Chinese instrumental chamber group Ding Yi Music Company, and Adrian Chiang, General Manager of re:Sound Collective and conductor of numerous ensembles thus representing the western classical music caucus. They share conducting duties in its concerts, taking turns in leading different works with the programme.

 

Wong opened the evening with Confluence by Wang Chen Wei (present Composer-in-Residence of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra), a rousing overture-like work that typified the Nanyang sound. Using the pelog scale in its lilting main theme, there is a recognisable Indo-Malayan character to the music, which also benefitted from the use of liberal portamenti and sheer colour of symphonic instruments. To seal this colourful marriage between cultures, a fugue was also thrown into the fray, livening the proceedings besides offering further proof of the composer’s academic credentials.  

 

Following this were four concertante works, more than amply demonstrating the wealth of solo instrumental talent on our shores. The first was Germaine Goh’s Kaleidoscope, a single-movement fantasy for clarinet and orchestra with Ralph Emmanuel Lim as exuberant soloist. Opening with a solo accompanied by harp ostinatos, the music opened dreamily and then came to life with a series of animated dance-like rhythms. Influences from Debussy may be discerned, as well as Copland and Bernstein in the more jazzy bits, but she does not imitate them. Much is attractive and enjoyable in this work, where the demi-mondaine world of smokey speakeasies and Hollywood glamour is not just hinted at but relived.    

 

Chinese composer Wang Dan Hong is a well-known name in Chinese orchestra circles and her guzheng concerto As Thus is as glitzy as they come. Its slow introduction with gentle string accompaniment established soloist Yvonne Tay, in an advanced antenatal state, as a sensitive protagonist. However the amplication of her guzheng was garishly overdone, with distorted sound detracting from her brilliant narrative. As with Wang’s rhapsodic and quasi-cinematic scores, the pacing hastened to an exciting climax, and a faux ending which had the audience applauding prematurely. A true apotheosis and close came later, and the payoff was no less vociferous.

 

Singapore-based Briton Eric Watson’s Dialogue for tabla and orchestra is a well-travelled work commissioned by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. Its iteration with western instruments was no less trenchant, held together by the virtuosic drumming of Govin Tan, young tabla virtuoso who comes from a Hindu Chinese family. If one wondered what mileage could be had with a pair of drums which essentially plays single notes, one is prepared to be surprised. For the first half, the tabla provided accompaniment to a series of varied themes from the orchestra (including one resembling a motif from Stravinsky’s Firebird), then it takes a life of its own – a good four minutes or so of solo improvisation. As cadenzas go, this was simply breathtaking.

Edmund Song is better known as the double bassist of Red Dot Baroque and re:Sound. This evening, he took on duo-mantle of composer and conductor, leading the World Premiere of his Triple Concertino entitled Till The End Of Time. A work that employed a mix of Asian scales, the music emanated a variety of aromatic incenses. The soloists Niranjan Pandian (bansuri, North Indian bamboo flute), Jacky Ng (suona) and Azrin Abdullah (oud, Middle Eastern lute) had their moments in the spotlight, and how precious these were. The bansuri was positively haunting, the suona took on cor anglais tones resembling Rodrigo’s Aranjuez, while the oud could have had more air time. Some degree of counterpoint with all three together should have been the end-result but the opportunity was not taken, with heterophony prevailing instead.

 

It would still have been a totally satisfying experience had the concert ended there, but ACSO possessed several encores up its collective sleeve. Surprise celebrity cameos took the form of busker-of-the-season Jeff Ng in a medley of JJ Lin songs, while legendary songstress and 2021 Cultural Medallion recipient Rahimah Rahim irrepressibly strutted her stuff with two Malay songs and Bob Gaudio’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons). That was mere icing on a wonderfully baked cake, and long may the Asian Cultural Symphony Orchestra thrive, and entertain.

 

All the soloists joined in the finale
Can't Take My Eyes Off You.

SOARING WITH THE WIND / Concordia Quartet / Review

SOARING WITH THE WIND

Concordia Quartet

Victoria Concert Hall

Wednesday (20 October 2021)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 27 October 2021 withe the title "Concordia Quartet soars in live return".

 

It was back in April when the members of re:Sound Collective last presented a live concert. Coming out of pandemic mode, they returned with a vengeance in a substantial programme of music by Mozart and Grieg, spearheaded by the Concordia Quartet.

 

Not having performed for months may have resulted in a certain diffidence, but not so this four-member string ensemble which made its debut last year just before the virus arrived on Singapore shores. Opening with Mozart’s late Clarinet Quintet in A major (K.581) was just the right tonic, especially when partnered with clarinettist Ralph Emmanuel Lim, one of Singapore’s most accomplished young woodwind players.

 

This combo had earlier impressed with the first movement from Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in January, and this perfomance was even better. Lim, with his rich and mellow sonority, almost nonchalant virtuosity and engaging personality, commanded the stage from the first entry. His clarity of phrasing and ease of articulation stood out in the opening movement, before song-like qualities coming to the fore in the slow movement, a close cousin of the Adagio from Mozart’s famous Clarinet Concerto.

 

Melodic lines were not just limited to Lim alone, as first violinist Edward Tan had his fair share, as did cellist Theophilus Tan. Together with second violinist Kim Kyu Ri and violist Matthias Oestringer, the quartet supported the enterprise to the hilt, not least in the sprightly Minuet and the concluding Theme and Variations movement. The free-wheeling quality in the finale made this performance a thoroughly enjoyable encounter.     

 

An air of seriousness opened Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg’s String Quartet in G minor, which the foursome responded with a Beethovenian show of intent. The bigness of sound was breathtaking, as if played by a far larger group of strings. Even if one casts the memory back to 2017, when all the strings of re:Sound played in Richard Tognetti’s arrangement of this quartet, this evening’s showing was no less involving.

 

The music sounded familiar in parts, as Grieg had recycled a rhythmic theme from his ever-popular Piano Concerto, using it as a recurrent leitmotif all through the four movements. Solemnity gave way to the folksy homespun quality usually associated with rustic Nordic dance music, which was gratefully lapped up by the quartet.

 

The slow movement possessed a lyricism that resembled many of Grieg’s Lyric Pieces for piano, where the cello carried the melodic interest. Cohesiveness was the mainstay in the stormy third movement, where there was also sentimentality on display. In an imitation of country fiddling, cello, viola and violin took their turns on a particularly bucolic melody.

 

For a work that even exceeded Grieg’s piano concerto in length, the quartet managed its pacing and dynamic contrasts very well. It closed with a riproaring Presto alla Saltarello, based on an Italian dance in rapid triple time, with the resulting long and loud applause being well deserved.

ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS / The Philharmonic Winds / Review

ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS

The Philharmonic Winds

Esplanade Concert Hall

Friday (29 December 2017)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 1 January 2018

Christmas has come and gone but its spirit lingered on in this feel good concert by The Philharmonic Winds. Conducted by Leonard Tan and hosted by William Ledbetter, five golden rings were introduced to the audience in the form of a guest conductor, three soloists and a children's choir.

The concert opened with Frank Ticheli's Nitro, a short but energetic scherzo which pulsated with a mercurial beat and radiated Stravinskyan brilliance. There were those rapidly evolving elements of minimalism and tricky cross rhythms, but the orchestra handled its demands with confidence and discipline. The baton was then handed to Ignatius Wang (below) who led in Percy Grainger's Children's March “Over The Hills And Far Away”, a catchy tune which built to a terrific climax before winding down.

Three of Singapore's top young wind talents came under the spotlight, beginning with saxophonist Samuel Phua in Ralph Hermann's Tosca Fantasy which recycles popular arias from Puccini's opera. Playing alto sax, his smooth and creamy tone relived tenor and soprano moments in soaring melodies like Recondita armonia, Vissi d'arte and E lucevan le stelle.

Euphonium soloist Kang Chun Meng, who appeared in this year's President's Young Performers Concert with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, also exuded an operatic flair in Eduardo Boccalari's Sounds of the Riviera. A richer and more burnished sound would be hard to find as he ambled from Italianate warmth to Hispanic fire in this dance-like showpiece.

Receiving the loudest cheers was clarinettist Ralph Emmanuel Lim who was in his element for Artie Shaw's Clarinet Concerto, a big-band era classic rife with jazzy riffs and flourishes. His seemingly effortless show continued into Malcolm Arnold's Pre-Goodman Rag as an outrageously hip encore. Like him, both Phua and Kang also had encores which they nailed with fearless aplomb.

The longest work was Howard Blake's enchanting music for the 1982 BBC animated television classic The Snowman, directed by Dianne Jackson. The wind arrangement by Phillip Littlemore accompanied the 26-minute-long movie that was screened in its entirety. The touching story is about a little boy who builds a snowman who comes to life at night, befriends and takes him on a magical winter flight to meet Father Christmas.

How the orchestra adapted so well to the movie's swiftly changing scenes and Ledbetter's lively narration was a credit to both the players and conductor Tan's abilities. Stealing the show was the 60-strong children's choir from Zhangde Primary School, which sang the hit song Walking In The Air with wide-eyed innocence and charm. There was a bittersweet end and anyone with dry eyes could be accused of having a heart of ice.

Three encores certainly pepped up the mood. The choir beautifully reprised Walking In The Air before Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride (conducted by Wang) and a sax arrangement of Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You heralded the obligatory avalanche of balloons. 

FUN WITH MUSIC! / The Philharmonic Winds / Review

FUN WITH MUSIC!

The Philharmonic Winds

Esplanade Concert Hall

Sunday (3 April 2016)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 5 April 2016 with the title "Blown away by fun tunes".

Every arts group knows it is vital to build audiences and future supporters for its cause, which is why light music is often programmed with that aim in mind. Although this concert by The Philharmonic Winds was not billed as a young people's concert, it was attended by many families and children who knew that the titular “Fun” was not to be resisted.

Conducted by its founding artist director Robert Casteels, the 80-minute long afternoon concert opened with Eric Coates' London Bridge March, a rousing curtain-raiser that also introduced that master of Masters of Ceremonies, William Ledbetter, who played the role of circus ringmaster and agent provocateur as only he knows how. Following which, Michael Markowski's arrangement of Turkey In The Straw was so luxuriantly and jazzily orchestrated in the form of variations that the original melody was almost completed masked.

The first soloist to appear was 12-year-old Chen Xinyu, whose breathtaking pipa solo in the Chinese classic Ambush From All Sides (arranged by Ong Jiin Joo for wind orchestra) was literally a showstopper. There was a section when conductor Casteels stepped off the podium and the orchestra silenced as she evoked the raucous sounds of furious battle, later joined by shouts from the players. 

Not to be outdone was clarinettist Ralph Emmanuel Lim in Adolf Schreiner's Immer Kleiner (Always Smaller), who had his instrument dissembled joint by joint until he was left with its mouthpiece. As the pitch got progressively higher, so did his playing get faster, capping off this virtuoso vehicle with a shrieking squeak.

Three percussionists. Dennis Sim, Yeow Ching Shiong and Sng Yiang Shan, then took centrestage in a hilariously choreographed version of Leroy Anderson's Sandpaper Ballet, where three pairs of sandpaper blocks jostled and scraped for their place in the spotlight. Judging from the delighted audience response, they were obviously rubbed the right way.

Sand artist Lawrence Koh gave a masterclass in his rare skill of projected animation, with a sequence of African motifs set to Robert Smith's Africa: Ceremony, Song And Ritual. Visions of tribal art, savannah flora and fauna miraculously surfaced to the strains of indigenous song and drumming.

The final soloist was Singapore Symphony Orchestra tuba player Hidehiro Fujita who proved that his ungainly instrument, the largest in the brass family, was anything but clumsy. The story of Three Billy Goats Gruff was narrated by Ledbetter to outlandish effects in Fredrik Hogberg's Trolltuba, a nifty act that was only exceeded by lots of horseplay and lung power in Vittorio Monti's Csardas, a work usually associated with the gypsy violin.

Shouts for an encore were rewarded with an elaborately dressed version of Do-Re-Mi from the musical The Sound Of Music, which prompted a clap-along and an avalanche of balloons that used to be de rigeuer at SSO's Christmas Concerts. It is another eight months till the Yuletide season, but The Philharmonic Winds was not going to deprive anybody of their quota of fun. 

SINGAPORE CLARINET FESTIVAL GALA CONCERT / Review

SINGAPORE CLARINET FESTIVAL 

GALA CONCERT

The Chamber, The Arts House

Monday (30 November 2015)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 2 December 2015 with the title "Delightful sounds from young and old".

The Singapore Clarinet Festival took place over two days at The Arts House, bringing together the nation's small but dedicated community of clarinet players in instrumental workshops, competition and concert. It culminated with a concert demonstrating that musical talent abounds, especially when it involves youthful and enthusiastic souls.

Both adjectives might not be used to describe the clarinet quartet from Singapore Symphony Orchestra. The foursome of Ma Yue, Tang Xiao Ping, Yoko Liu and Li Xin represent the cream of the profession, all of whom are highly-respected teachers in local music institutions. Their intonation, balance and ensemble were immaculate in the delivery of Harry Staplers' Clownery and Patrick Hiketick's Three Latin Dances.

The former was a delightful scherzo of in-jokes and cliches to be found in fairground and popular music, while the latter played on familiar idioms and melodies of Spanish and South American dances. Their first encore continued irresistibly on this thread in Zequinha de Abreu's Tico Tico No Fuba, but the atmosphere turned sombre for the second, Miao Kaiwen's arrangement of Brahms' Lullaby. Its simple melody was transformed into a solemn hymn, performed in solidarity with the bereaved people of France.

The festival's competitive segment saw the participation of 17 ensembles. The top prizewinners included Katong Convent (B Division) which performed a jazzed-up version of Scarborough Fair and CQN (A Division) which had fun in a medley of tunes from Lehar's The Merry Widow. The schoolgirls in their sky-blue uniforms showed much promise, while their more mature counterparts sounded like they could turn professional soon.

The concert's second half was performed by the Singapore Clarinet Festival Combined Choir, uniting clarinettists from top three wind orchestras: The Philharmonic Winds, Singapore Wind Symphony and West Winds. Conducted by Alan Mills, the 14-member group generated a big and warm tone, swelling to a fulsome bloom, with deep bass notes from Sean Tan's contrabass clarinet.

Vaclav Nelhybel's Chorale & Danza contrasted ceremonial pomp with more angular lines, while Jan van der Roost's Hikudim was a suite of four Israeli songs, where soulfulness alternated with cheerful vibes. The final dance relived the joy of klezmer players and the celebratory whoops of their instruments.  

The final acts belonged to French virtuoso Florent Héau, who was starry soloist in Ralph Emmanuel Lim's arrangement of Rossini's Introduction, Theme & Variations, where he was accompanied by the clarinet choir. This was the wind version of the bel canto opera tradition that flourished in the early 19^th century. Beauty of line and extraordinary agility was central to his imperious showing, where the human voice was not just simulated but also surpassed.

Loud cheers yielded two encores, a virtuosic solo klezmer number and the popular song Dream A Little Dream Of Me, where Héau upped the ante by accompanying his playing with an impromptu tap dance of his own. One can already see the headline: where hot lips met twinkle-toes.

All photographs by the kind permission of Singapore Clarinet Festival.

RUSSIAN EXTRAVAGANZA! / Singapore National Youth Orchestra / Review

RUSSIAN EXTRAVAGANZA!

Singapore National Youth Orchestra

Esplanade Concert Hall

Wednesday (30 July 2014) 

This review was published in The Straits Times on 1 August 2014 with the title "Rah-rah Russian tunes".

This is certainly not the best of times to celebrate anything Russian, but the Singapore National Youth Orchestra had put so much preparation into this programme that it would be unfair to the young musicians to have cancelled the concert. At least the title could have been changed to something less offensive.

The opener, Shostakovich’s Festive Overture ranks as the most insincere work ever conceived by a great composer. For those who know his music, this paints a glorious and eternally jolly portrait of the Soviet Union, one of modern history’s most murderous regimes. Its brass fanfares, thrilling woodwind runs and slicked up string melodies sing of optimism and great hope for a Socialist utopia, one cruelly denied to many millions who had staked their lives on a fatal ideology.

The orchestra led by its Principal Conductor Leonard Tan gave a best possible account of its strident banalities, with much lustre and no hint of irony. The brass section, boosted by offstage colleagues placed on balconies in the hall’s first circle, have much to be proud of.

Coming as total relief were two concertos by German composer Felix Mendelssohn. The first was his very popular Violin Concerto in E minor, with Neville Athenasius Ang in the solo part. For much of the work, the chemical and biomechanical engineering graduate struggled with intonation but was able to overcome its technical hurdles with fluency and no little robustness. That he maintained his composure well when the audience of mostly youngsters was getting restless and noisy was to his great credit.

A better showing was provided by Benny Lim and Ralph Emmanuel Lim in Mendelssohn’s Concert Piece No.2 for clarinet and basset horn. This rather unusual work pitted two reed instruments of different registers in tandem and how the two Lims complimented each other so well like hand and glove. Within three short movements, they delighted in its witty repartee and struck a vein of humour that flowed like sparkling champagne.

The second half of the concert was devoted to just Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony in F minor. One of his more highly strung and nervously charged works, conductor Tan coaxed from his charges a performance of rare eloquence and no little emotion without resorting to extremes in dynamics or tempi.

Despite a fluff in the opening Fate theme blared out by the French horns, this was a show of confidence which grew with each page. The first movement was taken at a moderate tempo, one that seemed slack initially but proved ultimately well-judged as it gradually built up to a head of steam that never flagged.

The slow movement’s plaintive oboe solo was beautifully crafted by David Yee, and the strings were superlative in the third movement’s massed pizzicatos, all of which were indicative of how strong the orchestra has become over the years. The torrential storm unleashed in the finale, a culmination of Tchaikovsky’s tormented personal life, was greeted with long and prolonged applause.

By which time, one might have also been persuaded that Tchaikovsky, despite being born Russian, was also a citizen of the world.