EVERYBODY LOVES A SOIREE: THE CELEBRITY EDITION!

EVERYBODY LOVES A SOIREE:

THE CELEBRITY EDITION!

If truth be told, a musical soiree is always better whenever I am an observer. No way should I be a part of it other than being a fly on a wall, or to use a more local example, a gecko on the ceiling. Dr Ling Ai Ee, Singapore's most celebrated non-professional pianist and accompanist, regularly holds soirees and matinees at her home off Dunearn Road. Some of these have been fundraisers in aid of various charities, but this latest one was all about friends coming together to make music.

... and here's the programme du jour.

She has assembled a formidable line-up (9 musicians in all) this time around, including celebrities and veterans of Singapore's musical scene. Even the audience was filled with luminaries (which does not include off-duty music reviewers). The performers needn't have worried, as the programme was excellent, the level of playing was mostly beyond reproach, a testament of how hard they have worked on the music. For this, they deserve our whole-hearted applause. Not to mention the lovely makan served up!

The concert opened with a whole piano trio!
Beethoven's Op.11, the Gassenhauer so named
because it used tunes from the street (gasse).
Clarinettist Li Lingzhi, cellist Timothy Chua
with host with the most Ling Ai Ee on piano.

Another whole piano trio, albeit in one movement.
Rachmaninov's G minor Trio-Elegiaque,
with violinist Serene Lim, cellist Chan Chin Hong
and pianist Jonathan Aow.

The youngest performer was prodigious
15-year-old Timothy Chua in
Schumann's Adagio & Allegro, Op.70

Violin celebrity Siow Lee-Chin made a cameo
with Amy Beach's Romance.

She dedicated the performance to her patron and 
mentor Lady Yuen-Peng McNeice, who would have
celebrated her 107th birthday today.

The famous Leow Siak Fah family portrait.
There were at least 4 people pictured within
who were present at the soiree.

After the grub break, Astor Piazzolla tangos resumed,
first with Tangata with Ai Ee & Toh Chee Hung
from the famous Dennis Lee-Toh Chee Hung duo.

Chee Hung and Dennis were regulars, 
and helmed the first fundraising soiree.

Piazzolla's Oblivion with Lingzhi, Jonathan and
YST Conservatory's Tang I-Shyan on cello.

Now the heavy-duty trios:
Mendelssohn's Piano Trio No.1 (1st movement)
with Serene, Chin Hong & Jonathan.

... and the 2nd movement from
Lingzhi, I-Shyan and Jonathan

The recital proper closed with the first two movements
from Mendelssohn's Second Piano Trio,
now with Lingzhi, Timothy & Ai Ee.

As an encore, Ai Ee played
Leopold Godowsky's Alt Wien
in the memory of Dennis Lee.

The glam set:
Lee-Chin, cellist Leslie Tan & Lingzhi.
Watch where your hands go, Leslie!

Toh Chee Hung with Juliana Lim
from the Richard Wagner Society (Singapore).

Lee-Chin is senior enough to be the mother of
both Timothy and pianist Asher Seow.
Maybe there are related, after all!

MUSICAL INTERLUDES / The ARTrio / Review

MUSICAL INTERLUDES

The ARTrio

Library @ Esplanade

Wednesday (31 May 2023)

 

Talented young musicians abound here where the number of would-be virtuosos will soon become a dime a dozen. It is, however, always refreshing to see youngsters coming to make chamber music together. Where musical rivalries can easily form, it takes something special for talents to pool efforts and expertise in order to collaborate. The newly formed ARTtrio, comprising violinist Jacob Cheng (15 years old), cellist Timothy Chua (13) and pianist Asher Seow (14), made its debut as a piano trio in a chamber concert showcasing both individual and collective talents.

 

The 45-minute recital opened with Timothy performing two movements from J.S.Bach’s unaccompanied Cello Suite No.4 in E flat major. One is first struck by the seriousness in which he approached the Allemande and Courante. He did not strive for a big sonorous tone, instead went for lightness and accuracy of intonation, something more in the spirit of the period instrument movement. The result was both fresh and satisfying.  

 

Next came Asher in Robert Schumann’s extremely tricky Abegg Variations (Op.1), an early work over-flowing with filigreed passages typical of early Romantic piano writing. On the technical front, he came off very well, confidently skipping through all sorts of harrowing hoops while maintaining a steady rhythmic keel. Finding poetry amid the machinations will be his calling as he grows with this work.

 

Arguably the veteran of the threesome was Jacob, who performed the finale of Mendelssohn’s popular Violin Concerto in E minor with Cherie Khor as piano accompanist. Its fairy-winged lightness and playfulness found a joyous fulfilment in Jacob’s interpretation, which was a spirited romp from start to end. Now this makes one yearn to hear him in the full concerto, and that will happen in time to come.

 

Both Jacob and Timothy came together for the well-known Handel-Halvorsen Passacaglia, a showpiece formed by a tight series of short variations. That the duo got all the notes was a given. More importantly, one senses that both players are actually listening to each other and responding in kind. Subtle cues and nuances were picked up on the spur of the moment and then assimilated into the performance. This is the true essence of chamber music.

 

All three players were united in Beethoven’s early Piano Trio in B flat major Op.11, also called the Gassenhauer (a nickname alluding to something sung on the streets or gasse) because of its finale’s eminently hummable melody. Serious intent was established in the opening movement, stamping the unison passages with some authority before going on their separate paths. It is clear that effort was made to come together, with each member sublimating their solo parts to become part of a whole.

 

The slow movement had a lyrical quality well exploited by both string players, attentively accompanied by piano, while the finale’s infectiously tuneful variations (based on the song Pria ch’io l’impegno by one Joseph Weigl) captured a joie de vivre that is all too rare among young people these days. Sometimes it is a serious business to have fun. Despite their youth and relative inexperience, this first effort by the ARTrio was a very promising one, and one looks forward to more music-making of this kind from Jacob, Timothy and Asher.

 

This concert also marks a closing chapter for Library @ Esplanade, which has been a mecca for all things artistic since 2002 when Esplanade first opened its doors. I have many fond memories of this space, having given pre-concert talks, hosted interviews and recitals, and even occasionally performed on its Cristofori grand piano. A legacy of sorts has come to an end, but the good vibes remain.  

The ARTrio with their younger colleagues,
violinists YooJun Curtis Lee and Yuto Lim. 

YOUNG VIRTUOSI 2023 / Musicians Initiative / Review

 

YOUNG VIRTUOSI 2023

Musicians Initiative

Esplanade Recital Studio

Tuesday (21 March 2023)

 

Ever wondered how the likes of violinist Chloe Chua or pianist Toby Tan came about? Musical child prodigies are rare miracles of nature and nurture, but given the right environment, education, guidance and encouragement, many children can aspire to great heights. It is a matter of time that their talents are revealed, and there are many more prodigies than one suspects. Chloe and Toby, winners of international music competitions, are the only the tip of a giant iceberg.

 

It repays to discover how big this talent pool is, and this special concert for young soloists presented by Musicians Initiative (now in its second edition), was a big step in the right direction. Six string players played concerto movements and showpieces with the string ensemble from Musicians Initiative led by conductor Edward Tan, better-known as the concertmaster of re:Sound and first violinist of Concordia Quartet.

 

The 80-minute concert opened with Timothy Chua (12 years old) performing the first movement from Haydn’s Cello Concerto in D major. A picture of confidence, his healthy and robust tone served the music well, including a technically demanding cadenza by Steven Isserlis. Despite a short segment of desynchronisation between soloist and orchestra, he shrugged it off without batting an eyelid and continued to complete his task at hand. Composure is not something easily acquired or grasped, but he has it in shovels.

 

Despite 10-year-old Korean boy YooJun Curtis Lee being the tiniest of the six, he exhibited the heart of a lion. So natural he was in the first movement of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3 in G major (K.216) that it seemed as normal as breathing. Totally unfazed by the double stopping in the cadenza that might have unnerved older players, his reading was one of total control and confidence.

 

Alyssa Anne Low (11) was perhaps over-ambitious to have chosen Sarasate’s very tricky Zigeunerweisen (Gypsy Airs), but she launched into it with steely determination. She produced a voluminous tone but had intonation issues in the most technically demanding parts. While the slow movement sang prettily, the romping finale came across as a little messy. With the passage of time and more practice, she will certainly grow into this showpiece.   

 

The surname Qin is almost synonymous with the cello in Singapore, Australia and China, so it was not a total surprise to see Jayden Qin (11) appear in the first movement of Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C major. His was a very nuanced and thoughtful reading, displaying good tone and an understated kind of virtuosity. He is certainly a chip off the old block (and apologies for calling Li-Wei an old block!).

 

Yuto Lim, despite being just 11, already appears like a seasoned veteran. In Winter from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, he started playing as if a member of the orchestra, and his solo that emerged from the throng was distinguished by clarity of articulation and tone. His was a no-holds-barred reading, unafraid to let rip in the fiery outer movements yet maintaining a reassuring warmth and glow at its core. He might just be the one to emulate the world-beating feats of Chloe Chua.

 

Jacob Cheng (14) was the most mature of the six talents, and his view of Ravel’s gypsy rhapsody Tzigane had the requisite virtuosity demanded from an adult performer. His opening unaccompanied solo was spell-binding and the ensuing ride being a thrilling show of swaggering pyrotechnics. Most alertly accompanied by the orchestra, as with the other works, this brought the concert to a stunning close.  

 

All six young virtuosi returned to perform an encore: the first movement of Vivaldi’s popular Concerto in B minor for four violins. This was an absolute blast, simply because each player had already completed their individual projects and was now enjoying the company of the others. The audience was just as enchanted, erupting with a big communal cheer, the best encouragement the soloists could possibly get. It was the best way of saying,“We want to hear you play again!”