Here's a concert you should not miss:
VICTORIA MEMORIAL HALL 1930
LOKE HOE KIT, Cello
KHOR SHANG JIN, Piano
JOANNA PAUL, Organ
Saturday, 1 July 2017
Victoria Concert Hall, 7.30 pm
Programme includes:
DUPRÉ Sonata for Cello & Organ
R.STRAUSS Cello Sonata
VICTOR HERBERT Cello Concerto No.2
BLOCH Prayer
FRESCOBALDI-CASSADO Prayer
Tickets from $25-45 available at SISTIC
https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/chall0717
A SHORT INTERVIEW WITH
CELLIST LOKE HOE KIT
You have
titled your cello recital “Victoria Memorial Hall 1930”. Why “Memorial Hall”
instead of “Concert Hall”? And why 1930?
Today, it is
widely misperceived that the Victoria Memorial Hall (VMH) only started life as
a noteworthy concert venue after it was renovated to serve as the home of the
SSO in 1980 (which was when the name Victoria Concert Hall [VCH] was
introduced). In truth, the hall has an illustrious musical history that goes
way back.
1930 was the
year that VMH started serving as a concert hall, following a refurbishment that
explicitly transformed it into Singapore’s
premiere concert venue. A truly stellar lineup of musical legends appeared at
the hall over the following decades (preceding 1980). This significant part of
the hall’s history has however been severely neglected; it has been largely
overlooked even by the local music community today.
The likes of
Arthur Rubinstein, Claudio Arrau, Benjamin Britten, Emanuel Feuermann and
Gregor Piatigorsky all played at the hall that the world knew as ‘VMH’. There
is such resonance attached to the name VMH, and thus, I’ve chosen to use it to
evoke this fascinating history.
Furthermore, the
name VCH was introduced in 1980 to apply merely to VMH’s auditorium, and not
the building at large. It is perplexing how it came to be widely accepted that
VMH was ‘renamed’ VCH then.
Your interest
and research into the history of Victoria Memorial Hall sounds like an
absorbing one. Which historical figures who have performed in the Hall
captivates you the most?
It’s certainly
got to be Gregor Piatigorsky (left), who appeared in 1956. He is after all my
‘grandteacher’ – I studied under two of his protégés (Nathaniel Rosen and the
late Paul Tobias). To think that his great and warm tone had resonated off the
walls of VMH means a lot to me.
A few other
notable cellists also visited during the 1950s, including Gaspar Cassadó and
Pierre Fournier. Even today, visits by great cellists are rare affairs, and
this must have been such a treat for Singaporeans back then.
I’ve been aware
since my youth, through reading their biographies, that many historic musical
legends have visited Singapore. I was thus astonished that present-day local sources make
virtually no mention of it, and felt compelled to fill this glaring gap in the
narrative of our musical history. Coupled with my passion for Singapore’s
history (in particular, local built heritage), I spent years researching the
hall’s history to uncover the full extent of its legacy.
I’m very excited,
in the coming weeks, to present a comprehensive two-part write-up about the
hall’s history on your blog, which I’m sure your readers will enjoy.
 |
| Emanuel Feuermann & Gaspar Cassadó |
Your
programme is a rather unusual one too. Which of these were performed at VMH by
those cellists in history?
Richard Strauss’ Cello Sonata was featured
by Feuermann in his second of two recitals in 1934, while the Toccata ‘by
Girolamo Frescobaldi’ (a work that Cassadó claimed he merely arranged, but
actually composed) was played by Cassadó himself during his visits in the
1950s.
Also, as a tribute to my ‘grandteacher’,
I’ll be playing Bloch’s Prayer, which Piatigorsky performed in his 1956
recital. I’d like to add that although I’m only featuring one piece that
Piatigorsky actually played, I’ve consciously modeled the structure of my
recital programme after that of Piatigorsky’s.
There will be
some Singapore premieres on your programme. It appears you are setting your own mark on the Hall’s history
as well. Tell us more about these works.
In addition to
celebrating the past, I wish to add to VMH’s history as well by including some Singapore
premieres. This is in fact in keeping with the recital’s theme, as the visiting
legends often featured works that were being heard here for the first time.
There has in all
likelihood never been a major solo string recital in Singapore
that has featured the use of pipe organ accompaniment, and I wanted to take on
this challenge. Since I was a child, I’ve been fascinated by the organ for its
sheer majesty. In fact, before I decided to pick up the cello at age 12, I
briefly considered learning the organ. Who knows what might have come out of
that! Although I never got around playing the organ, I’ve long held a desire to
play with it. The great French organ virtuoso/composer Marcel Dupré composed a
very fine Sonata for Cello and Organ, and it makes a perfect showcase for the
two instruments.
I have also
chosen to feature Victor Herbert’s Second Cello Concerto, the work that notably
inspired Dvořák to write his own great cello concerto. It’s an appealing work
with such beautiful lyricism; yet, it’s not been heard in Singapore.
How was
working with organist Joanna Paul and pianist Khor Shang Jin like in these
works? How does a cello even begin to challenge the might of a pipe organ?
Both Joanna and
Shang Jin are such fine musicians, and I couldn’t be happier collaborating with
them.
The organ may be
a mighty instrument, but in the hands of a skilled and sensitive organist, we
can ensure that the instrument does not overpower the cello.
What do you
hope your audience can take home with them on 1 July?
I certainly hope
that they have a greater understanding and appreciation of VMH’s history. Of
course, I also trust that they’ll enjoy my selection of cello repertoire that
has rarely or never been heard in Singapore!
