SYMPHONY BEYOND TIME / TARANTELLA - DANCE IN SYMPHONY / Music For People Festival Orchestra & NTU Symphony Orchestra / Review

SYMPHONY BEYOND TIME

Music For People Festival Orchestra

Esplanade Concert Hall

Wednesday (3 June 2026)

TARANTELLA – DANCE IN SYMPHONY

NTU Symphony Orchestra

SOTA Concert Hall

Friday (5 June 2026)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 8 June 2026 with the title "Music For People Festival Orchestra delivers an all-Beethoven spectacle".

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s season is officially over, but large-scale orchestral music continues unabated. Just last week, the Orchestra of the Music Makers performed Mahler’s Seventh Symphony, and this week’s blockbuster was Beethoven’s Choral Symphony, delivered by the not-for-profit Music For People Festival Orchestra led by young Sarawak-born conductor Audrey Chung.

The all-Beethoven evening opened with the Triple Concerto in C major (Op.56), with Elite Artists Trio from Taiwan as soloists, comprising violinist Qin-Yun Du, cellist Limu Ya and pianist Sherry Chen. This unusual work casts the cello in the lead, and Ya’s song-like solos held up, well-balanced by her partners with the trio functioning like a united team all through its three tuneful movements.

The orchestra supported the enterprise well, and it should be no surprise as the majority of its professional players are stalwarts of the Singapore Symphony, re:mix, re:Sound, Concordia Quartet and Red Dot Baroque. Thus, Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 in D minor (Op.125) felt like a breeze in its fairly swift 65 minutes, led from memory by Chung. There were no extremes in tempi in the first two fast movements, while the Adagio unfolded magisterially with much aural beauty.

Who was not waiting for the famous choral finale? Notwithstanding inappropriate applause in between movements, the faux pas inexcusably repeated while the Ode To Joy was well underway, this epic sing out was still a spectacle. The excellent quartet of soloists, well-known for appearances with the Singapore Lyric Opera, comprised soprano Jessica Chen, mezzo-soprano Anna Koor, tenor Lee Jae-wook and bass William Lim.

The 220-member choir (Nicholas Tham, chorusmaster), the largest assembled for such a work in recent years, created the biggest sound possible, ensuring this was a truly memorable event. Proceeds of ticket sales went to palliative care organisations and music education programmes for underprivileged communities.

On Friday, it was the turn of the students from the Nanyang Technological University Symphony Orchestra (NTUSO), directed by Chan Wei Shing, to strut their stuff. Central to the dance-themed programme were Singapore premieres of two 20th century cello concertos performed by Loke Hoe Kit, a specialist in performing unusual repertoire.

Photo: Loke Chee Meng

Frenchman Darius Milhaud’s Cello Concerto No.1 (1934) has its serious and light-hearted sides. A darkly elegiac slow movement was starkly contrasted by the opening’s nonchalant lilt, like an insouciant stroll along the Seine, and the finale’s carnival atmosphere in the form of a tarantella. The fast Italian dance in 12/8 rhythm gave the concert its title.

Virtuosity on the cello continued into Austrian composer Erich Korngold’s single-movement Cello Concerto (1946), reliving the opulence of Hollywood as it was an expansion of music from the movie Deception (1946) starring Bette Davis. Reveling in lyrical gifts and contrapuntal novelties, both soloist and orchestra provided a memorable first outing for this underrated mini-masterpiece.

The concert began with Mexican composer Arturo Marquez’s very popular Danzon No.2, generating a terrific crescendo and momentum from its quietly sedate opening pages. The main work was Bohemian composer Antonin Dvorak’s Symphony No.8 in G major, which provided the young musicians with their toughest technical and musical challenges.

Listening beyond the rough edges, it was a performance of much commitment and enthusiasm. Although beginning tentatively, the ensemble grew in confidence with each phrase. With the dance and folk-inspired third and fourth movements finally clicking into motion for a spirited finish, one senses much more will be heard from this outfit in time to come.

PUCCINI'S WOMEN / Singapore Lyric Opera / Review

 

PUCCINI’S WOMEN 

Singapore Lyric Opera 

Victoria Concert Hall 

Saturday (19 October 2024)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 22 October 2024 with the title "Singapore Lyric Opera gala presented beginner's guide to Puccini".

In lieu of a fully-staged opera production this year, Singapore Lyric Opera (SLO) presented a gala commemorating Italian composer Giacomo Puccini’s 100th death anniversary. No opera composer quite matches his popularity, and it must have been daunting to fit excerpts from all his twelve operas within just 100 minutes. 

“A Beginners’ Guide To Puccini” might have been the title for this concert accompanied by the SLO Orchestra under Joshua Tan. This primer was greatly assisted by narrator Mik Rossi playing the composer with wry wit and humour, complete with Italian-accented English and a suitably bushy moustache to match Puccini’s own. 

The operatic highlights were performed in chronological order, from little-known Le Villi (1884) to monumental Turandot (1924). Casting was reliant on veterans of the local opera scene, including sopranos Nancy Yuen (SLO’s artistic director) and Jessica Chen, Korean tenor Lee Jae Wook and local bass-baritone William Lim. Making her SLO debut was Australian soprano Daniela Leska. 

Puccini’s rarities were heard alongside his popular numbers, and that was no bad thing. Who would otherwise have heard Se com voi piccini io fossa (If I Were Tiny Like You) from Le Villi, or Questo amor, vergogna amor (This Love, My Shame) from Edgar (1889), sung with tenderness and feeling by Chen and Lim respectively? This presented the best opportunity for such an airing. 

The highlights became more familiar, like Lee’s entry with Donna non vidi mai (I Never Saw A Woman Like Her) from Manon Lescaut (1893). With La Boheme (1896), the concert entered into “greatest hits” territory, and SLO’s most celebrated duet of Yuen and Lee was united for O soave fanciulla (O Lovely Girl), spine-tingling in its ardour and intensity. 

Joined by Lim and Leska, the quartet accounted for Addio dolce svegliare alla mattina (Farewell, Sweet Wakings In The Morning) from Act Three, which had two couples breaking up for vastly different reasons. 

Puccini’s most popular arias, Vissi d’arte (I Lived For Art) and E lucevan le stelle (And The Stars Were Shining) from Tosca (1900) and Un bel di (One Fine Day) from Madama Butterfly (1904), were lovingly rendered by Yuen, Lee and Chen respectively. The SLO Adult Chorus (Chorusmaster: Terrence Toh) finally made its appearance in Te Deum from Tosca accompanying Lim’s villainous Baron Scarpia and the wordless Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly. 

Space does not permit a listing of all excerpts, but the operas La fanciulla del West (Girl of the Golden West, 1910), La Rondine (The Swallow, 1917) and the trilogy of Il Trittico (1918) were all represented. Who sang the beloved O mio babbino caro (O My Beloved Father) from Gianni Schicchi? That honour went to Leska, who did not disappoint. 

From Turandot came the ubiquitous Nessun dorma (None Shall Sleep) from Lee, but the last words had to go to Puccini’s quintessential woman bar none, the vulnerable and self-sacrificial heroine Liu, with Yuen’s touching delivery of the aria Tu, che di gel sei cinta (You, Who Are Bound In Ice). Just memorable.

ROSSINI'S L'INGANNO FELICE / Lirica Arts / Review

ROSSINI’S L’INGANNO FELICE

Lirica Arts

Lee Foundation Theatre

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Saturday (5 March 2022)

An edited version of this review was published in The Straits Times on 9 March 2022 with the title "Italian opera sparkles in classical Chinese setting".

 

It is not a well-known fact that only one of Gioachino Rossini’s 39 operas, The Barber Of Seville, had received performances in Singapore. That all changed when the great Italian composer’s L’Inganno Felice (The Blissful Deception) got its Singapore premiere, a debut outing for newly-formed opera company Lirica Arts.

 

This 1812 single-act opera was once very popular but later neglected because of its origins as a farsa (or farce), a semi-serious piece that fell between the cracks of comic opera and grand opera. Running at around eighty minutes and involving a small cast of five singers, it was not taken seriously by major opera companies. It is, however, well-suited as a pandemic opera with transmission risks minimised by the chamber forces employed.  

 

Its plot is relatively simple and almost farcical. Isabella (soprano Joyce Lee Tung) is an abandoned wife wrongly accused of infidelity, framed by the villainous Ormondo (baritone William Lim) whose advances she had earlier spurned. Her husband Duke Bertrando (tenor Jonathan Charles Tay) thinks she is dead but having been rescued by Tarabotto (baritone David Tao), she now assumes the role of Tarabotto’s niece. The opera’s action kicks off when Isabella and Bertrando get reunited by chance.

 

The 20-year-old Rossini’s music provided an early example of the bel canto style, characterised by sumptuous melodic lines dressed with florid ornamentations. In that respect, Lee was an ideal exponent. Her vocal capabilities, established from the opening aria on her lamentable fate, was matched by more than credible acting.

 

Her highly sympathetic role also stood shoulder to shoulder with four male characters. Tay’s bright and wide-eyed demeanour contrasted well with Tao’s more buffo (comedic) character, both a foil for stage veteran Lim’s menacing malevolence and reluctant henchman Batone (baritone Martin Ng). There were simply no weak links among the five singers.

 

Director Tang Xinxin’s had moved the setting of the opera from Italy to ancient China, with Dorothy Png’s simple yet effective set and lighting design evoking a garden villa in Suzhou. There was a brief scene where shadows of the reunited lovers were projected, making for a classically Chinese picture-perfect silhouette.

 

Isabella was the only character donning full Chinese opera make-up, contrasted with the men’s partial face paint, indicating her to be the most fleshed-out character of all. The silk brocades also made a stunning impact, with a possible nod to current global events. It could not be total coincidence that the good guys (and victims) were dressed in combinations of blue and yellow, while the baddies in black had red trimmings.      

 

Accompanying music was provided by the Wayfarer Sinfonietta conducted by Lien Boon Hua, opening with a typically witty overture and sensitively partnering the singers throughout. Despite some foursquare musical sequences, the generally upbeat tone of the proceedings was a hit with the full-house and no longer socially-distanced audience. Their chorus of approval deemed Lirica Arts’ maiden production to be a roaring success.

 

Photographs from 7TH SINGAPORE LIEDER FESTIVAL 2017

With a lack of publicity and promotion bordering on stealth and secrecy, the 7th Singapore Lieder Festival presented by the Sing Song Club took place last weekend in the Music Studio of Victoria Concert Hall. This year's offering, held over two evenings, was modest compared with previous outings, featuring the complete songs of Maurice Ravel.

I attended only the first evening, featuring pianist Shane Thio with four singers, countertenor Glenn Wong, soprano Felicia Teo, tenor Adrian Poon and baritone William Lim. (The second evening showcased Poon, soprano Rebecca Li and baritone Daniel Fong.) The sequence of songs were well chosen, offering a variety of themes and colours. The small audience comprising mostly members of Singapore's small singing community (including several famous sopranos) enjoyed the evening's fare, which was presented in the usual unpretentious manner and high standards of the Sing Song Club.

Countertenor Glenn Wong made his Lieder Festival
debut with Ravel's Trois Chansons,
adapted from three a capella choral works.

Tenor Adrian Poon was his usual lively self
in Chants Populaires (sung in English, Spanish, Italian and
Hebrew, in addition to French) and Melodies Hebraiques. 

The ever-indefatigable Shane Thio must have performed
over a thousand songs in these Lieder festivals.

Soprano Felicia Teo Kaixing raised the roof with
Un grand sommeil noir, Les grande vents Venus d'Outremer,
Sainte, Si morne! and Vocalise-Etude en forme de Habanera.

Veteran baritone William Lim accounted for
Histoires naturelles and Don Quichotte a Dulcinee.

Take a bow, Sing Song Club!

 

LEONCAVALLO'S I PAGLIACCI & PUCCINI'S GIANNI SCHICCHI / Singapore Lyric Opera / Review

LEONCAVALLO'S PAGLIACCI &

PUCCINI'S GIANNI SCHICCHI

Singapore Lyric Opera

Esplanade Theatre

Friday (11 September 2015)

This review was published by The Straits Times on 14 September 2015 with the title "Delightful tales of a jealous clown and a witty rogue".

There is a popular title in operatic parlance known as Cav-Pag, which refers to the double bill of verismo operas, the tandem of Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggiero Leoncavallo's I Pagliacci. Singapore Lyric Opera's latest recent double bill dropped the Cav component, opting instead for Puccini's single-act comic opera Gianni Schicchi, part of his trilogy known as Il Trittico.

This switch made for a lighter and less depressing evening, where not every lead character gets killed. Director Tom Hawkes cleverly linked the two operas with the common setting of a disused Italian theatre in the post-Second World War period for Pagliacci and then moving backwards in time for Schicchi.

It was a quite seamless transition which worked well because of an excellent cast which had some members singing in both operas. Central to these was Korean tenor Lee Jae Wook, a SLO regular, who gave a gripping portrayal of the homicidally jealous clown Canio in Pagliacci, and then helming the smaller role of young suitor Rinuccio in Schicchi.

Opposite him was Japanese soprano Sachiko Ito who was a sympathetic and free-spirited Nedda (Canio's actress wife), who gets offed by the opera's end, and then reappearing as the conniving Nella in Schicchi. The tightly cast Pagliacci also featured Singaporean baritones William Lim and Martin Ng, who acquitted themselves well as the vengeful hunchback Tonio and Nedda's ill-fated lover Silvio.

Schicchi was dominated by British baritone Adrian Clarke (above) in the title role, a worldly-wise rogue who cons a fussy Florentine family of its inheritance with a classic bait-and-switch. A combination of wit and smarminess made him likeable, gaining the audience to his side with every twist and turn in his scheming.

The SLO Chorus and Children's Chorus were well-trained for the crowd scenes of Pagliacci, adding much colour to the production. The SLO Orchestra conducted by Joshua Kangming Tan supported the music well. It was a revelation to hear both opera's “hit single” arias, often heard in isolation at opera galas, within their original contexts.

Canio's highly anguished Vesti La Giubba, sung as the lead clown dons his make-up and attire, was arresting in Lee's scene-stealing account. Similarly, Lauretta's O Mio Babbino Caro (O My Beloved Father) in Schicchi, sung as a daughter pleads for her father's intervention in the matters of love was beautifully delivered by young New Zealander soprano Marlena Devoe (below).

The set design by Christopher Chua with draped columns and pillars was simple and effective, as were Moe Kassim's costumes even though the GI uniforms in Pagliacci's looked like those of boy scouts. Despite SLO's constrained budget limitations, which allows the company only one major production a year, it offered very good value for its efforts.

That has been a given through the years. However judging from the smallish audience spread through three evenings, notwithstanding General Election weekend, is this a bad omen for the future of opera performance in Singapore?

All photographs by courtesy of Singapore Lyric Opera.