pianomania

GALA: RACHMANINOV CONCERTO NO.3

Singapore

Symphony Orchestra

Esplanade Concert Hall

Thursday (3 December 2015)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 5 December 2015 with the title "Ashkenazy leads the SSO through a rousing Rachmaninov evening."

An earlier review from this listener posited that Rachmaninov's name helped sell concert tickets. Now add Vladimir Ashkenazy's to that, a full-house becomes a certainty. In the celebrated Russian-born pianist-conductor's third concert leading the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, even the gallery behind the orchestra was filled to over-flowing.

The concert opened with Vocalise Op.34 No.14, Rachmaninov's only wordless song, in his own orchestration. An early woodwind miscue almost spoiled things but it was the seamless strings that saved it. Melismata from the violins added a glossy sheen, which lightened up the bittersweet mood of the short 6-minute piece.

Usually performed as an encore, it seemed the perfect prelude to the Third Piano Concerto which featured prize-winning Russian pianist Alexei Volodin as soloist. Again another woodwind miscue sullied the exposition, a chant-like melody reminiscent of Russian orthodoxy, but thankfully that was to be the last mishap. The rock steady Volodin, directed by the musician who has recorded the concerto the most times (five at last count), was not to be perturbed.

If he seemed cool in the 1^stmovement, it was a wise gambit which allowed his solo part to be better integrated within the orchestra's textures. He let off the brakes in the development section and simply took off, culminating in a cadenza of pure elemental energy. In the unusual accompanied section of that cadenza, he backed down and became the perfect partner to Jin Ta's flute, Rachel Walker's oboe, Ma Yue's clarinet and Jamie Hersch's French horn.

The orchestral introduction of the slow movement was perfectly weighted, and then the mood turned red hot. This was tempered by a whimsical waltz section where Volodin's scintillating fingerwork floated over the orchestra's busyness. The finale was a white-hot bare-knuckled ride, filled with exciting edge-of-the-seat moments, yet there was even time to breathe in the central variations which revealed a different facet to his virtuosity. A standing ovation yielded two Slavic encores, a Chopin mazurka and Prokofiev's brilliant Scherzo (Op.12 No.10)

The second half belonged to the Symphonic Dances, Rachmaninov's last work, and sometimes regarded as his fifth symphony (after Nos.1-3 and The Bells). Ashkenazy's vision was one of terminal nostalgia, reflecting the composer's yearning for his homeland and roots which would never be fulfilled.

The Non Allegro direction on the score was not taken literally, instead with a forceful urgency that dissipated with Tang Xiao Ping's soulful saxophone solo. That and the restatement of a theme from his First Symphony (then thought to be forever lost) took on a greater significance.

The second movement waltzed with ghostly intent like some ballroom scene from War And Peace, and the finale's raucous juxtaposition of the Dies Irae chant with a hymn from his choral Vespers became a paean of sorts. As with many Rachmaninov scores, ambivalence and ambiguity are recurrent traits. So was this a celebratory end or a defiant one?

Judging from the joyous rather than dogged approach from all forces, and Ashkenazy holding high his score to greet the audience's hearty reception, his view clearly pointed to the former.

Milan Stevanovic, pianists Kseniia Vokhmianina,
Mary Tran and Tran Thahn Xuan with their
Montenegrin mentor Boris Kraljevic.

Boris Kraljevic and Albert Tiu have consistently
mentored students who have featured in the
concerto finals of NPVC.

The Guest-of-Honour Ng Chee Meng,
Acting Education Minister, meets with young winners.

The slightly older winners.

The piano jurors, Kiai Nara, Tamas Ungar,
Anna Jastrzebska-Quinn
with Rena Phua and Mrs Jutka Ungar.

The Goh family (old freinds from church)
have lots to be proud of. Daughters Mathea (2nd, Violin Senior)
and Madeline (3rd, Violin Junior) were among winners.

Singapore's greatest piano duo from the 1980s and 90s,
Rena Phua and Ling Ai Ee.

Violin juror Charles Castleman meets
Tedd Joselson and his prodigy Keishiro Sawa.

1999 Violin Artist winner Tang Tee Khoon
has played for Charles Castleman before.

Maestro Chan Tze Law, Grace Ng and
Kathy Lai CEO of NAC, and Vivien Goh.

Madam Fang Yuan's prodigies:
Kennis Ang, Wang Huang Hao Jia,
Jem Zhang Yifan & Joshua Tan Jingyi.

The previous generation of winners:
Chan Yoong Han, Koh Jia Hwei & Lim Yan.

My review of the National Piano & Violin Competition 2015 Finals will come out in The Straits Times soon, but print space did not allow me to write about the performances at the Prize Winners' Concert, so I shall briefly mention them here together with my sneakily taken pictures.

At the ceremony, there were those robotic humanoids who tried to prevent proud parents from taking photos of their talented children receiving their well-deserved prizes. I told off one usher, who subsequently retreated into a dark hole and never disturbed people again (that is until the next concert).

The concert began with the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra led by Chan Tze Law accompanying the winners of the Artist Piano & Violin categories in concertos movements by Saint-Saëns and Tchaikovsky.

Having guaranteed their cash prizes, and without the adrenaline of competition, they performed poorly, and the Acting Minister of Education must have been wondering, "I came out on a Sunday evening for this?" For everyone's sake, hopefully he cannot tell Bach from Berg. For my part, I think some of the lower placed finalists would have performed better.

All the prize winners of all the categories.

All the judges,and the competition's composer-in-residence
Zechariah Goh Toh Chai.

The biggest winner of them all was Ronan Lim Ziming,
who won $12,5000 in total!

So it was left to the young ones to show how it was done, and they did so magnificently. All the judges were in total agreement that the performers in the Junior and Intermediate categories were gems in the making. Let's hope our education system does not mess them up.

Kate Liu left Singapore at the age of 8, settled in USA and went on to win 3rd prize in the 2015 Chopin International Piano Competition. Cynical ones say she won because she did not have to worry about PSLE, O Levels, N Levels, A Levels, S Papers, IB, IP, ABRSM, SYF, NDP and all that jazz. Now that's one lesson to be learnt.

Paganini's Caprice No.16 lasts only one minute, but
Tricia Ng En Lin (Violin Junior) made it sparkle.

Yap Sheng Hwa (Piano Junior) displayed a
crisp and rhythmically precise technique in
Albeniz's Castilla (Seguidillas).

Ronan Lim Zhiming (Violin Senior) showed why he won
the GST Award with a soaring lyrical account
of Brahms'Violin Sonata No.1(1st movement)
with pianist Lim Yan in support.

This guy's a genius.
Mervyn Lee (Piano Senior) giving an enthralling account
of Goh Toh Chai's Quinquagenarian Celebration.

Jordan Alexandra Jun Yi Hadrill (Violin Intermediate)
played the longest piece on the programme, but there
was not a single dull moment in her swashbuckling
reading of Wieniawski's Variations on an Original Theme.

Wang Hua Hao Jia (Piano Intermediate) was all
brilliant fingers in Debussy's Feux d'artifice
and Filipenko's Toccata.

The last piece in the 3-hour long concert saw
Ronan Lim Ziming and Lim Yan in
Lutoslawski's Subito, which saw the audience
applauding before the work ended!

NATIONAL PIANO
& VIOLIN COMPETITION 2015

Artist Category Finals
& Prizewinners' Concert

Saturday & Sunday (5 &6 December 2015)

Victoria Concert Hall

This review was published in The Straits Times on 8 December 2015

The National Arts Council (NAC) has been manning the National Piano & Violin Competition since the mid-1990s. This edition, which marks the NAC's final run, was co-organised with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and saw a major constitutional change. Pre-selection of all competitors meant that there were fewer performers, 64 violinists and 91 pianists in total.

The final rounds for the Artist categories of both the violin and piano involved concerto performances with the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra conducted by Chan Tze Law. Saturday evening was a violin extravaganza not unlike the final of the Singapore International Violin Competition held in January.

British-Malaysian violinist Liuyi Retallick, recent graduate of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory, comfortably won 1^stprize with an immaculate reading of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto, characterised by a big and gorgeous tone from start to end. She could have turned on the heat for a more exciting showing, but chose to play it safe, which was the secret of her success.

Liuyi Retallick with her teacher Igor Yuzefovich,
concertmaster of the SSO.

With no 2^nd prize awarded, 3^rdplace went to Singaporean David Loke Kai-Yuan, now studying in Yale, who seemed to engage more in Mendelssohn's E minor Violin Concerto. His totally musical reading was indelibly etched on his face, from painful grimace to sheer ecstasy, but was let down by momentary lapses of intonation.

Honorable mention went to Samuel Tan Yek Hee, all of 10-years-old and performing for the first time with an orchestra. A natural charmer on a 3/4-sized violin, he coped unusually well with the fireworks required for Wieniawski's Second Violin Concerto. All he needs is greater expressiveness, a better instrument and experience, which will no doubt come with time.

On Sunday afternoon, there were two performances of Schumann's Piano Concerto. Singaporean Jared Liew Wei, student of the Salzburg Mozarteum, gave a exceptionally polished reading, one which made time to luxuriate in its harmonies and smell the flowers. Although he could have projected further and exert his authority, it was a major surprise that his shining effort was not placed higher than 3^rd. Singaporean Joan Lynette Tay (below), long-time resident in New Zealand, provided a more assertive and tense view of the Romantic favourite, but struggled with getting all the notes in. A stumble towards the end meant only an honourable mention beckoned.

Josephine with her teacher Boris Kraljevic,
formerly of NAFA.

The last pianist Josephine (who goes by just one name) from Indonesia should have done much more for Saint-Saens' bubbly Second Piano Concerto. Her highly-assured account was stolid rather than spectacular. The mercurial scherzo was surprisingly earthbound, like champagne without fizz, but her steady and secure tarantella finale earned 2^nd place from an international panel of jurors. The 1^st prize went a begging for the first time since 2001.

The Prizewinners Concert saw performances from the top-placed musicians of all categories. It was also the perfect showcase for Zechariah Goh Toh Chai, the local composer commissioned for four set-pieces in the Senior and Artist Categories. His Ondeh Ondeh and Two Sketchesfor violin, Quinquagenarian Celebrationand Jubilation for piano were varied in style, highly idiomatic and not to mention virtuosic, confirming his place among Singapore's creative elite.

Ronan Lim with his teacher Lee Shi Mei,
who looks almost as young as him.

The coveted Goh Soon Tioe Outstanding Performer Award of $10,000 went to to 16-year-old violinist Ronan Lim Ziming, who displayed astounding maturity and lyricism in Ondeh Ondeh, the first movement from Brahms'First Violin Sonata and Lutoslawski's coruscating Subito. A student of Lee Shi Mei, herself a major prizewinner in 2007, the sky's the limit. This competition just provides the wings.

BLOODY DAUGHTER

EuroArts (2 DVDs) / *****

Ever wondered what Martha Argerich's home videos were like? This beautifully-made 2012 documentary, directed by the Argentina-born piano virtuoso's third daughter, Stephanie Argerich, strips away the mystique and reveals a warts-and-all story of familial intrigue, dysfunction but ultimately tenderness. Its title refers to an endearing term used by Stephanie's father, the American pianist Stephen Kovacevich, as well as the complicated and sometimes fraught relationships between the Argerich women. Martha comes across as bohemian and cavalier about her daughters’ upbringing, to the point of denying their schooling, while her own mother Juanita, of Ukrainian Jewish descent, remains an enigma even to herself.

Despite being one of the world's great pianists, Martha displays an ambivalence to a life of endless concertising. Stephanie also touches base with her elder sisters Lyda (a violist, daughter of Chinese composer-conductor Robert Chen), Annie (daughter of Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit) and her own father, who despite being a distant figure also shows a sympathetic side. A scene where all the four Argerich women, mothers and daughters, share a picnic together, painting each other’s nails, is priceless. The second DVD features a 2010 concert in Warsaw of Argerich in Chopin's First Piano Concerto with the Sinfonia Varsovia conducted by Jacek Kaspczyk, which finds her in typically fiery form. A must-see for Argerich fans and pianophiles alike.

WATERCOLOR

SHEN LU, Piano

Steinway & Sons 30039 / ****1/2

This is the debut recording of young Chinese pianist Shen Lu, an excellent programme that highlights a certain kinship between the aesthetics of Chinese piano music and Western impressionist repertoire. He opens with Chen Peixun's arrangement of Lu Wenchang's Ping Hu Qiu Yue (Autumn Moon On A Calm Lake), its flowing melody accompanied by the filigree of harp-like arpeggios and tremolos. This is followed by Maurice Ravel's five-movement suite Miroirs (Mirrors), with its descriptive titles: Night Moths, Sad Birds, A Boat In The Ocean, Morning Song Of The Jester (the popular Alborada Del Gracioso) and the Oriental-influencedValley Of Bells. These are well characterised and played with sensitivity and finesse.

Although there are no titles attached to Rachmaninov's eight Études-TableauxOp.33, the aural imagery to be found suggests secret programmes of marches, raindrops, eulogies, whirlwinds, bells, and more bells. This sense of nostalgia continues into Chinese composer Tan Dun's Eight Memories In Watercolor, based on songs and dances heard in his childhood. The folk-influenced numbers (Staccato Beans and Sunrain) are reminiscent of the Hungarian composers Bartok and Ligeti, while the mimicry of Chinese instruments and drums resounds with clarity and vividness. Lu is beautifully recorded, and this album makes enjoyable listening.

SSO CHRISTMAS CONCERT

Singapore

Symphony Orchestra

Victoria Concert Hall

Friday (11 December 2015)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 14 December 2015 with the title "Home for Christmas with the SSO at Victoria Concert Hall".

It is that time of the year again, and there are few things more festive than the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's Christmas Concerts. A return to Victoria Concert Hall, to its cosier confines, provided that touch of nostalgia which Esplanade could never hope to replicate. This was certainly helped by SSO Associate Conductor Jason Lai, who played engaging and chatty host, and broke the ice almost immediately.

The concert began with a procession by the Singapore Symphony Children's Choir (SSCC), its little members carrying electric candles while singing Veni Veni Emmanuel. It started on a unison before splitting into rich polyphony. The orchestra then obliged with the Overtureto Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel, its Angel's Prayersegment filled with the glorious warmth of C major.

Unlike Christmas concerts of old, the audience sing-along was not relegated to the very end, but spread out through the concert. Getting usually passive listeners to stand up to belt out the carols like Hark! The Herald Angels Singand The First Noel was a good idea, and boredom was never an option. The children also added It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year and John Rutter's Christmas Lullaby, both sung beautifully, before closing with Leroy Anderson's sparkling Sleigh Ride.

The second half featured a narrated work with former SSO Education Officer Joseph Lee doing the honours for Philip Lane's The Night Before Christmas. Although he was amplified, some of the words were barely audible over the orchestra's maneuvers.

No such worries from the adults of the Singapore Bible College Chorale which sang in the second half. They offered Rutter's arrangements of In Dulci Jubilo,I Saw Three Ships and the best original choral work of all, Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo's Serenity (O Magnum Mysterium). This was conducted by its choirmaster Joel Navarro, and featured a lovely solo from cellist Yu Jing. The a cappella voices rose to a sublime high, its echoes ringing in the ears even after the work had ended.

Through the course of the concert, there were also humorous projected video clips, including a Singapore version of The Twelve Days Of Christmas featuring local dishes which saw conductor Lai coming down with dyspepsia. He was also on hand to conduct a couple of games, which involved the audience and people actually winning some prizes.

When one thinks back of past Christmas concerts that programmed Handel's Messiah, Britten's A Ceremony Of Carols, Poulenc's Gloria or excerpts from Bach, Berlioz or Vaughan Williams, this concert was unusually light. Even three movements from Tchaikovsky's ballet Nutcracker, including the Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy, did little to expel that notion.

All that mattered was people enjoying themselves, with communal singing of Franz Gruber's Silent Night and closing with Lowell Mason's Joy To The World, the favourite carol wrongly attributed to Handel. As the audience merrily strolled out of the hall, only one nagging thought remained: where were the balloons?

ROGER-DUCASSE Complete Piano Music

MARTIN JONES, Piano

Nimbus Records 5927 (3 CDs) / ****1/2

The French composer Jean Roger-Ducasse (1873-1954), who should not be confused with Paul Dukas (composer of The Sorceror's Apprentice), was an important musical establishment during his time. Pupil of Gabriel Fauré, classmate of Maurice Ravel and close friend of Claude Debussy, his music fell into neglect thanks to the inexorable rise of modernism and atonality during the first half of the 20^th century.

There is little that is academic, formulaic or reactionary about his piano music, composed between 1899 and 1923, and presented here complete for the first time. His style is allied to Fauré's love of melody, and progresses through dense contrapuntal mastery to the subtle dissonances of Debussy's impressionism.

Like Chopin, he favoured smaller forms like Études and Préludes, and composed three Barcarolles, the first of which was a conscious tribute to the Polish genius. Descriptive titles were shunned, which may led to this absolute music to be virtually forgotten.

The first two discs are devoted to solo music, with the third disc featuring music for four hands, which include three books of Études. Heard alongside Debussy's Études, composed around the same time, Roger-Ducasse sounds almost conservative by comparison. The indefatigable Welsh pianist Martin Jones, who revels in arcane French and Spanish repertoire, is a totally musical and persuasive guide, bringing much colour and beauty to these unknown gems.

BRAHMS Serenades

Gewandhausorchester / RICCARDO CHAILLY

Decca 478 6775 / *****

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) had to wait until he was 43 before he completed his first symphony, so daunted by the prediction that he was to become Beethoven's successor. He however had practice in symphonic writing with the two Serenades, his earliest orchestral pieces composed between 1857 and 1859. These are works in six and five movements respectively, which have models in Mozart and Haydn, but point to the very promising future of his later works.

The First Serenade (Op.11) is longer than any of his four symphonies, and is filled with the same expressive devices to be found in those masterpieces. Its Scherzo second movement uses a similar theme that occurs in the corresponding movement of the Second Piano Concerto.

The shorter Second Serenade (Op.16) omits violins completely and has the feel of the wind serenades that Mozart so loved. Although less popular than its predecessor, the work is unique in its conception. Italian conductor Riccardo Chailly and the Gewandhausorchester of Leipzig, recipients of the Gramophone Award for Brahms' symphonies, deliver the same dedicated and refined performances that so distinguished those readings. This disc completes their Brahms orchestral cycle which is essential listening, and must be savoured in its entirety.

TCHAIKOVSKY

The Nutcracker

STEWART GOODYEAR, Piano

Steinway & Sons 30040 / ****1/2

Here is an unusual version of Piotr Tchaikovsky's popular ballet The Nutcracker for the festive season. The entire ballet in 24 movements has been arranged for piano solo by Canadian pianist Stewart Goodyear. Some of the dances like the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Trepak (Russian Dance)and Pas de deux, and numbers like the Miniature Overtureand March are very popular and music lovers are already well-served by the extremely handy Nutcracker Suite in eight movements.

However, Goodyear’s transcription is a very pianistic one that is also highly virtuosic. Unlike Mikhail Pletnev’s famous concert suite which takes liberties by adding lots more notes or Percy Grainger’s florid version of the Waltz Of the Flowers, Goodyear is more faithful to the original orchestral score and closely follows the sequence of the story.

By packing all the music into the album’s 82 minutes, there is a harried and hectic quality to some of the faster movements. One would have liked more breathing space but that means having to spill onto a second disc. This is nevertheless a very good listen from a very good pianist.

CINEMA

ANDREA BOCELLI

Universal 00028948121441 / ***1/2

Never thought this pair of ears might enjoy a disc by the massively-hyped vocal superstar Andrea Bocelli. That is probably because the album is produced by David Foster, and Bocelli is not singing the classics or attempting major opera house roles, but songs made famous by movies.

His English is highly accented, such as in Leonard Bernstein's Maria (from West Side Story), Henry Mancini's MoonRiver (Breakfast At Tiffany's) and Andrew Lloyd Webber's Music Of The Night (Phantom Of the Opera), which does not help. He is clearly out of his depth in Jerome Kern's Ol' Man River (Show Boat), usually sung by a bass, or baritone at the very least. So it is a relief to hear the songs in Italian, despite the English versions being better known.

He is joined by popstars Ariana Grande in Ennio Morricone's (Once Upon A Time In America), Nicole Scherzinger in No Llores Por Mi Argentina (Don't Cry For Me Argentina from Evita), and Karen Mok in Irving Berlin's Cheek To Cheek (Top Hat). The orchestrations are redolent of film music and the amplified Bocelli completely dominates the airwaves. Good if you adore him, but not a disaster if you are a neutral. Easy listening, nonetheless.

OF MUSIC AND DANCE

Ding Yi Music Company

Esplanade Recital Studio

Sunday (27 December 2015)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 29 December 2015 with the title "Bold experiment with Tang poem".

Marrying the genres of music, voice and dance into a coherent whole is a difficult proposition and local Chinese chamber music ensemble Ding Yi Music Company should be lauded for attempting this bold experiment. Of Music And Danceis a modern interpretation of Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi's epic poem Pipa Xing, titled in this production as Song Of The Pipa Player.

Lasting an hour and cast in five movements with an overture, the poet (and disgraced government official) is captivated by a pipa player, whose similar fall from grace he finds common ground and a spiritual bond. The music, jointly composed by Singaporean Phang Kok Jun and Taiwanese Hsu Tzu-Chin, found a happy medium with traditional Chinese music and Western compositional techniques.

The main ensemble comprised formidable young pipa soloist Chua Yew Kok accompanied by five players on stage, who were in turn augmented by eight offstage musicians placed behind the audience, all led by conductor Wang Ya Hui. The illumination provided in the contemplative Overture was striking, with all musicians in immaculate white, and the soloist faceless, silhouetted behind a tall screen.

The 1st movement Under Moonlit Skies introduced tenor Isaac Ho and soprano Ng Jing Yun, the latter making a first appearance as a slender shadowy form on the screen. Their voices meet but their eyes do not, and this distance and separation were not just physical but also symbolic. They sang selected passages from the 44-verse poem in Mandarin, repeating certain sentences as a form of emphasis.

The verses were not projected, and while the tiny print on the programme booklet was a strain on the eyes, the audience was guided with brief synopses onscreen. This affected the appreciation of the recitations, which came across as a relative weakness in the production. Should these have been read instead of being sung? Several Chinese scholars in the audience pointed to unidiomatic settings of the words, and one might defer to their collective wisdom.

The dancers, four from the Re:Dance Theatre in choreography by Albert Tiong, arrived in the pacy 2nd Movement, Fretful Strokes In Wistful Thoughts, which provided a needed change in dynamics. Their movements were vigorous and earthy, accompanied by insistent percussion. Unfortunately another form of choreography saw latecomers being allowed to fumble their way to empty seats, which provided an unwanted sideshow.

The 3^rd and 4^thmovements constituted the heart of the work, with both pipa player and poet bringing forth their plights. The Song Of The Pipa Player featured just soprano, pipa and one dancer, whose movements were now more graceful and retiring. In the Song Of The Poet, the protagonist realises their common destiny and commiserates accordingly. The mood was one of underlying sadness and resignation.

The Finale united all the performers and the music was both optimistic and uplifting, with voices in purposeful unison. As with all things in life, this brief sense of euphoria was shortlived. The closing sight and sound of Chua's sole pipa gently weeping in solitude and enveloping darkness was surely one for the ages.

Photographs by the kind courtesy and permission of Ding Yi Music Company.

NEW YEAR'S CONCERT 2015

Vienna Philharmonic / ZUBIN MEHTA

Sony Classical 88875035492 / ****1/2

Another year passes, and another New Year's Concert by the Vienna Philharmonic thrills its well-heeled audiences and is recorded for posterity. The 2015 edition was Bombay-born conductor Zubin Mehta's fifth time on the podium, and the theme was programmed around the 200^thanniversary of the founding of the Imperial & Royal Polytechnic Institute in 1815. That explains the engineering-themed works including Johann Strauss the Younger's Accelerations Waltz(Op.234), Electromagnetic Polka(Op.110), Perpetuum Mobile (Perpetual Motion, Op.257), Explosions Polka (Op.43) and his younger brother Eduard's Mit Dampf (At Full Steam).

Studious keepers of the tradition, the orchestra performs with refinement, precision and energy. This concert also unveiled five first performances at the New Year's Concert, including the inevitable Student Polka (Op.263) and An Der Elbe (By The Elbe, Op.477), the last waltz to be premiered by Johann himself. A tribute to conductor Mehta's origins also takes the form of Fairy Tales From The Orient (Op.444), which hardly sounds exotic, to be honest. Traditions die hard, so the orchestra shouts its new year's greeting before finishing off with the Blue Danube Waltz and Radetzky March. Very enjoyable and entertaining, as usual.

BOOK IT:

ZUBIN MEHTA AND THE

ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

80TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

Esplanade Concert Hall

7 January 2016, 7.30 pm

Limited tickets available at SISTIC

ECHOES OF CHINA

SUSAN CHAN, Piano

Naxos 8.570616 / ****1/2

There are three World Premiere recordings in this survey of contemporary Chinese piano music by Hong Kong-born pianist Susan Chan. Zhou Long's Pianobells (2012) is a play on tintinnabulation, simulating the sound of bells in ceremony and nature. Bass strings of the piano struck by the hand make startling contrasts with the tinkling of high treble keys. His Mongolian Folk-Tune Variations (1980) are more conventional in idiom, employing traditional Chinese melodies as is his wife Chen Yi's Northern Scenes (2013).

Macau-born Doming Lam's Lamentations Of Lady Chiu-Jun (1964) is an arrangement of an ancient Lingnan melody in variation form with the piano mimicking Chinese instruments like the guzheng and pipa. Canadian-Chinese Alexina Louie's Music for Piano(1982) and Tan Dun's Eight Memories in Watercolor (1979) are already fairly well-known and regularly programmed. Both are suites of short character pieces that are engaging and ear-catching.

Louie's pieces are impressionistic in feel but with pedagogy in mind, while Tan's are childhood reminiscences based on folk songs and dances from his native Hunan, bringing to mind similar compositions by Bartok. Pianist Chan is a persuasive colourist who brings a wide range of nuances from the keyboard, and this anthology deserves to be heard for its variety.

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) led by its Music Director for Life Zubin Mehta will be back in Singapore for a one-night only concert at Esplanade Concert Hall on Thursday 7 January 2016.

This year, the Israel Philharmonic celebrates its 80th anniversary. It was founded in 1936 as the Palestine Orchestra by famous violinist Bronislav Huberman and Jewish emigré musicians. It gave its first concert in Tel Aviv on 26 December 1936 under the baton of Arturo Toscanini. In 1961, the young Indian conductor Zubin Mehta substituted for Eugene Ormandy in concert and formed a life-long relationship with the orchestra. In 1977, he was named its first Music Director, which became Music Director for Life in 1981.

An interview with Zubin Mehta on his professional life and relationship with the IPO from 2014 may be found here:
http://pianofortephilia.blogspot.sg/2014/10/a-few-words-with-zubin-mehta-music.html

The IPO gave its Singapore debut in November 2014, an event unfortunately marred by the poor acoustics and sound engineering at the Marina Bay Sands Theatre. This time, the IPO gets to perform at the Esplanade Concert Hall, where a really good sound awaits.

The programme is as follows:

BEETHOVEN Leonore Overture No.3
RAVEL La Valse
TCHAIKOVSKY Symphony No.6
"Pathetique"

As tickets are very short in supply, and only limited gallery seats ($150) are left, the organiser is proud to give away a pair of premium tickets worth $450 each.

Here's how to win these tickets:

Go to Zubin Mehta's IPO Singapore page:
www.facebook.com/zubinmehtainsg
and observe the following directions:

1. Like Zubin Mehta's IPO Facebook page.
2. Write on "what music means to you".
3. Share the photo on your own Facebook page.

Closing date: 4 January 2016.

All the best, and enjoy the music!

NEW YEAR'S EVE

COUNTDOWN GALA CONCERT 2016

The Philharmonic Orchestra

School of the Arts Concert Hall

Thursday (31 December 2015)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 2 January 2016 with the title "Rousing start to the new year".

If there is a local musical tradition worth preserving, that might be The Philharmonic Orchestra's annual New Year's Eve Concert, now in its fifth edition. Although that may seem a short span of time compared with the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Day Concert, it has nevertheless started a trend of sorts.

TPO Music Director Lim Yau has been the mainstay of this series, but this year he shared the conducting responsibilities with young composer-conductor Terrence Wong Fei Yang. Lim led the opener, Otto Nicolai's Overture to The Merry Wives Of Windsor, which began with refined string sound in its introduction before erupting to ebullient life in its allegro section of Mendelssohnian lightness.

Wong then took over the baton for Johann Strauss Junior's popular Pizzicato Polka, which was accompanied by a short film of orchestra members recounting their favourite moments of the year 2015. His steady guiding hand also brought charm to the familiar Waltz from Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, which was followed by two movements from Grieg's Peer Gynt.

Flautist Paul Huang's solo was fluid and mellifluous in the atmospheric Morning Mood, while the orchestra churned out an exciting crescendo for Hall Of The Mountain King, which had bassoonist Goh Mok Cheong in suitably belligerent mood.

With less music performed this year, master-of-ceremonies William Ledbetter was compelled to stir up the proceedings, pad up the time with anecdotes and poetry reading, besides priming the usually sedate Singaporean audience to bellow out a robust “Happy New Year!” at the stroke of midnight. Unfortunately when the time came, he had all but forgotten that cue.

The orchestra performed a couple of rarities, including The Jolly Village Smiths with its striking anvils by Julius Fucik, the Czech composer better known for his Entry Of The Gladiators. The other was David Lovrien's Minor Alterations, a witty medley with Christmas songs like Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Good King Wenceslas and Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer performed in minor keys. It closed with a hilarious mash-up of Tchaikovsky's Trepak from Nutcracker with Deck The Halls.

As with last year's concert, there were several minutes of sobriety and reflection in memory of personalities who made their departure in 2015, including Kurt Masur, David Willcocks, BB King, Jonah Lomu and Lee Kuan Yew. The aptly moving accompanying music was Estonian composer Arvo Part's Cantus In Memoriam Of Benjamin Britten, which consisted of a series of descending scales built on a cantus firmus in A minor.

The countdown to 2016 was ushered in by Respighi's Pines Of The Appian Way, representing the unrelenting march of time and Roman legions, conducted by Lim Yau. Having missed the chance for a communal wishing of new year greetings, the audience nevertheless had a cheerful clap-along to Johann Strauss Senior's Radetzky March. An eventful year of great music beckons.

IN RETROSPECT:

THE ROAD TO NEOCLASSICISM

RYAN CHOW, Piano

Esplanade Recital Studio

Saturday (2 January 2016)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 4 January 2016 with the title "Scaling neoclassical heights".

Neoclassicism in music refers to the 20^thcentury movement in which composers looked to the past and antique forms for inspiration. Retrospective views were nothing new even in the 18^thand 19^th centuries, and this intelligently-conceived piano recital by young pianist Ryan Chow, presently studying in America, showed that such an approach need not be over-intellectual or didactic.

A warhorse, the Bach-Busoni Chaconne, opened the evening in grand style. Chow was equal to its rigorous succession of short variations, building up in arch-like manner to a massive climax. His technique was more than secure, bolstered by a beefy and sonorous tone in Busoni's romanticised transcription of Bach's solo violin piece.

There was a rare outing for Grieg's Holberg Suite in the original piano version, its five movements in imitation of baroque dances. Chow could have yielded a lighter touch for these miniatures, but there was no diminution of the left hand's delicate melodic line in the Air and the prestigiditation of the Prelude and Rigaudon was well-served.

Frenchman Albert Roussel's Three Pieces are true rarities, the brief Allegro con brio providing a nod in Stravinsky's direction (himself an avid neoclassicist) and the longer Allegro con spirito a whiff of dancehall frivolities that was all the rage in Paris between the wars. The elegant waltz rhythms of the intervening Allegro graziosofound Chow in convivial mood.

The second half was an enthralling journey “back to Bach” beginning with two vastly contrasted Preludes and Fugues by Shostakovich and Mendelssohn. While the Russian's (Op.87 No.2) was jerky and angular, the German's (Op.35 No.1) was broad and sweeping, culminating in a grandstanding chorale transformed by a glorious modulation to a major key.

The piece de resistance of the recital was surely Paul Hindemith's Third Sonata, receiving its Singapore premiere. Despite the astringent melodies and apparent dissonance, there was no disguising its homage to J.S.Bach, from the siciliano rhythm of the opening movement, the manic and sometimes jazzy scherzo, to the two fugal movements to close.

Chow was in complete command throughout, mastering its intricacies and lightning-quick turns with virtuosic aplomb. With tongue firmly held in cheek, the riotous final fugue piled outrageously high with contrapuntal voices to nearly breaking point and brought down the house. But he was not done with fugues yet.

His encore saw the two-hour long concert come a full circle. That was a masterly reading of the mighty Fugue from the Bach-Busoni Organ Toccata in C major BWV.564 which alternated the lightest of touches with thunderous chords. Now we must get to hear the whole thing from this exceptional artist sometime.

CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO Violin Concertos

TIANWA YANG, Violin

SWR Symphony Orchestra

Naxos 8.573135 / ****1/2

It seems almost inconceivable that the Second Violin Concerto by the Florence-born composer Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968), also called “The Prophets”, is virtually unknown. It was written for the great Jascha Heifetz and premiered in 1933 at Carnegie Hall with Arturo Toscanini conducting the New York Philharmonic. The Jewish-Italian composer was driven out of his homeland by Mussolini's Fascist regime, settling in Beverly Hills where he composed as many as 250 film scores and taught composers like John Williams, Henry Mancini and André Previn.

The Judaist prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah inspired the three movements, and the work is a lush score which looks forward to the music of those biblical epics starring Charlton Heston. The First Violin Concerto (1926), also known as Concerto Italiano, is just as accessible for its memorable tunes and highly lyrical violin solo part. Both play for just over the half hour and are eminently suitable for programming in concerts. Beijing-born former child prodigy violinist Tianwa Wang, justly celebrated for her recordings of Sarasate's music, plays both with the finesse and virtuosic flair. For lovers of the byways of Romantically-conceived music, this is required listening.

BOOK IT:

TIANWA YANG performs
Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor

with the

Singapore

Symphony Orchestra

Esplanade Concert Hall

Saturday 9 January 2016 at 7.30 pm

Tickets available at SISTIC

SONGS FROM THE ARC OF LIFE

YO-YO MA, Cello

KATHRYN STOTT, Piano

Sony Classical 88875 10316 2 / ****1/2

This anthology of short encore-like pieces for cello and piano celebrates Yo-Yo Ma's 60^th birthday last year, as well as his fruitful 31-year partnership with British pianist Kathryn Stott. This duo performed in Victoria Concert Hall in 1993 when Ma made his Singapore debut. The title refers to the works the performers (and their listeners) have enjoyed in various stages of life, essentially a nostalgic journey of music from childhood to the reminiscences from a bygone age.

Many popular favourites have been included like the Bach-Gounod Ave Maria, Brahms'Lullaby, Dvorak's Songs My Mother Taught Me, Fauré's Aprés un reve, Elgar's Salut d'Amour, Saint-Saëns'The Swan and Schubert's Ave Maria, mostly slow and meditative numbers. There are some rarities thrown into the mix like Frederick Delius' virtually unknown Romance, Italian cellist-composer Giovanni Sollima's Tema III from Il Bell'Antonio (based on a 1960s Italian film), and the longest track, Praise to the Eternity of Jesus from Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time. Ma's unfailingly gorgeous tone, coupled with Stott's sensitive accompaniment, makes this very enjoyable and easy listening.

ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

80TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

Esplanade Concert Hall

Thursday (7 January 2016)

What a difference a year and a bit makes. When the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) under its Music Director for life Zubin Mehta made its Singapore debut on 11 November 2014, it had the misfortune of performing at the Marina Bay Sands Mastercard Theatre. The result was a concert marred by truly terrible acoustics and scandalously bad sound engineering, which led one to wonder what the orchestra would have sounded like in a proper concert venue.

This concert at Esplanade Concert Hall, which marks the orchestra and the maestro's 80^th birthday season, was exactly what it should have been. There was a straight-forward programme of purely orchestral works (no concertos in sight) with Tchaikovsky (as it was the last time) to close. First, the capacity-filled hall rose to greet both the national anthems of Singapore and Israel, Majulah Singapura and Hatikvah respectively, as it did in the previous outing.

Straight away, the difference in sound quality was apparent, and that continued into the first work, Beethoven's Leonore Overture No.3. The slow introduction highlighted the orchestra's discipline, and its homogeneously fine string sections, leading into the invigorating allegro which bristled with with energy and adrenaline. The offstage solo trumpet provided the work's pivotal moment, and it resounded clearly – not once but twice – signalling the arrival of the forces for good, and the overture barrelled its way to a triumphant conclusion.

Next up was Ravel's La Valse, an outright showcase of orchestral virtuosity. Double basses gave the pulse to its subterranean rumblings, and soon the swirling dancing couples came out in their glory. This was decadent and decaying Vienna as viewed through the Frenchman's eyes, an inexorable and fatal dance skirting and plunging into the abyss that was to be the First World War.

The IPO gave a very polished account, which may have sounded a little safe in its outset, but Mehta soon cajoled it into more dangerous territory, giving the brief impression of losing control outright. But that is that very illusion that makes this work sound exciting, its uncertainty and the seemingly hazardous ride. Of course the piece was in good and safe hands throughout and closed with brilliant aplomb.

After a long intermission, the orchestra returned with Tchaikovsky Sixth Symphony “Pathetique”, the Russian composer's last work, which received its first performance just a week before his death (from suspected suicide, cholera or poisoning, who knows?) This is the final will and testament of a terminally depressive person, but all this was lost on an audience who was largely there for the occasion, with little clue as to what the music was all about.

How else would they have glibly and blithely applauded after every movement, including the shouting of bravos after the third movement's Scherzo? In the past, conductor Mehta would have raised a hand, as a kind of instructing “not yet”, but on this occasion, he let it pass, as if resigned to the futility of it all. A pity, because all this unwanted clapping disrupted the concentration and flow of thoughts that would have taken place between movements.

Despite all that, it was still an excellent and heartfelt performance. The first movement operated with the finesse of chamber music. The quiet and rapt opening with just basses and solo bassoon set the mood, and the strings shone yet again in the movement's obvious plaintive theme. There were wonderful solos from flute, clarinet and bassoon, and the balance between pathos and bombast was finely poised. The second movement's bittersweet waltz, taken with a slightly leisurely pace, belied the violence to come that was the Scherzo's imperious march.

Here, orchestra's virtuosity came to bear, making light work of the movement's fast-unfolding triplets, and the tension was ratcheted to a seemingly unbearable level. And yet there was more to offer, until it came to its rapturous close, echoing the finales of both the Fourth and Fifth Symphonies. Where silence was a premium, and this would lead into the finale of extreme catharsis, what we got instead was loud, misplaced applause. No matter how well-meaning the gesture was, it still disrespected the music and the composer's intentions.

The finale was taken at a moderately broad tempo, which seemed right, and there was none of the protracted posturing that Bernstein imposed. The progression of descending notes makes this the most depressing of music, and that was what IPO delivered to the very end. There was a real pause for silence after the music ebbed away and before the applause and standing ovation took over. This was the least the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, who conducted the entire concert from memory, deserved.

There were two very enjoyable encores to lighten the mood. More Tchaikovsky, with the Waltz from Swan Lakebeing a more upbeat counterfoil to the waltz in the symphony. And to close, the rumble-tumble of Johann Strauss the Younger's Donner und Blitzen (Thunder and Lightning) Polkahad everybody in titters whenever the trombones stood up for their cue. A birthday cake was wheeled in just as everyone on stage took their final bow and departed. One question remains: who gets to eat the cake?

Happy 80th Birthday,
Maestro Zubin Mehta &
the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra!

MUSIC DIARIES

Low Shao Suan & Low Shao Ying

and Friends

Victoria Concert Hall

Friday (8 January 2015)

An edited version of this review was published in The Straits Times on 11 January 2016 with the title "Twins with the key to cheerful tunes".

There is a 1991 autobiography by the famous conductor-composer André Previn entitled No Minor Chords, so named because a Hollywood director had insisted that no films were to include minor chords or harmonies in its scores. This title might also apply to this concert of instrumental music by local composers Low Shao Suan and Low Shao Ying, twin sisters better known as the nation's most celebrated piano duo.

Of the 22 short pieces performed, only two were cast in the minor key. That implies that much if not all of their showcased music was cheerful and optimistic in mood, which pretty much describes their personalities. Their musical idiom is tonal, melodious, uncomplicated and completely free of dissonances. This is rare given that most contemporary “serious” composers would rarely condescend to write a melody to save their lives.

The flute featured prominently, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra's principal flautist Jin Ta was busy on hand to put the polish on Suan's Springtime In Munich and By The Fireplace, and Ying's Intermezzo, as well as two further works for flute, oboe (with Audi Goh) and piano titled Dancing By The Stream and Sweet Dreams. Flowing lyricism was the abiding constant, and it was hard to dislike these sincere and unpretentious pieces in such feeling performances.

The work for the largest forces was Ying's The Ballet Dancer, a wistful number in G minor scored for piano quintet. Also unusually scored was her A Jolly Good Time, with its humourous take on Beethoven's Fifth Symphonyfor two bassoons (Daniel Aw and Yap Pei Ying) opening in whole tone intervals. Suan's After Midnight was the jazziest piece with David Wong's bass trombone singing the indolent and moody blues.

A string quartet formed by violinists Yew Shan and Yong Kailin, violist Jonathan Lee and cellist Noella Yan performed selected movements from Ying's On Vacation and Suan's Antiques, both suites of four pieces each. If one is permitted to play “guess the influence”, Ying's By The Fireplace relived the bittersweet innocence of Ennio Morricone's Cinema Paradiso music, while Suan's Rocking Chair was a Dvorak Slavonic Dance dressed in a sarong kebaya.

Each sister performed solos as well as accompanied various soloists in their own pieces. There were two piano duets, including Suan's Snowscapes, cast in a more reflective A minor, possessing the rhythmic pitter-patter of falling snow, and the closing work, a medley of Singapore songs arranged by both. These included Chan Mali Chan, Di Tanjong Katong and Dick Lee's ubiquitous Home, in the busy contrapuntal manner of Milhaud's Scaramouche.

The 90-minute concert, performed without an interval, closed with an encore for piano duet called Hide and Seek, a children's piece with series of scampering scales. Performing it this well and charming an audience was certainly no child's play.

STRAVINSKY IN

FRANCE

N.E.O. Ensemble

Esplanade Recital Studio

Sunday (10 January 2015)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 12 January 2016 with the title "Shining Stravinsky".

The N.E.O. (New Epoch Orchestral) Ensemble is the newest local orchestra to unveil its talents in a land well populated by musical groups. Formed by some of the nation's finest young professional musicians and conducted by Seow Yibin, it debuted with an all-Stravinsky programme. This concert covered the Russian composer's neoclassical phase, which spanned the 1920s and 30s when he lived in France.

Four works were performed, all using chamber-sized forces, a conscious paring down from his large and opulent ballet scores like The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring. Such a diminution was obvious in the Octet for Winds (1923), for flute, clarinet, two of each of bassoons, trombones and trumpets.

The clear delineation of its parts was well handled by the players, each one a virtuoso in his or her own right, and the overall balance was generally excellent. The 2^nd movement's Theme and Variations saw an admirable ability to cope with the music's twists and turns matched with pin-point playing.

Conductor Seow spoke briefly about the composer, but his impromptu spiel was poorly prepared. Referencing musicologist Richard Taruskin, “Wagner symphonies” (he did not write any significant ones) and “machine-like French music” (really?), it all came across as incoherent. Thankfully his conducting was much better defined, as were Natalie Ng's well-researched programme notes.

Pianist Lim Yan was soloist in a rare performance of the Concerto for Piano & Winds (1923-24), a neo-Baroque creation in three movements that demanded utmost precision and concentration. A veteran at handling the thorniest of scores, Lim's mastery of its irregular rhythms and syncopations made it an enthralling outing.

The piano's metallic clangour ensured he was not submerged by a larger group of woodwinds and brass, and there were spots for subtlety and sensitivity, notably in the slow movement's aria-like lyricism. The busily raucous finale trundled on industriously before its abrupt and emphatic close which caught the audience almost by surprise.

By the time the Symphonies for Wind Instruments (1920) concluded, the ensemble had warmed up and the playing was even more assured. The tandem of flautist Cheryl Lim and clarinettist Desmond Chow had significant parts, and they were nigh inseparable. The title made use of the Greek meaning of “symphony”, which was to “sound together” rather than the compositional form, and that was exactly what the the group delivered.

The final work, Dumbarton Oaks Concerto (1937), a deliberate homage by Stravinsky to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, saw strings outnumber the winds. Now there were three violins, three violas, two cellists and two basses alongside flute, clarinet, bassoon and two horns. Textures were therefore lighter, and the ensemble adjusted its sound accordingly.

The outer movements were thick with counterpoint, bookending a slow movement that was a graceful gavotte-like dance with typically Stravinskian harmonic quirks. As with the preceding pieces, the reading shone with its highly responsive playing and vivacity. Live performances like these bring out the spirit of the music and the composer far better than the umpteenth canned recording for sale.

AN AFTERNOON AT THE

6TH ASEAN INTERNATIONAL

CHOPIN PIANO COMPETITION

It isn't always a habit of mine to go stalking piano competitions, but this one held just outside Kuala Lumpur seemed to be a convenient getaway from Malaysia's busiest city after my obligatory spot of sightseeing. I had crossed the Causeway to attend the Singapore Chinese Orchestra's debut concert at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas on Tuesday 8 December 2015 and had one extra indolent day to spend, so why not be in the company of piano music?

Getting to the Experimental Theatre of Universiti Malaya (notice the use of the nation's old name, rather than Malaysia) was the tough part. A light rail ride from Masjid Jamek in the historical heart of KL to Universiti station, a taxi ride into the laid back campus (which does remind one of the old Bukit Timah Campus in Singapore), with some help from a friendly cab driver and a young student, I finally made it to the concert venue. And not a minute too late to attend the semi-final round of the Open Category, which was the most advanced of the five categories.

Pianists practising on a "silent" keyboard.
Notice the crests of the King Edward VII
Medical College and Raffles College,
the fore-runners of Universiti Malaya.

This competition, organised by the Persatuan Chopin Malaysia (Malaysia Chopin Society), is in its sixth edition and appears to be the most prestigious of piano competitions in Malaysia. I had learnt about it during one of the breakfast meetings of the Chopin Society of Hong Kong, thanks to its regular attendee, Mrs Snezana Panovska, the Macedonian piano pedagogue who has trained some of Malaysian's top young pianists. She also happens to be the society's Music Director and founder of the competition.

The 8-member jury is a rather august one, comprising past winners of the Warsaw Chopin Competition (Li Mingqiang, China), Tchaikovsky Competition (Natalia Troull, Russia), top teachers from Vietnam (Tran Thu Ha, Dang Thai Son's elder half-sister), Malaysia (Ng Chong Lim and Panovska), Italy (Flavio Turissini), Kazakhstan (Jania Aubakirova) and Montenegro/Singapore (Boris Kraljevic, who else?). However it seemed such a waste of pianistic and pedagogical talent to be judging only four pianists in the most advanced category. Of these four, only two seemed worthy of the competitive process.

Fifteen-year-old Hannah Shin(Australia) was a revelation. Oozing total confidence and control, she put the polish on Beethoven's Sonata in F sharp major Op.78, and its tricky repeated figurations in the second movement proved not much of a challenge to her fingers. In Chopin's music, she found the right blend of passion and restraint with totally musical accounts of the Second Ballade and Fourth Scherzo. Nothing was vulgar or over-the-top; idiomatic and well-judged, her playing was clearly a paradigm of superior teaching. She was also the only pianist to perform the specially commissioned work, Lee Chie Tsang's atonal Sympathetic [Re]sonance, from memory.

Veronika Issajeva (Estonia) almost did not make it to the venue after making that long flight from the Baltics. Marooned in a Petaling Jaya hotel and without transport, she was fortunate to have the Chopin Society President save the day by chauffeuring her in time for the semi-finals. And I was fortunate to have heard her accounts of Chopin's Barcarolle, the rarely-programmed Bolero and a nocturne. She is tasteful and musical, although not possessing quite the utter confidence of Shin. Her programme was completed by Schumann's Second Sonata in G minor Op.22, which was more than secure despite some rough edges.

The less said about the performances by the two Malaysian pianists (both men), the better. Both were totally unprepared for the competition, with multiple wrong notes, memory lapses and just plodding through each work desperately to the end. The only relief for them was that the number of people in the audience just about equalled the number in the jury. My summary of the afternoon's fare was: Girls Good, Boys Bad. Panovska corrected me by adding: Boys Very Bad.

The jury included (from L):
Flavio Turissini, Boris Kraljevic, Li Mingqiang
and Ng Chong Lim. I went native for the day.
Photo: Snezana Panovska

The lady jury members and Boris and Flavio
with members of the Chopin Society Malaysia.

Nightfall soon arrived, and I was invited to a lovely buffet dinner with the jury members at a neighbourhood community centre. What hospitality and neighbourliness! Panovska always assured me that in her book, Singaporean music lovers will always be made to feel welcome! New acquaintances were made, and old friendships rekindled in the happy hour, everything halal, of course. For me, it was back to Singapore the next morning, while the jury continued their quest to find the next top pianist from Malaysia and the region.

For the record, both Shin and Issajeva made it to the Grand Finals, where they performed the Chopin piano concertos with a international string quartet. No first prize was awarded. Shin won 2^ndprize with Piano Concerto No.2, while Issajeva 3^rd prize with the First Concerto. Both deserve every bit of success in their young but surely budding musical careers.

How some jury members and music reviewers
try to relax after piano competitions!
Photo: Milan Stevanovic

MASAAKI SUZUKI CONDUCTS BACH

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory

Conservatory Concert Hall

Friday (15 January 2016)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 18 January 2016 with the title "Suzuki ushers in new age of baroque music here".

It would not be inaccurate to say that the performance of baroque music in Singapore is still in its infancy. It is not just a matter of gathering a few musicians and singers to perform together, but rather the detailed study of historically informed performance practice has been long lacking here. This however has changed in recent years, with music institutions engaging experienced baroque practitioners to work with their students.

Last year, the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts got British baroque specialist Ashley Solomon to conduct its orchestra and chorus in J.S.Bach's Magnificat. The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory's invitation of Masaaki Suzuki, founder of the renowned Bach Collegium Japan, to work on Bach's sacred cantatas counts as another landmark. An infant's first big steps have finally been taken.

Gigantic choirs, those of Victorian choral societies, are foreign to authentic baroque music. Fourteen members from the Conservatory's voice department formed the choir, including nine members who sang solo parts. They were supported by 23 instrumentalists of the Conservatory Camerata, including guests from The Hague's Royal Conservatoire and concertmaster Ryo Terakado, one of the world's great baroque violinists.

Composed for church services, these cantatas served like sermons of biblical scripture, for worshippers to reflect and ultimately receive divine benediction through their repentance. The concert opened with Cantata No.17 “Wer Dank Opfert, Der Preiset Mich” (He Who Offers Thanks, Praises Me), a statement of thanks for God's providence.

The choir displayed initial nerves in the opening fugue, sounding thin at parts but soon adapted quickly with confident entries as the movement progressed. The soloists varied in vocal quality and level of projection, but mezzo-soprano Tan Shi Yun and tenor Fang Zhi stood out in their respective recitative and aria. The final chorale about a father's mercy provided a heartwarming glow.

Conductor Suzuki then took to the harpsichord, directing the Conservatory Strings with soloists Yotam Gaton and Orest Smovzh in Bach's Double Violin Concerto in D minor (BWV.1043). Much more familiar to listeners, the crisp performance in three movements exuded much joy as the two disparate voices blended prettily together.

Two cantatas were offered after the interval. Tenor Alan Bennett, Head of the Conservatory's voice programme, mastered the uncomfortably high solo in Cantata No.55 “Ich Armer Mensch, Ich Sündenknecht” (I Pitiful Man, I Slave Of Sin) with such beseeching tones that it was to hard to ignore the pleas of a penitent soul. The aria Erbarme Dich (Have Mercy) was especially poignant with Rachel Ho's lovely flute solo gilding the melody as an added voice.

Cantata No.147 “Herz Und Mund Und Tat Und Leben” (Heart And Mouth And Deed And Life) is Bach's most popular cantata, and with good reason. Its celebratory tone led by trumpeter Teerapol Kiatthaveephong's splendid solo runs sparked a lively opening choral flourish. Among the singers, mezzo Tan (again) and baritone Daegyun Jeong provided the most convincing solo moments, but the chorus in Wohl Mir, Dass Ich Jesum Habe (Happy I, Who Has Jesus), closing the first part, brought out the most smiles.

That chorale is none other than Bach's most hummed tune, which even laypeople and non-believers know as Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring. A reprise, as Jesu Bleibet Meine Freude (Jesus Remains My Joy), also concluded the concert, one that will be remembered for its dedication to art and sheer enthusiasm. Suzuki and his colleagues may have just ushered in a new age of baroque music performance in Singapore.

GALA: MAHLER'S THIRD

Singapore

Symphony Orchestra

Saturday (16 January 2016)

Esplanade Concert Hall

This review was published in The Straits Times on 18 January 2016v with the title "Journey from vulgarity to sublime".

The Guinness Book of World Records once listed Gustav Mahler's Third Symphonyin D minor as the longest symphony ever written. It has since been surpassed by Havergal Brian's rarely-performed Gothic Symphony, but at over 100 minutes and in six movements, it remains the unsurpassed titan of the regular orchestral repertoire. Even the term regular is relative, as this was only the second performance in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's 37 year history.

The Singapore premiere took place in 2007, when the newly-formed Singapore Symphony Children's Choir made its debut. Conducted again by SSO Music Director Shui Lan, this performance showed that both orchestra and chorus had made considerable progress over the intervening years. One might even conclude that SSO has become a great Mahler orchestra.

Eight French horns boldly declared the first in a series of fanfares in the opening movement, a statement of intent that was to distinguish the evening's work. Under Shui's firm guiding hand, the sprawling movement that was itself longer than most Mozart and Beethoven symphonies did not come across as a string of unrelated episodes.

Instead the music flowed through its progression of marches, with brass, winds and percussion in full throttle. Allen Meek's solo trombone led the procession, and the relentless pursuit of perfection was infectious, all the way through to tumultuous climax and dramatic close.

The second and third movements were shorter and lighter, with dance-like rhythms possessed with a rusticity that deliberately bordered on the provincial. A fairytale-like atmosphere gave way to more earthy vibes with Jon Paul Dante's offstage trumpet solo, sure and unwavering, being the pivotal key. All this apparent light-heartedness was, characteristic of the Bohemian composer, tinged with a sense of menace and macabre.

If the first three movements gloried in the banal and commonplace, the next three was preoccupied with the spiritual and eternal. Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke's mellow and reassuring rendering of O Mensch! Gib Acht! (O Man! Take Heed!) from Nietzsche's Also Sprach Zarathustra stood apart from the earlier rumblings.

She was later joined by women from the Singapore Symphony Chorus (Lim Yau, Choral Director) and Singapore Symphony Children's Choir (Wong Lai Foon, Choirmaster) in the celestial Es Sungen Drei Engel (Three Angels Sang), which sparkled like gold dust.

The journey of transformation from vulgarity to the sublime was completed in the long-breathed finale. Has Mahler written a better Adagio (marked Langsam in the score) than this? Ethereal strings took over, from its pianissimo beginnings and building up arch-like to final fruition. There were unexpected touches too, such as Jin Ta's sinuous flute appearing from nowhere or concertmaster Igor Yuzefovich's exquisite violin solo standing tall against a brass chorale.

Conducting completely from memory, Shui's interpretation has to be one of the great Mahler performances in living memory here. The audience, in stark contrast with the one that greeted the Israel Philharmonic just a week ago, was impeccably behaved. Respectfully quiet between movements, it erupted with a chorus of bravos and a prolonged standing ovation at the end. This audience came here for the music, and their faith was justly reciprocated. There is hope for classical music here, after all.

SSO CONCERT: RACHMANINOV CONCERTO NO.3 / Review

People-Watching at the NATIONAL PIANO & VIOLIN COMPETITION 2015

Photographs from the NATIONAL PIANO & VIOLIN COMPETITION 2015

NATIONAL PIANO & VIOLIN COMPETITION 2015 / Review

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, December 2015)

SSO CHRISTMAS CONCERT / Review

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, December 2015)

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, December 2015)

OF MUSIC AND DANCE / Ding Yi Music Company / Review

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, December 2015)

A CHANCE TO WIN A PAIR OF $450 TICKETS to ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA'S 80TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT

NEW YEAR'S EVE COUNTDOWN GALA CONCERT 2016 / The Philharmonic Orchestra / Review

IN RETROSPECT: THE ROAD TO NEOCLASSICISM / RYAN CHOW Piano Recital / Review

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, January 2016)

ISRAEL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 80TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT / Review

MUSIC DIARIES / LOW SHAO SUAN & LOW SHAO YING and Friends / Review

STRAVINSKY IN FRANCE / N.E.O.Ensemble / Review

AN AFTERNOON AT THE 6TH ASEAN INTERNATIONAL CHOPIN PIANO COMPETITION

MASAAKI SUZUKI CONDUCTS BACH / Yong Siew Toh Conservatory / Review

GALA: MAHLER'S THIRD / Singapore Symphony Orchestra / Review