[LJ2ME] Passing The Baton
Last evening's Puccini Gala closed with what else but the crowd-pleasing Nessun dorma. To say it was to save the best for last wouldn't have been far from the truth, and definitely not in a tired-cliché way.
Korean tenor Ha Seok Be who sang the aria, otherwise known as the World Cup Anthem after you-know-who put it through the roof, was more than capable of meeting the demands of this among the most demanding of the singer's repertoire.
Throughout the evening, he had from the very start impressed with his rich penetrating projection and bright secure voice. As he grew in strength and confidence, his Calaf was one determined to stay the night and save his neck. And at the decimating decibel his declamation was turning out, no one was definitely going to sleep in Peking that night.
However, just when I was about to award him full marks, he failed the acid test and possibly the highlight of the whole aria. The build-up to the climax and penultimate last note on "vincero" was unfortunately cut-down short in its prime. Things already didn't bode well when the surging and swelling orchestra threatened to overwhelm his voice, which it did eventually. He hit his high note but ran out of breath and couldn't hold it for longer.
Yet, still, the house erupted. And he was urged to give an encore, whereupon he repeated the aria again. Second time around, he seemed on higher ground but once again floundered at the end. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when some in the audience actually gave a standing ovation. What were they thinking? Pavarotti back from the grave? Yes, he was the best of the quartet this evening. But while he was good, he wasn't "that" good.
Thursday at the SSO featured Ning Feng in Paganini's Violin Concerto No 1. The sparks and fireworks of the piece were competently despatched by the brocaded-white-Mandarin-tunic-wearing violinist.
However, I have heard better performances of the work, one from a six-year-old to boot and another by a YST conservatory student. Perhaps experience has added too thick a coat of varnish on this musician's approach to the music? To be fair, his left-handed pizzicato were the most securely executed and clearly projected I've heard and his announcement of his encore "Duo for One Violin" was deadpan humour but the charming work was well received.
Both evenings were helmed by the next generation of local conductors. Both were young and dynamic and flush with promise and potential, and perhaps provided some eye candy for the audience.
The SSO was led by their Young Associate Conductor, Darrell Ang, whose sartorial style needed some looking at. Christmas had come early with his green-red cummerband which was as distracting as his mutton-chop sideburns. Ang confidently conducted without a score and his tight, taut and tension-filled physical exertion was attention-seeking and grabbing.
The official debut of the SLO Orchestra under the baton of ex-SSO violinist, Joshua Tan Kang Ming was without affair and event. "Bird's Nest" was without his usual gravity-defying coiffure, his locks an unruly and unmanaged look. His art of conducting a little less exuberant than Ang's but perhaps a little mannered and we could have done without the unnecessary to-and-fro walk off-stage and back on in between segments.
Both evenings, I bought myself seats on the left balconies on Circle 1, which afforded a bird's eye view of the orchestra while still near to the stage to scrutinise the soloists. Both evenings had me discovering the music anew as opposed to just hearing the main melody, the underlying harmony was all the more apparent, perhaps for being witness to it being created from scratch.
There were untold pleasures in seeing and hearing how the masterful composition of the authors brought together a seemingly disparate ensemble of notes for individual instruments and wrought it into a whole unit. The big picture for sheer impact while the small picture for the details.
The future of the local music scene may not see much unheaval or change, but at least it's guaranteed of continued growth and development.
Korean tenor Ha Seok Be who sang the aria, otherwise known as the World Cup Anthem after you-know-who put it through the roof, was more than capable of meeting the demands of this among the most demanding of the singer's repertoire.
Throughout the evening, he had from the very start impressed with his rich penetrating projection and bright secure voice. As he grew in strength and confidence, his Calaf was one determined to stay the night and save his neck. And at the decimating decibel his declamation was turning out, no one was definitely going to sleep in Peking that night.
However, just when I was about to award him full marks, he failed the acid test and possibly the highlight of the whole aria. The build-up to the climax and penultimate last note on "vincero" was unfortunately cut-down short in its prime. Things already didn't bode well when the surging and swelling orchestra threatened to overwhelm his voice, which it did eventually. He hit his high note but ran out of breath and couldn't hold it for longer.
Yet, still, the house erupted. And he was urged to give an encore, whereupon he repeated the aria again. Second time around, he seemed on higher ground but once again floundered at the end. I couldn't help but roll my eyes when some in the audience actually gave a standing ovation. What were they thinking? Pavarotti back from the grave? Yes, he was the best of the quartet this evening. But while he was good, he wasn't "that" good.
Thursday at the SSO featured Ning Feng in Paganini's Violin Concerto No 1. The sparks and fireworks of the piece were competently despatched by the brocaded-white-Mandarin-tunic-wearing violinist.
However, I have heard better performances of the work, one from a six-year-old to boot and another by a YST conservatory student. Perhaps experience has added too thick a coat of varnish on this musician's approach to the music? To be fair, his left-handed pizzicato were the most securely executed and clearly projected I've heard and his announcement of his encore "Duo for One Violin" was deadpan humour but the charming work was well received.
Both evenings were helmed by the next generation of local conductors. Both were young and dynamic and flush with promise and potential, and perhaps provided some eye candy for the audience.
The SSO was led by their Young Associate Conductor, Darrell Ang, whose sartorial style needed some looking at. Christmas had come early with his green-red cummerband which was as distracting as his mutton-chop sideburns. Ang confidently conducted without a score and his tight, taut and tension-filled physical exertion was attention-seeking and grabbing.
The official debut of the SLO Orchestra under the baton of ex-SSO violinist, Joshua Tan Kang Ming was without affair and event. "Bird's Nest" was without his usual gravity-defying coiffure, his locks an unruly and unmanaged look. His art of conducting a little less exuberant than Ang's but perhaps a little mannered and we could have done without the unnecessary to-and-fro walk off-stage and back on in between segments.
Both evenings, I bought myself seats on the left balconies on Circle 1, which afforded a bird's eye view of the orchestra while still near to the stage to scrutinise the soloists. Both evenings had me discovering the music anew as opposed to just hearing the main melody, the underlying harmony was all the more apparent, perhaps for being witness to it being created from scratch.
There were untold pleasures in seeing and hearing how the masterful composition of the authors brought together a seemingly disparate ensemble of notes for individual instruments and wrought it into a whole unit. The big picture for sheer impact while the small picture for the details.
The future of the local music scene may not see much unheaval or change, but at least it's guaranteed of continued growth and development.