Lives, Loves and Losts
Whenever the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Orchestra puts on a show, it's always worth an evening of one's time. If anything, investment in the future generation of music makers (and we're not talking about that other ensemble here). Perhaps a little irrelevantly and irreverently, one is always sold and swayed on the fact that if their potential is weighed by the implicit trust in them by the loan of the Rin Collection, there must be something about them worth the while.
Titled Heroes' Lives and Loves, the programme sandwiched Elgar's elegiac Cello Concerto with Wagner's Tristan and Isolde Prelude and Liebestod and Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. One couldn't have asked for a more atmospheric selection of the repertoire to showcase the gumption of the young talents. Under the baton of their new conductor, Jason Lai, the musicians pulled off a remarkable feat in wrestling with the material in hand. From Wagner's dense orchestration to Elgar's elegant statement to Strauss's epic score, they played with heart and soul.
The soloist for Elgar's masterpiece was faculty member Qin Liwei who despatched an animated perfromance replete with facial contortions to rival Lang Lang's. His wasn't a tortured and treacherous vision but one that played down the melancholy with misplaced optimism. If anything, despite a very palatable reading, it lacked a certain oomph to lift the notes off the score. Two generous encores were pre-planned, a humourous and virtuosic duet with a double bass and a rather insipid and bland serenade dedicated to Japan.
The strings were a little suspect and circumspect, with juiceless dry tone that came across flat and dead. Climaxes were lacking in impact and the music seldom stirred the loins. That said, for all the outpouring of emotion in the Liebestod, nothing can compare to the passionate projection of a human voice.
In the rollicking Hero's Life, one actually managed to fall asleep amidst the cacophony and chaos. The guest concertmaster, Guo Shuai from the alumni, delivered sweet-toned violin solos that sinuously worked their way into the music fabric. One thought one heard snippets of Bolero during intermission warm up and was looking forward to that encore, which was not to come. By the end of it, the maestro was drenched in sweat, his black shirt plastered to his back and his casually top-few-buttons-undone shirt front revealing a glistening chest. Now white would have been a treat for the eyes. Wet T-shirt competition anyone?
And then it finally dawned on me who he reminded me of. No wonder. Why, don't tell me he doesn't resemble eye-candy politician Teo Ser Luck in the slightest?
Posted via LjBeetle
Titled Heroes' Lives and Loves, the programme sandwiched Elgar's elegiac Cello Concerto with Wagner's Tristan and Isolde Prelude and Liebestod and Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. One couldn't have asked for a more atmospheric selection of the repertoire to showcase the gumption of the young talents. Under the baton of their new conductor, Jason Lai, the musicians pulled off a remarkable feat in wrestling with the material in hand. From Wagner's dense orchestration to Elgar's elegant statement to Strauss's epic score, they played with heart and soul.
The soloist for Elgar's masterpiece was faculty member Qin Liwei who despatched an animated perfromance replete with facial contortions to rival Lang Lang's. His wasn't a tortured and treacherous vision but one that played down the melancholy with misplaced optimism. If anything, despite a very palatable reading, it lacked a certain oomph to lift the notes off the score. Two generous encores were pre-planned, a humourous and virtuosic duet with a double bass and a rather insipid and bland serenade dedicated to Japan.
The strings were a little suspect and circumspect, with juiceless dry tone that came across flat and dead. Climaxes were lacking in impact and the music seldom stirred the loins. That said, for all the outpouring of emotion in the Liebestod, nothing can compare to the passionate projection of a human voice.
In the rollicking Hero's Life, one actually managed to fall asleep amidst the cacophony and chaos. The guest concertmaster, Guo Shuai from the alumni, delivered sweet-toned violin solos that sinuously worked their way into the music fabric. One thought one heard snippets of Bolero during intermission warm up and was looking forward to that encore, which was not to come. By the end of it, the maestro was drenched in sweat, his black shirt plastered to his back and his casually top-few-buttons-undone shirt front revealing a glistening chest. Now white would have been a treat for the eyes. Wet T-shirt competition anyone?
And then it finally dawned on me who he reminded me of. No wonder. Why, don't tell me he doesn't resemble eye-candy politician Teo Ser Luck in the slightest?
Posted via LjBeetle