Bravissimo! - Singapore Symphony Orchestra

B
ravissimo !
april 2012 Vol. 13 No. 2
MICA (P) 156/07/2011
The Quarterly Newsletter of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra
O Namenlose
Freude
All That Jazz raises $1,055,000 for SSO
Paul Lewis: Rising against the odds
Christian Vasquez: Venezuela’s rising star
www.sso.org.sg
Editorial
Even as we celebrate the success of the SSO’s black-tie benefit ‘All That Jazz’ which raised
over $1 million for the orchestra, there is more reason for excitement in the months ahead
as we bring you the 19th Singapore International Piano Festival: Fantasies in Sound in
June. Enter the worlds of two young and highly outstanding musicians – Venezuelan
heartthrob Christian Vasquez, who at 28, has already conducted all the major European
orchestras, and British pianist Paul Lewis, who grew up in a home where there wasn’t
really any music.
Enjoy this issue!
CINDY LIM
Editor
cindy@sso.org.sg
Contents
Tan Boon Teik 06
SSO News 03
PianoFest 2012: Fantasies in Sound
04
Remembering Tan Boon Teik
(1929-2012)
06
Conrad Celebrities: 08
Christian Vasquez & Paul Lewis
Conrad Celebrities 08
Symphony Society 10
Book Review
The Autograph Collector
16
Conrad Celebrities 09
On the cover:
Sinead Mulhern and Stuart Skelton
in a gala performance of Fidelio
with the SSO directed by Lan Shui
Photography by Collin Tan
Editors: Cindy Lim
Chang Tou Liang
Writer:
Joyce Tan
BraviSSimO! is published by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Printed by First Printers.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.
All that jazz
sso news
The SSO benefit dinner at The Ritz-Carlton
Millenia Singapore on March 31 raised
$1,055,000 for the orchestra. The black-tie
event, titled All That Jazz, was graced by
Guests-of-Honour President Tony Tan Keng
Yam and Mrs Mary Tan, and co-chaired
by Dr Julie Lo and Mrs Clarinda Martin,
who are both members of the SSO Ladies’
League. The Hamburg-born Steinway Artist
Joja Wendt was joined by the SSO and
Young Associate Conductor Darrell Ang in
an exciting programme comprising Flight of
the Bumblebee, Asturias and the Hungarian
Dance No. 5 by Brahms. !
Steinway Artist Joja Wendt and SSO Leader Alexander Souptel liven things up in
Flight of the Bumblebee
High on Fidelio
The SSO’s semi-staged production of Beethoven’s Fidelio at the
Esplanade Concert Hall on February 18 met with glowing praise;
equally lauded for their visceral performances were soloists Sinead
Mulhern (Fidelio/Leonora) and Stuart Skelton (Florestan). Under
the steady baton of Lan Shui, the full-sized orchestra gave its fullcapacity audience a truly memorable evening to remember. !
Stuart Skelton with the SSO
SSO on campus
SSO’s campus concert series from March 9 to 10 reached out to nearly 2,000
people over three performances at the Paya Lebar Methodist Girls’ School
(March 9), Temasek Polytechnic (March 10) and Dunman High School
(March 11). On the programme was music from Nielsen’s Symphony No.
2 in G minor, Op. 16 and Aram Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite while
guest performer Lanabel Teo showcased her versatility on the violin with
her commendable interpretation of Tomaso Antonio Vitali’s Chaconne in G
Minor. The programme also saw conductor Darrell Ang leading the orchestra
in homegrown composer Kelly Tang’s Symphonic Suite on the Set of Local
Tunes. !
Lanabel Teo
SSO Resident
Conductor
moves on
After nearly 30 years at the Singapore Symphony Orchestra,
Lim Yau has stepped down as the SSO’s Resident Conductor
with effect from 1 January 2012. He has joined the Nanyang
Academy of Fine Arts as its principal lecturer and head of
orchestral studies and chamber music, as well as director of
the NAFA Orchestra and NAFA Chorus.
Lim Yau
Lim Yau has been with the SSO since 1980, first as concert
manager, then as assistant conductor. He left the orchestra
in 1997 but returned three years later as Resident Conductor
and Music Director of the Singapore Symphony Chorus.
He will lead the SSO and combined choral forces in
a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at the
Esplanade Concert Hall on May 11. !
19th SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL PIANO FESTIVAL:
FANTASIES IN SOUND
The much-awaited 2012 edition of PianoFest will take place from June 28 to July 1 at the School of the Arts Concert Hall.
Where the sonata (literally meaning “to sound”) is
often deemed to be formal and structured, the fantasy is
consistently associated with improvisation and freedom.
Fantasies in Sound brings together four distinctive virtuoso
pianists who will not only highlight the contrasting art of
the sonata and the fantasy, but also demonstrate, through
their individual styles and tastes, how these two genres with
seemingly opposing characters can merge. Four enchanted
evenings of vivid, musical imagination, to enrapture and
excite the senses.
Internationally recognised as one of the leading pianists of
his generation, Paul Lewis has won several prestigious prizes,
including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Instrumentalist
of the Year Award, and Gramophone’s Record of the Year. In
2011, Lewis embarked upon a two-year project to perform
all mature piano works written in the last six years of
Schubert’s life, and has toured Europe, America, Japan and
Australia with this series of performances. Lewis will open
the Piano Festival with one such all-Schubert programme,
including two of his most intensely poignant sonatas.
04
bravissimo!
Besides commanding breathtaking virtuosity and
mesmerising stage presence, critics also describe Khatia
Buniatishvili’s playing as having “an aura of elegant solitude
and even melancholy”, a reflection of a close proximity
to Georgian folk-music which she attests to have greatly
influenced her musicality. The Financial Times of London
described her Liszt as “magisterial”, one of many qualities
she will bring to her Singapore debut in Liszt’s Sonata,
arguably his greatest composition for solo piano, and in the
spirited tunes of Chopin’s 3 Scherzi and Stravinsky’s Three
Movements from Petroushka.
After winning the National Youth Music Competition and
a music scholarship in his native South Africa, Daniel-Ben
Pienaar moved to London to study at the Royal Academy of
Music, where he is now a piano professor after receiving the
Queen’s Commendation. He remained one of the musical
world’s best-kept secrets until recently when he was thrust
into the limelight with acclaimed recordings of music
by Mozart, Bach and Gibbons, lauded for playing that is
“fearsomely intelligent, articulate and insightful”. Pienaar
will bring to his Singapore debut his personal blend of high
drama and lyrical contemplation in Mozart’s Fantasy and
Sonata in C minor and aural technicolour in Beethoven’s
monumental Diabelli Variations.
Stephen Hough is a regular guest at festivals such as Salzburg,
Mostly Mozart, Tanglewood, Edinburgh and the BBC
Proms, and was named winner of the Royal Philharmonic
Society Instrumentalist Award in 2010. With an impressive
catalogue of over 50 recordings, he has garnered four
Grammy nominations and eight Gramophone Awards,
including ‘Record of the Year’ in 1996 and 2003, and the
Gramophone ‘Gold Disc’ Award in 2008. Hough will be
showcasing his versatility in this scintillating recital which
includes the definitive Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven and
Scriabin’s most recorded work, the Sonata No. 5. Notably,
Hough will present his very own Sonata for Piano (broken
branches), which he premiered at Wigmore Hall in June
2011, at this year’s piano festival. !
Thu, 28 Jun 12, 8pm
Paul Lewis
SCHUBERT SCHUBERT SCHUBERT Moments Musicaux, D.780
Sonata for Piano No. 14 in A minor, D.784 (1823)
Sonata for Piano No. 16 in A minor, D.845 (1825)
Fri, 29 Jun 12, 8pm
Khatia Buniatishvili
LISZT LISZT CHOPIN STRAVINSKY Sonata in B minor
Mephisto Waltz No. 1
Three Scherzi (1, 2, 3)
Three Movements from Petroushka
Sat, 30 Jun 12, 8pm
Daniel-Ben Pienaar
GIBBONS
MOZART
BEETHOVEN
Selection of 8 short keyboard works
Fantasy and Sonata in C minor, K.475 and K.457
Diabelli Variations, Op. 120
Sun, 1 Jul 12, 8pm
Stephen Hough
BEETHOVEN HOUGH
SCRIABIN LISZT Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight’
Sonata for Piano (Broken Branches)
Sonata No. 5
Sonata in B minor
Tickets from SISTIC starting April 9. Book your tickets now!
bravissimo!
05
Photo credit: Russel Wong
Remembering
Tan Boon Teik (1929-2012)
The Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s Founding Chairman Mr Tan Boon Teik passed away on
10 March 2012 at the age of 83. Passionate about Classical music, Mr Tan was instrumental
in the formation of the SSO, working closely in the early days with Dr Goh Keng Swee and
several pioneering figures including Professor Bernard Tan to lay the groundwork for the
national orchestra. He was SSO’s Chairman from 1979 to 1999, before continuing as its
Honorary Chairman.
06
bravissimo!
Says Professor Bernard Tan: “As founding Chairman of the SSO,
Mr Tan steered the orchestra through its difficult and crucial
early years towards the unchallenged dominance which it
holds today in Singapore’s musical history and firmament.
His unimpeachable integrity, firm determination, and always
gentlemanly demeanour, as well as his gentle eloquence and
wry sense of humour, will always be fondly remembered by me
and all orchestra members and staff who had the opportunity to
work with him.”
Mr Tan Boon Teik presenting a gold disc of the National Anthem to Dr Yeo Ning
Hong in 1988
On the occasion of the SSO’s 10th anniversary in 1989,
Mr Tan said: “When the idea that Singapore should have its
own symphony orchestra was first mooted, we had only the
enthusiasm of seven people who formed the first Board of
Directors and the trust of our Patron, Dr Goh Keng Swee, to spur
us on. From this quiet beginning, but armed with unwavering
confidence, we made the SSO a reality.”
Even after Mr Tan stepped down as the SSO’s Chairman, he
and his wife Sook Yee continued to attend SSO performances
regularly. They attended the recent SSO concert on 3 March
featuring pianist Marc-Andre Hamélin.
As a musical tribute to Mr Tan, SSO’s Co-Leader Lynnette Seah
performed the Meditation from Thais by Massenet at his funeral
service on 13 March. Says Lynnette Seah: “He was more than
our founding Chairman. He was always a friend, encouraging,
compassionate and very caring. He was also an accomplished
pianist and loved classical music.”
“Many did not believe that Singapore, almost devoid of a
western musical tradition, could sustain a symphony orchestra
of international standard. Others feared that a local orchestra
would never be as good as one overseas. Ten years and some
600 concerts later, we have dispelled all those misgivings.”
As Chairman, Mr Tan was also instrumental in bringing about
the SSO-PSC scholarships which enabled Singaporean musical
talents to pursue their studies at the best conservatories, and
for the best of them to be hired into the SSO on their return.
Mr Tan (far left) at a SSO staff dinner with former SSO Chairman Prof Cham Tao
Soon and SSO Chairman Goh Yew Lin in January 2012
Mr Tan (far left) at the inauguration of the Shaw Foundation Performance Pavilion
in 1995
Says SSO Chairman Mr Goh Yew Lin: “Mr Tan was the man
who turned the idea of an orchestra into reality for Singapore,
and then steered it through its critical adolescent years. His
decisions were always guided by his desire for Singapore to
have a great orchestra. He set an excellent example for all
of us by his unfailing graciousness, his quiet and principled
leadership, and his passionate commitment to the orchestra he
had birthed. All of us at the SSO will miss his kind presence at
our concerts and dinners, even as we celebrate the memory of
a man to whom Singapore music lovers owe a great deal more
than they realise.” !
bravissimo!
07
CHRISTIAN VASQUEZ
Venezuela’s rising star
CONRAD CELEBRITIES
He was just nine and starting lessons on the violin when he
joined the San Sebastian Orchestra, a local youth orchestra in
Venezuela where he was born. Today 28-year-old Christian
Vasquez is one of the most talented products of Venezuela’s El
Sistema, and has made his debut with all the major European
orchestras.
“Everything began after seeing a general rehearsal of the San
Sebastian Orchestra in which I was trapped by the music.
My experience as a 9-year-old boy was terrific and also
interesting. Since then I knew I wanted to play music and be a
musician. To me, it was a new world where I felt complete and
happy,” said Vasquez in an email interview. He has five sisters,
of whom one is a violinist and another, a cellist.
In 2001 he began his conducting studies under José Antonio
Abreu, who has been a great proponent of his career. Thereafter
he was appointed Music Director of the Jose Felix Ribas Juvenile
Symphony Orchestra of Aragua. In 2009 he was named a
Gustavo Dudamel conducting fellow with the Los Angeles
Philharmonic. He is currently Principal Guest Conductor of
Sweden’s Gavle Symphony Orchestra.
For his Singapore debut he has chosen the Ginastera Estancia
dances and Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony: “The audience can expect
a performance full of enthusiasm and energy. They will enjoy
diverse and characteristic rhythms of the Ginastera as well as
the beautiful melodies of Dvořák in his Eighth Symphony. I feel
very excited and lucky to have the opportunity to play good
music together with the Singapore Symphony.”
To take his mind off the stresses of performing, he enjoys simple
pleasures such as going to the cinema or theatre, and hanging
out at the beach. Next up on his list: “I have always wanted to
learn some languages but I haven’t had enough time to do it!” !
Cindy Lim
Christian Vasquez will conduct
the SSO at the Esplanade Concert
Hall on April 21. He will be joined by
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet for Bartok’s Piano
Concerto No. 2.
PAUL LEWIS
Rising against the odds
Growing up in Liverpool in a home where “there wasn’t really any music”,
Paul Lewis spent his time picking out piano records at the local public library from
the time he was eight. He especially loved the recordings by Wilhelm Kempf and
Alfred Brendel, who was to become his teacher and mentor.
Considered the finest of Britain’s young pianists today, Lewis was made to take up
the cello in school when there were no piano lessons available. “Although I wasn’t
any good at the cello, I’m glad I spent some time trying to play it. It was fun to
play in the local youth orchestra and be musically sociable! The piano always felt
right physically speaking, so I gave up the cello when I started to have proper piano
lessons.”
At the age of 14 he enrolled at the renowned Chetham’s School in Manchester. Four
years later he moved to London to study at the Guildhall School, where he was to
meet Alfred Brendel through a masterclass. “I knew I loved music, but didn’t think
much about the future. I never really made a decision to be a musician, but always
felt that I wanted it around me.”
Paul Lewis will perform an
all-Schubert recital at the Singapore
International Piano Festival:
Fantasies in Sound at the SOTA
Concert Hall on June 28.
His concert performances and Harmonia Mundi recordings of the complete Beethoven
Sonatas, Concertos and the Diabelli Variations have earned him unanimous acclaim
from all over the world, culminating in 2010 with the honour of becoming the first
pianist in the history of the BBC Proms to perform all five Beethoven Concertos in a
single Proms season.
Since 2011, Paul Lewis embarked upon a two-year project to perform all the mature
piano works from the last six years of Schubert’s life. He will make his Singapore
debut on June 28 playing in the Singapore International Piano Festival. Of his allSchubert recital, Lewis says: “This programme is particularly powerful in that one of
the sonatas, D784, comes from exactly the time when Schubert was diagnosed with
syphilis. There is an austerity about it, combined with real tenderness and sense of
nostalgia, which is so characteristic of the music he was writing in the last six years
of his life.”
His cellist wife Bjorg is a member of the Norwegian Vertavo Quartet, and they have
three children. “I accompanied our eldest daughter recently in her Grade 1 violin
exam. I was very nervous!” says the bemused musician.
And does he have a pre-performance ritual he adheres to? “Practice. I like to be fully
warmed up before I go on stage. A quick sniff of peppermint oil to clear the head is
good, but nothing more superstitious than that, I’m afraid.” !
Conrad Centennial Singapore offers a
choice of exciting wining and dining
venues. Dine on contemporary Cantonese
cuisine and innovative dim sum creations
by top Hong Kong chefs at award winning Golden Peony. Oscar’s offers
delicious buffets for breakfast, lunch and
dinner as well as a delectable Amazing
Graze Sunday brunch with free flow
champagne, wine and beer. Oscar’s is open
24 hours. Or savour delightful afternoon
tea and Executive lunch at Lobby Lounge.
Cindy Lim
bravissimo!
09
All that jazz
Over 400 guests joined President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Mrs Mary Tan in a jazz-inspired evening at
The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore on March 31, which raised a handsome sum of $1,055,000 for the SSO.
Receiving the SSO Benefactor Award at the dinner were SMRT Corporation Limited and Keppel Corporation
Ltd.
symphony society
Executive Chef Arnaud Thulliez from The Ritz-Carlton Millenia Singapore and Chef Vincent Bourdin from
Valrhona delighted the guests with such exquisite creations as blackened beef fillet with cheesy milled corn,
caramelized butternut and asparagus, cocoa jus ravigotte, and dark chocolate sphere with scented liquorice
cream and crunchy cashew nut. !
Ms Wang Look Fung from Keppel Corporation receives the SSO Benefactor
Award from President Tony Tan Keng Yam
Ms Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi, Dr Julie Lo, Mrs Odile Benjamin & Mrs Charlotte Goh
Ms Dawn Loh from SMRT Corporation receives the SSO Benefactor Award
from President Tony Tan Keng Yam
Prof Cham Tao Soon, Mrs Alice Lee-Seah & Mr Moses Lee
Steinway pianist Joja Wendt
Mrs Rosy Ho
Mr Douglas Benjamin, Mrs Odile Benjamin, Mr & Mrs Goh Yew Lin
Colin & Rany Moran
Mr Nash Benjamin with Mr & Mrs Goh Geok Khim
bravissimo!
11
symphony society
Mrs Viviana Bernard, Mrs Celeste Basapa, Mrs Rosy Ho, Dr Julie Lo, Mrs Clarinda Tjia-Dharmadi & Mrs Kwan Lui
Pianist Joja Wendt with President Tony Tan Keng Yam & Mrs Mary Tan
Brazilian Ambassador HE Luis Fernando Serra & Mrs Serra
Mrs Kishore Mahbubani & Ms Paige Parker
Ron & Janet Stride
Mr Christopher Ho, Mrs Rosy Ho & Mrs Eva Lee
Mr Raj Rajkumar & Mrs Mary Rajkumar
Mrs Dorothy Chan, Mdm Margaret Wee & Mr Tan Wan Chye
Alexander & Evita Melchers
Mr David Conner with Ms Paulina Dhanoa
bravissimo!
13
Dragon Ball
The SSO held its Annual Staff Dinner titled Dragon Ball at the Conrad Centennial Singapore on January
symphony society
11. Amongst the long-serving SSO employees honoured were Principal Second Violin Zhang Zhen Shan and
percussionist Mark de Souza (30 years), administrative assistant Gillian Wong and violinists William Tan and
Yeo Teow Meng (25 years), as well as Assistant Leader Kong Zhao Hui (20 years). !
Dragon babies do the honours for the traditional yusheng
Mr Rick Ong, Mrs Goh Chok Tong, Maestro Lan Shui
Zhang Zhen Shan (left) receiving his long service award
Mr & Mrs Wong Nang Jang, Guennadi Mouzyka & Olga Alexandrova
Mark de Souza (left) receiving his long service award
Hidehiro Fujita
Best dressed musicians Yu Jing and Roberto Alvarez
Alexander Souptel, Gulnara Mashurova & Mark Suter
SSO_A5_pictures_FA.pdf
1
4/10/12
6:07 PM
28 Apr 12 | Sat, 7.30pm
Esplanade Concert Hall
dvorák
Carnival Overture
glazunov
Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82
mussorgsky
Pictures at an Exhibition
TICKETS:
(6348 5555 / www.sistic.com.sg)
PRE-CONCERT TALK
6.30pm | Library @ Esplanade
Booking fees apply
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$15-$72 from SISTIC
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www.sso.org.sg
the
Autograph
collector
When the Singapore Symphony Orchestra goes on overseas tours, it
usually performs its concertos with celebrity guest soloists. This usually
helps make the concerts more attractive, and audiences who come to
watch the soloists also get a chance to share in the excellence of the
SSO as well. Artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Stephen Hough, Augustin Dumay and
Wang Jian have performed with the SSO overseas. Here are some of the
others who have helped the orchestra establish its name on the world
musical scene.
JAN VOGLER
The German cellist, who recently performed
Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, was SSO’s
guest in its 2010 German tour, including the sellout concert at the Berlin Philharmonie. Like his
exuberant stage personality, Vogler’s autograph
is bold, generous, and filled with long and wide
strokes.
GIL SHAHAM
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
PIERRE AMOYAL (1994)
The SSO’s memorable 1994 tour of Europe
saw its brightest moments in Salle Pleyel in
Paris, where it was hailed by one critic as one
of the world’s top 20 orchestras. The soloist
on that historic evening was Frenchman
Pierre Amoyal, who performed Bruch’s
Violin Concerto No. 1. His autograph is a
linear and stylised. Although it looks like a
scribble, his name is easily visualised.
The American violinist, once of Deutsche Grammophon
and now established on his own Canary Classics label,
was the star attraction of SSO’s visits to USA, France
and Spain in its 2005 grand tour. Quite unlike the
extrovert repertoire he performs, he is actually quiet
and down-to-earth, well captured in his modest and
rather unassuming autograph.
If you have interesting autographs to contribute, please send a high resolution scan and accompanying texts to: cindy@sso.org.sg. Happy autograph hunting!
What is sonata form? What is the difference between passacaglia and chaconne?
What is a perfect cadence? Forget those dry and boring theory lessons catered to those
tedious ABRSM examinations as Kapilow makes the subject come alive with common
day-to-day analogies, and examples from Gregorian chant to Stravinsky. Good if you
can read music, but if not, these may be heard (with benefit of a scrolling score) on
the dedicated website: www.wiley.com/go/allyouhavetodoislisten
ALL YOU HAVE
TO DO IS LISTEN
By Rob Kapilow
Published by Wiley
$42.75 at Books Kinokuniya
Its 14 chapters are wordy, and can sometimes get a bit technical. Some patience is
therefore necessary, but that is a pre-requisite of enjoying classical music and getting
to its heart.
WIN A $30 KINOKUNIYA BOOK VOUCHER
by answering the following questions:
1.TRUE OR FALSE. The first movements of symphonies are
mostly written in sonata form.
2.TRUE OR FALSE. The finale movement of Brahms’s Fourth
Symphony is a passacaglia.
‘ACROSS THE SEA’ CD QUIZ
Book Review
At last, a book that explains the trade secrets and common devices employed by
composers to spice up their music. American composer, conductor and musicologist
Rob Kapilow follows up on his bestseller What Makes It Great with another do-ityourself music guide that unravels the nuts and bolts of musical composition.
Please send your answers and particulars to:
BraviSSimO! Kinokuniya Book Quiz
Kinokuniya Bookstores of Singapore
391B Orchard Road #13-06
Ngee Ann City Tower B, Singapore 238874
Or e-mail: Corp_Affair@kinokuniya.co.jp
The correct answers to last issue’s quiz:
Closing date: 31 May 2012
The first correct entry to be drawn will be
notified accordingly.
The winner was Mabel Wee.
The correct answers to last issue’s CD quiz:
1.True. Sharon Bezaly gave the Singapore premiere of Bright Sheng’s Flute Moon in 2000.
2. True. Chen Yi and Zhou Long are husband and wife.
The winners were Joana Djoeis, May Ho, Jimmy Lim and Lim Chun Beng. Congratulations!
1.Mozart wrote four horn concertos.
2.Gerd Seifert was the former Berlin
Philharmonic Principal French horn player
who played in the ranks of the SSO.
Congratulations!