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Tuesday 28 October, 1997 Victoria Concert Hall |
ABRSM High Scorers' Concert |
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Tickets for Inkpot classical music reviewers have been kindly sponsored by the Singapore Symphonia Company.
by Isaak Koh
The hall was half-filled with expectant parents, with a few individuals looking out of place (myself included). The performances began with Grade One Piano and Violin, with works of a minute long. The first highlight was Tan Yong Ping, playing Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Memory" for Grade Two Violin. He began fine, with his tone soon became wobbly and rapidly degenerated into scratchiness, together with the problem of diminishing volume. The intriguing aspect of his performance was that he must have at least been fifteen years old! In Grade Five Piano, Yick Jue Ru played a commanding Sonata in G, Hob. XVI/G1: 1st movement by Haydn. Yick had a good feel of the keyboard, delivering the work with great dexterity. This was followed by two delightful performances in Grade Five Violin. Kathryn Lee Tian Mei played an enjoyable Humoresque, Op. 101, No. 7 by Dvorak. She began rather squeaky, but it got better towards the end. Debra Leong Tse San clearly put in intense effort playing Gounod's Ave Maria, obtaining a marvellous performance.
In Grade Seven Piano, Lin Shumin entertained the partisan audience with the 2nd movement of Mozart's Sonata in G, K283. The most astounding performance was, however, by 10-year old Ng Yi Ling, polishing off Haydn's Sonata in E minor, Hob. XVI/41 with seemingly minimal effort. It was great playing from one so young. Her trills were perfectly even and she obviously outplayed everyone that night. In the Advanced Certificate entries, the most fascinating performance was by Wang Siao Hua, who provided us with the dulcet tones of the double-bass. Her pieces were Bottesini's Elegia in D and Koussevitzky's Valse Miniature, Op. 1, No. 2. Both works were beautifully done, with the spirit ever present.
It was a good experience for all performers that evening, most probably being the first time playing before such a large public audience. Some were clearly shaken by fright, while others delivered their pieces calmly. Performance standards were generally good but uneven. Although it was not as exciting as a regular concert, it was still a good showcase for the musical talents of young Singaporeans.
The attraction of this annual event is the opportunity to observe mostly young performers taking the well-worn stage of the VCH for the first time. Now in its eighth year, the concert presents the musicians with the best results in the recent ABRSM examinations. Each student is allowed to play one piece of their examination standard, and all grades were represented, including three advanced certificates. As expected, piano and violin pieces dominated the evening. With twenty-six entries in all, I do not intend to comment on all of them, preferring to highlight certain outstanding talents from the potpourri of soloists.
Isaak Koh recently took a trip with a Flying Dutchman, and is presently looking into Bohemians.
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