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Thursday 6 May 1999 Victoria Concert Hall
Ebbe Munk conductor |
The Singapore Symphonia Co. presents The Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir |
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Paul MIKKELBORG (b.1941) The Noone of Night Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART Venite populi Offer KV260 · Alma Dei Creatoris KV277 · Ave Verum Corpus KV618 Anton BRUCKNER Ecce sacerdos gradual for 7-part chorus · Ave Maria for 7-part chorus Traditional Folk Songs of Danish Spring & Summer including Och yung frun hon går i ringen |
OVERALL NOISE RATING: 3 (The usual beeps and coughs plus the not so usual 'shifting
uncomfortably in the seat because of difficult programme' noise.)
The Noise Rating Index is a partially-objective measurement of pager and handphone blasts, 9pm and 10pm watch beeps, coughing-during-the-pianissimo-bits, intra-audience conversation and other mind-bogglingly inept noises emitted in the concert hall during actual performance of music. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 5, in increasing annoyance.
This review has been kindly sponsored by the Singapore Symphonia Co. Ltd
by Ng Yeuk Fan
To make matters worse, The Noone of the Night, the modern work in question
scored for chorus, treble and harp. It begins with rather disturbing harmonies
on the solo harp played pallidly by Helen Davies. She was clearly struggling
with the score - I couldn't figure out whether it was the dim lighting, the
reflection or the instrument itself. However, when the lights came on later - she
displayed the same lacklustre playing, insensitive to the profound tempo and
spacial proportions of what is an altogether effective score.
This work, commissioned by the current conductor Ebbe Munk for the CRCC is a
set of spiritual songs that centres on "the Unexplained Mystery (also after
this 'journey'...)". Whatever that means... There isn't enough notes in the
programme to explain and the cryptic libretto does little to help. Despite
that, this work contained enough material fresh to me to consider it new
and vital. I felt the use of choral devices in the part song Tyger,
Tyger, set to William Blake's poem of the same name more than just
effective - it was sung remarkably beautifully, complete with superb control
of both choral colours and vocal strength, dexterity and balance.
Ebbe Munk is clearly a first-class chorus master and the shimmering tone
coupled with powerful chesty voices of these boys tell very much of their
training. The boy soloist singing the Breton's Fisherman's Prayer has
one of the most beautiful treble voice I have ever heard. Further, the CRCC
can boast an equally good section of men's voices to match and all this
results in a stunningly complex and mature choral sound, ideal in everyway I
can possibly dream of. Indeed, I have not heard a better European choir in
Singapore.
He is not helped by the fact that it is an uphill battle to champion modern
pieces anywhere. I categorically state that I am not against new works. But to be insensitive to the needs of an audience seems to me to be a greater evil and
the bottomline is this: if the children did indeed enjoy singing this work -
I did not see it in their faces.
The second half, a series of more palatable works by Mozart and Bruckner
clearly went down well with the audience, though the Mozart pieces were slightly
messy and I found the piano accompaniment irritatingly distracting. The
issue is that this choir has such a superb sound and all rounded
characteristics that it did not need any instrumental support. If any is employed, that accompaniment should complement and enhance the choral
sound - not work against the choir Indeed, the best works of
the night were the unaccompanied works. Both the Bruckner works were savoured
with great relish and I could not get enough of the CRCC's formidable sound.
Sung in seven parts, these pieces were where the CRCC was beginning to sound better than ever.
A series of folksongs ended the concert to warm applause. The many settings
of "Danish Spring and Summer" reflect the importance that the country has
given to the seasons and its most important composers have clearly
contributed masterpieces to this genre. We we were treated to hymns and
traditional melodies in excellent arrangements, aside from a work by Carl Nielsen.
The dance song Och yung frun brought back fond memories of my trip to
Sweden and had me softly humming the words to myself all the way back home.
Not everyday does one get treated to a choir of such distinction and
capability. But tonight's concert really begged a question, why such a top
heavy programme? The Copenhagen Royal Chapel Choir (CRCC) started the night
with a commissioned work by Palle Mikkelborg (b.1941). This was to last the
entire first half. It didn't matter to them that they would lose
the audience - fast and quick - if the work somehow failed to connect with
them. If there was anyone who was dying to hear the CRCC sing a modern work
in Singapore, it was not apparent in the applause after the first half.
Indeed, I could see audiences shifting uncomfortably in their seats, almost
raising a small hushed din in the house. It was such a pity that the CRCC
could not have programmed a more neutral programme, or to have at least
scheduled Mikkelborg as the second offering, after a more neutral work.
Flaws are few and can be limited to just two: a slight unevenness in the
treble soprano section's blend - but any treble choir director will be able
to explain how excruciatingly difficult it is to teach children to sing this
well. The greater flaw, however, lies in Ebbe Munk's inability to sustain the
entire super-structure of the modern work, it being a series of continuous
part songs, there are many parts I feel fell apart due to lack of clear
direction.
Ng Yeuk Fan heads for duck kway teow in Tanjong Pagar for his supper. Don't you pity all the bak kut teh stallowners in Singapore after JE hit Malaya?
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482: 11.5.1999 ©Ng Yeuk Fan
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