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Friday 1 May, 1998 Victoria Concert Hall |
The National University of Singapore Society-Singapore Lyric Theatre Orchestra |
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GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Music for the Royal Fireworks (1749) SERGEI PROKOFIEV Symphony No.1, op.25 "Classical" (1916-7) GIOACHINNO ROSSINI Overture to The Barber of Seville (1816) WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART Symphony No.41 in C, K551 (1788) LIM Yau conductor |
OVERALL NOISE RATING:
2 (cough, cough. Cough. beep-beep. Beep.)
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.
The ticket for the Inkpot Classical Music reviewer was kindly sponsored by his good friend. Who proceeded to leave the ticket at home. So thanks also to the kind VCH usher who let us in on good faith.
Chia Han-Leon
Come on guys, think of a better name. However one tries it, this one just doesn't work. "Nooselet Orchestra". "Ann-You-Ass-Ass-Ass-El-Tee-Orchestra". Try writing "NUSSSLTO" in an article and see how many people take you seriously. I'll start first.
As many non-professional, variably assembled orchestras go, there are the usual flaws. I say this from my playing experience in the NUS Symphony Orchestra. Throughout this inaugural concert, there was evidence of inaccurate tuning, imprecise ensemble, and the usual wrong notes. More significantly, the performances often lacked zest, needed more kick.
BUT I am very pleased to say that the virtues of this new orchestra are many, and they convinced me that it has much potential which I feel will be fulfilled in the near future. With these points off my chest, let's get on to the music.
The programme incidently, was an excellent one - it was not only very friendly, but was a good mix of pieces spanning three periods of music. Even the SSO fails to do this. In addition, three out of the four composers are very important composers of opera (Prokofiev composed opera too, but his are less well-known/performed). All this makes a good test of the NUSSSLTO.
Otherwise I was pleased to find that the musicians had some sense of the accented dancing (sometimes chugging, sometimes swaying) rhythms of Baroque music. Overall a brave performance, which would have been even better with more zest.
I've played the Rossini Barber of Seville Overture several million times with the NUS Symphony and know of some of its potholes. The NUSSSLTO gave a good reading with little technical faults, but the style was somewhat too smoothed over. Like the Italian language, the score is full of short staccato sounds, and this didn't come over much. Indeed, while it was very interesting to hear a chamber orchestral version of the work, I thought I missed hearing some instrumental lines.
More than I expected: I wish them all the best.
Singapore's "newest" orchestra, the NUSSSLTO is a "part-time" semi-professional orchestra which evidently will be the main ensemble of the Singapore Lyric Theatre's opera productions from now on. They were last seen "in the pit" at the SLT's splendid production of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream in September 1997 (Click here for review). Home-based at the LaSalle-SIA College of the Arts, it consists of university students and professionals from various walks of life. The NUSSSLTO's Musical Director is Lim Yau, who left the SSO recently as its Associate Conductor, and is devoting himself to the Singapore Philharmonic Choral Society, and opera. Going by his achievements in recent productions, this is a most welcome step for him, and all of us here.
Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks tests the orchestra's clarity, coordination, rhythmic sensibilities and sense of ornamentation. It all began on some rather sour notes, but as the Overture got into "Allegro" gear, the performance perked up and was a delight. The fast music was delivered with a good sense of the music's pulse, and was energetic in spirit. The strings in particular played with a nice unified tone, and the trumpets negotiating the festive runs were bright and jubilant. Praise for the added trills as well. The woodwind were occasionally messy, notably in the Bour閑, and attention sometimes lapsed.
In Prokofiev's (left) "Classical Symphony", Lim Yau sacrificed tempo for technical accuracy. This is not surprising, because the score is quite a nightmare. The last movement is well-known as a Woodwind Killer. The conservative tempo adopted is either lethargic or relaxed according to tastes. The outer movements, though sluggish, still managed to sound playful and mischievious - good clarinet by the way. The Larghetto was pastoral in a Mozartian way, but as it wore on became a very drowsy affair. The Gavotte was chamber-like and well thought-out. To the performers' credit, they got through this hellish score with relatively few (audible) errors. Again, a courageous choice in the programme.
Likewise, to hear Mozart's 41st Symphony played by a chamber orchestra was a boon. Despite their size (strings 6:5:3:2:2), the NUSSSLTO sounded grand and large. The first movement was well done, if faintly out of tune. The Andante cantabile needs a little more grace. Interpretively, their performance was very fine, and the understated emotions of the piece could be felt - this orchestra definitely has something going for it. The Menuetto was again a little too sluggish, and had a whiff of a slow waltz about it. The final movement was the best - within the chamber balance, I heard more than the usual harmonies and instrumental lines which I remember. Like the first movement, Lim Yau took this pretty fast, and generated an ample sense of excitement in good late Mozartian fashion. An impressive and enjoyable end.
Chia Han-Leon would rather die than be made to play another Rossini overture...
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