Saturday 30th September 2000 Victoria Concert Hall	MASTERS SERIES Two Pianos at the SSO
	Antonin DVORAK (1814-1904) Scherzo Capriccioso op. 66 Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791) Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in E-flat major K 365 César FRANCK (1822-1890) Symphony in D minor Dennis LEE & TOH Chee Hung pianos SHUI Lan conductor

OVERALL NOISE RATING: 2 - (An appreciative crowd, only thing was I sat next to a family with kids and one of them decided to do some of- stage conducting- we definitely have a replacement for Lan Shui in 25 years time).

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 performance started of with a work that is no stranger to the SSO. Beginning on a strong note, the orchestra rushed through the Dvorak with a strong sense of orchestral virtuosity. The buildup to the finale, which is terribly difficult, was well-executed and the audience was aware of this triumph and greeted the ending with thunderous applause. You could tell immediately that the SSO was in form, and such a good opening piece set the mood of the rest of the night.

Penang Mutiara Dennis Lee and his wife Toh Chee Hung were hosted by the Friends of the SSO at a dinner party on the evening prior to the performance. Benjamin Chee was there to report on pearls of wisdom and insight shared by Malaysia's first professional concert pianist: On becoming a concert pianist It's a very gradual process. When you're a student at a music college or conservatory, sometimes people will write into the Royal College (of Music), asking them to send their students out for a wedding, or a dinner engagement, lasting maybe one hour. They may ask for, say, one flute, one violin and one piano, so you might get fifteen minutes on your own instrument. Hopefully, as you keep on doing this, someone in the party may like you well enough and ask for you next time to do a whole programme on your own. But you must play your best, because you never know who is in the audience. It could be someone very important, a conductor whom you do not know. Therefore it's also important that you give of your very best, even if there are only five people, because one of these five may be a conductor or a festival director who'll come back and give you a number of engagements. On training at the conservatory I'm sad to say that the current system doesn't put enough emphasis on the performance aspect. For example, you get only one hour a week on your first instrument, and half an hour on other instruments. If you are a pianist, that simply isn't enough. You might be lucky to get six Beethoven sonatas, perhaps a handful of the Mozart sonatas, and other pieces, but when you consider the repertoire of the concert pianist, what is that ? It simply isn't enough, so a lot of it you have to explore on your own, putting in your own effort and picking up other pieces. On music competitions Certainly, getting a big break will jump-start your career. But you have to proceed carefully. You have a lot of young musicians who come in first prize in a prestigious music competition, and suddenly they are famous, they get sixty engagements for the next year. And they are simply not ready for it and burn out. It's not just knowing and being able to play the music, but you also need to have that physical stamina, and mental stamina to be always on the move, travelling and playing. On playing the concert circuit Sometimes it's important to pace yourself, because of the demands of modern performance. There are musicians who say, I'm going to play so many engagements, and if I give everything of myself at every performance, I will have nothing left. So when they play, they only give a bit - technically, enough to get them through the piece - but at the same time, also keeping something back. And modern audiences, who can buy music albums and listen to recordings of good performances, can judge when you hold back. They are not that easy to fool in this day and age; they can tell the difference in the sincerity of your performance. On dealing with your enemies Sometimes musicians take on more than they can handle, and they end up doing a performance which they are not fully prepared for. Sometimes it's preferable to cancel the engagement if you are not ready, rather than go ahead with it. If you play badly, people will remember and talk about it for a long time. Your enemies will remember it forever, and use it to attack you. But if you cancel and don't play an engagement, they can't say anything. On playing together We play together now about twenty percent of the time. Sometimes it depends on the engagements that we get, the market demand for two-piano works. I also have to mention that it's not as always as lucrative - two people playing doesn't always mean double the engagement fees, but you still have to pay for two airline tickets, two meals at a restaurant. On critics and when they give bad reviews (aka Tip-of-the-Day for Hostile Critics) It is important to remember that nobody ever starts out intentionally to give a bad performance.

It is seldom that we get to hear concertos for two instruments, be it as double concertos for violin and cello or two-piano concertos which only a few composers have embarked to write. The notable ones are by Felix Mendelssohn, Poulenc, Mozart and Brahms. There are however scores of works for two pianos if you actually search around. It’s a real wonder why Rachmaninov never wrote a double-piano concerto although he wrote some lovely double piano works.

It's always interesting watching a double concerto: I for one watch for certain things such as the coordination between partners, the bond and expressiveness that when rendered well leave a lasting impression. In recent times the recorded performances that have impressed me most in terms of this particular concerto have been those by Brenda Lucas and John Ogdon, Ashkenazy and Daniel Barenboim (when they debut in London in 1966), and the two French sisters Katia and Maria Labeque. There is a sublime and understanding bond displayed, as if the relationship is unbreakable. Granted that the latter were sisters and Brenda Lucas and John Ogdon were husband and wife, one is immediately drawn to their performances for the common understanding that each exudes when they put their hands to the keyboard.

If one was expecting a virtuoso performance from Mdm Toh Chee Hung and Dennis Lee (above), you would have been disappointed. At first I liked this manner in which Ashkenazy and Barenboim played, but when done in the lyrical way as tonight's duo did, I found myself looking at the music from a different perspective.

Chee Hung with her feminine touch and clear perspective was clearly the supporter and this was expected - the music was structured this way anyway; while Dennis Lee dictated the pace. There was always a strong sense that they knew what each other was going to do.Entries were always spot on, runs clear and trills and filigree played with panache more so for Dennis Lee than Chee Hung.

Shui Lan did not rush through the opening bars like he normally tends to but was more attentive to both players. Mind you, conducting a double concerto poses "double" the problems it could normally entail and the orchestra performed in true Mozartian style. Phrasing was always well sculptured especially in the second movement. I did feel that the more prepared one was Dennis Lee - Toh Chee Hung appeared to experience some fluidity problems in her runs and at times seemed a bit smudgy. Secondly her part seemed a bit soft in the third and final movement, which seemed to diminish her authority as the second pianist - I would have loved to hear her stamping a bit more authority.

I was looking forward to the performance of Franck's Symphony in D minor more than any of the other works. Franck's piano works are terribly difficult and he is no different in his orchestration of this particular symphony. It is no wonder that when it first premiered it was met with scorn and hatred, plus angry protests. However over the years this symphony has reached the status of other great symphonies.

Shui Lan has to be congratulated for committing this piece to memory, and having had a seat right in the front, his attention to detail was clearly evident. The first movement including the other two movements was never rushed despite it having a marking of Allegro ma non troppo after the introductory lento and I quite frankly enjoyed the pace.

The divisi between sections was always well-controlled, andit was evident that the sections had practiced their parts well. Cellos were particularly well coordinated, while the woodwind gave a spirited performance especially the flutes and clarinet which marked out some of the underlining themes clearly. The brass echoed out the tuttis strongly and affirmatively in true Wagnerian style.

What was also clearly evident was the underlying understanding that Shui Lan brought to the music - the brooding mood and the dramatic finishes in the first and third movement brought and elevated the symphony. Vincent D’Indy wrote of this symphony "it is a continual ascent towards pure gladness and life giving light because its workmanship is solid, and its themes are manifestations of ideal beauty".

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774: 9.10.2000 © Johann D'Souza

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