Saturday 23 November 1996 Victoria Concert Hall	Singapore Symphony Orchestra
	This is the Flying Inkpot's first SSO review. GABRIEL FAURE Pelleas et Melisande Suite, op. 80 (1901) ANTONIN DVORAK Violin Concerto in A minor, op. 53 (1879-80) NIKOLAI RIMSKY-KORSAKOV Scheherazade, op. 35(1888) SHUI Lan conductor

OVERALL NOISE RATING: 1 (Only one slammed door - a miracle concert!)

The Noise Rating Index is a partially objective measurement of pager blasts, 9pm and 10pm watch beeps, coughing-during-the-pianissimo-bits and other really inapt noises emitted in the concert hall during the music itself. It is measured on a scale of 0 to 5, in increasing annoyance.

It *was* a little daring for Shui Lan (left) to begin his unofficial debut (officially 1st Jan 1997) as the new Music Director of the SSO with the gossamer wisps of Faure's suite from Pelleas et Melisande, rather than - say - a loud, festive overture. But to those who sensed, as this writer did, the powerful intimacy between the music, musicians and conductor - the feeling that this was going to be the beginning of a very important phase of the SSO's history and development was very pleasing indeed...

Shui Lan captured the ethereal elusiveness of the score, its shifting colours as well as the darker moments of the music with a delicacy mixed with an underlying tension that prevents sentimentality from setting in, even in the famous "Sicilenne." It was indeed an adequately "French" performance, delicious yet elusive, the SSO wafting along with the rather mercurial style of Shui's conducting.

What was even more impressive was the performance of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade , a large-scale symphonic tone poem based on themes from the Arabian Nights. Bearing in mind the cultural mix of the SSO, including Russian, East European and Chinese, it was fascinating to see the orchestra respond in a wide range of exotic (but not to native Asians of course!) colour, sultry atmosphere and festive brilliance. Leader Alexandre Souptel played the solo violin invocations of Scheherazade's theme with sensitive rubato and musicality, beautifully embellished by Barbara Markiewicz on the harp. Like the rest of the orchestra and its conductor, they brought a palpable and engaging freshness to the work - the famous themes did not sound cliched at all.

In the second movement, "The Story of Prince Calendar," parts of the score calls for the entire string section to use pizzicato, strumming like a giant guitar. After setting the rhythm, Shui Lan stopped conducting/beating, allowing the orchestra to play on its own. Whatever the results - which in this case were good - this act alone demonstrated the great degree of trust between conductor and orchestra, something which I have also seen between the SSO and Okko Kamu, their principal guest conductor.

Comparing the SSO's performance with Karajan's 1967 recording of the work, I was a little surprised, and pleased, that our very own orchestra did a much better job! Despite good sound and playing, the Berliners were simply too rigid with a work that should be played with sensuousness and sinuosity of line.

The concert also heard a performance of the Dvorak violin concerto with soloist Kurt Nikkanen. A good rendition, though perhaps lacking slightly in the driving Dvorakian furioso. Nikkanen's tone was itself a little stretched - a greater degree of focus would have benefited the performance. Nevertheless, despite inaccuracies in the top register, a performance to pay attention to, if not to remember. Nikkanen announced the title of his encore before playing - something everyone should do.

To conclude, it was a historic night that ended with an encore of Brahm's Hungarian Dance No. 1, played with much gusto and "danciness." It was a long concert, and Shui Lan, perhaps aware of that, and to the amusement of the audience and orchestra, led Souptel by hand off the stage, waving goodbye. Everyone sure got the message!

The more important message was that in Shui Lan's hands, we should be able to hear more of the real SSO in the future. And any violin students who left after the concerto should regret missing Scheherazade.

Chia Han-Leon is a regular concert-goer who thinks that pager-carriers in concert halls should be made to sit in front of the trombones, fff.

Click to Return to the Concert Index!... or Visit the Inkvault archives!