Saturday 28 November 1998 Victoria Concert Hall	Music Masters Series Rachmaninov Cycle IV
	EDUARD TUBIN (1905-82) Estonian Dance Suite (1957) SERGEI RACHMANINOV Piano Concerto No.1 in F-sharp minor, Op.1 (1890-1, rev.1917) JEAN SIBELIUS Symphony No.1 in E minor, op.39 (1898-9) Stephen HOUGH piano SHUI Lan conductor

OVERALL NOISE RATING: 3 (Well, it appears to be flu season.)

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

According to the notes, Eduard Tubin would be alive at 93 years old. Thanks, but he died in 1982. I have heard only a couple of his symphonies and a handful of miscellaneous orchestral works, including a Suite on Estonian Dances for Violin and Orchestra which is different from this Suite. Basically, I'm no an expert on his works, which enjoyed a surge of attention after his death, when the Swedish record label BIS championed the composer.

The SSO's performance was sonically speaking, sound and colourful, showcasing the bright, accessible music. Ensemble-playing seemed a little unsure - my feeling is that this is attributable to difference in culture. Somehow the reading seemed undistinctive - more notes and sounds than anything Estonian. Whereas there is a whiff of America in the Rachmaninov, and Finland in Sibelius, the Tubin seemed empty. The SSO played well, but their understanding of the music seemed to lack character. For a suite based on dances, there wasn't any sense of dancing momentum. I found myself entertained but my mind and thoughts were a blank as to what the music was doing. But as I said, I know too little about Tubin to be a proper judge. Nevertheless, it was an interesting choice in an interesting programme, and I welcomed the chance to hear some 'live' Tubin.

Most of the audience, filling up most of the hall, without doubt came to catch the very well-known British pianist Stephen Hough ("Huff" as in "tough" - thanks, Shzr Ee), perform the last of the Piano Concerto concerts in the SSO Rachmaninov Cycle (save the "Paganini Rhapsody" this weekend). I have no preference between Rach's four Piano Concerti - to me the First or Fourth is as listenable as the popular Second or Third. I was thus doubly pleased to hear such a convincing and dedicated account of the First by Hough. It was simply a breath of fresh air.

Stephen Hough on Friday (27 Nov) ... as recounted by Johann D'Souza The Rachmaninov Cycle is turning out to be a major event for the pianophiles in Singapore. Last Friday, we were once again treated to the highest standards in piano-playing. Stephen Hough, who has bagged many prestigious international recording awards like the Diapason d’Or, the Deutscher Schallplattenpreisthe and most recently another Gramophone Award (1998, Instrumental category) for his Hyperion album of piano music by Fredrico Mompou. There is a particular sense of insight in his performances on record rarely found in others. On Friday I was even more pleased to hear him in person, from the beginning he displayed a titan's force in the explosive initial entry - you just couldn’t help being riveted to your seat. While the Russians are also noted for their virtuosity and insight when playing Russian music, there are times that these works lack imagination or a breath of new life. Hough on the other hand displayed all the characteristics of a virtuoso but once again it was the X-factor which makes him stand out from the crowd. This is Rachmaninov’s favourite concerto and Hough displayed that sense of excitement from the energised introduction of the opening octave chords, done in a powerful con fuoco manner. Along with the first movement's "vivace" marking, Hough clearly put fire and life into his playing. Hough displays a surprisingly varied sense of colour in the most subtle of passages. His sforzando peddling was a joy to watch as was his superfluous runs done with a legatissmo rarely seen. Chords were held out and given a breath of fresh air. This was done with just the correct amount of space and released with the correct amount of pianistic thought. All modulating arpeggios were given life and recapitulations were varied, avoiding repetitiveness. Shui Lan held the orchestra in full control and while there were occasions when they did seem to go off slightly too fast, they were quickly reined in to give ample space to the soloist. Hough's cadenza was slowly lured in and made to look like that of the "Rach 3" cadenza, with virtuosity and a strong sense of bravura. His second movement was introspective and sostenuto (sustained) chords were balanced and totally controlled. The third movement was done with yet another refreshing sense of vitality. Although this concerto was revised some 26 years after its completion, you cannot but notice the mature Rachmaninov's style of composition. This is where Hough displays great understanding and one is able to sense the resonance of maturity, such as that in the third movement in the Third Concerto. At the end, one cannot but appreciate why Stephen Hough has won so many awards hands down. For his encore he played his own piano arrangement of O Danny Boy, otherwise known as The Londonderry Air. A new Schubert recital disc will be out soon and a second disc of encores (including his own arrangements) on Hyperion is due in mid-1999, so watch out for them. There are also plans for recordings of concertos by Rachmaninov and Mozart.

Placed before the SSO's very finely etched and balanced accompaniment, Hough was totally in his element. His playing is at once fiery in strength, yet cool and articulate in execution; with convincing technique. His notes ring out with assurance to the spectator and audience, and yet he is constantly rooted in his own world, exuding a nonchalant confidence. No nervousness, no faltering. This guy is one hot pianist and a cool dude.

Hough brings out the Americaness of this early concerto - the year Rach revised it was the year he left Russia forever. There is a whiff of Gershwin that fits into Hough's beguiling "aloofness" perfectly. His touch is beautiful - I listened with utter disbelief as that contraption called the VCH concert grand sang (albeit where it wasn't trying to imitate a muffled xylophone).

In the Andante this is even more keenly felt. Hough's touch here has a Debussyian distancing, floating just out of reach. His fingers seem to have their own intelligence, operating not just at his command, but with their own sensibilities - Hough's flurrying runs are indecipherable to the ear, and yet they never seem blurred. Meanwhile, conductor Shui Lan intermittently popped from behind the piano lid gesturing dramatically at the SSO, which responded to him sharply. As the Concerto thundered into its final bars, the result was pure fusion.

As an encore, Hough played his own piano arrangement of "Hello Young Lovers" from Richard Rodger's score to the musical The King and I. Like the Concerto's slow movement, it featured Hough's magical pianissimo touch, and rude coughing aside, totally memserised the audience.

The notes say that "in its formative stages, [the musical language of Sibelius was] strongly influenced by ... Grieg and... Tchaikovsky".

Life isn't that simple. First, Grieg excelled in miniature forms, not symphonic ones. By the time of his First Symphony in 1899, Sibelius had completed the Kullervo Symphony (his first attempt at orchestration), the tone poems En Saga, Four Lemminkäinen Legends, the King Christian Suite, Finlandia as well as the Karelia Music - I can hardly see how these compare to Grieg.

As for Tchaikovsky: the early Sibelius shared a similar musical language with the likes of Tchaikovsky and Borodin - Finland's eastern border is shared with Russia. But to say he was influenced by Tchaikovsky is like saying Bach was influenced by Vivaldi - yes, some truth, but the statement hardly does either any justice. Indeed, Sibelius detested comparisons with Tchaikovsky; and the "Nationalist" aspect of his music existed because it was a weapon against Russia, which held Finland under political oppression from the early 19th century.

Why am I saying all this? First, because I am offically certified a resident Nutcase, hence I am mad. Second, because Shui Lan's refreshing reading of Sibelius' First Symphony this night proved again, to me at least, this argument. As a fellow reviewer interestingly pointed out, Shui Lan's reading of the work justifies the claim that Sibelius' First Symphony already looks away from the Romantic era, towards something more akin to modernism.

Sibelius chose a solo clarinet over a timpani roll to be the beginning of his symphonic canon. Tonight, principal Ma Yue did the honours - quiet and mysterious, he drew the misty curtains open. He could have afforded more dynamic variety - the solo ranges from mf to ppp, with at least twelve crescendo/diminuendo markings. Nevertheless, it was not uneffective.

Impressively and rightly, Shui Lan saved the fortissimo for the entrance of the heroic, jagged trumpet theme. This thrusting theme, difficult to get right because of the deceptively simple-looking triplet at the end of the phrase, was in turn excellently phrased and tremendously powered by the SSO trumpeteers.

The transparency of the symphony, evident in all Sibelius' orchestration, came through satisfyingly. Alongside Shui Lan's intelligent moulding of the developing motifs, the winds hymned above harp above bass pizzicato - such natural clarity is hard to achieve even in manipulated recordings, and it takes a well-disciplined orchestra to achieve 'live'.

Nevertheless, Shui Lan's highly dramatised view of the work can be deemed controversial. His phrasing and control of tempo, although receiving great response from the SSO, is a little too deliberate. The range of tempo he draws from the work is very wide, far wider than any conductor I've heard in this symphony. This deliberation shows the seams in the score, exposes pedal points, splits colours and creates many awkward pauses of silence. This was very obvious in the Andante.

All this is in-line, however, with Shui Lan's dramatic interpretation - which is not uneffective, just unusual. I may not entirely agree with his interpretation, but Shui Lan has my admiration for his consistency in his vision of the symphony - this is true conducting. It was an educational experience for me to hear it played like this - Shui Lan should consider playing the Second Symphony, whose raging second movement fits well into this kind of reading.

The Andante showcased the beautiful playing of the winds (particularly the woodwind birdsong and horns) as well as the harp (in the capable hands of Elizabeth Wooster). But somehow the windswept landscape of Finland was not there - I guess this is the cost of Shui Lan's less Romantic view. His deliberation also disunified the sequence of slow and fast passages - fast was very very fast, though exciting! Slow passages were played with relish, as in the final bars, hushed, nicely sustained. Taken individually, these passages were played with great concentration, for which the SSO has my admiration. But I think the performers should bear in mind that utmost in Sibelius' symphonic thought is the concept of organic unity - all passages should relate to each other, and not seem to be detached.

But detachment, or as "modernists" are wont to say, "fragmentation", is a key component of modernist thought - it is unsettling and thought-provoking. Deliberately.

The Scherzo began at a nice tempo: Shui Lan caught very well the violent thrust of the opening pizzicato passage, but kept things firm enough to allow the excitement to come through. The frantic score was not played with total precision, but the attempt was brave, and did not falter, which is the most important thing about this movement.

The finale was the most receptive to Shui Lan's pauses. The dramatism and precision of conductor and SSO gave ample momentum to the chase passage, a Sibelian hallmark. The performance was fierce, even noisy, reaching suitable heights of Romantic grandeur, blazing in heroic tragedy. Despite an over-excited Souptel coming in too early, the ending was magnificently anguished.

The First Symphony's first movement ends with two anguished pizzicato chords, doom-laden and tragic. The Symphony as a whole also ends with the same expression, and by extension it can be said that the first movement as a part of the whole projects the ending of the entire symphony. It is therefore important for any conductor of this symphony to "recall" the first movement's end with the whole work's end. This Shui Lan and the SSO did satisfyingly, and to these poignant notes, the audience burst into enthusiastic response.

For the encore, I thank Shui Lan for choosing Sibelius' Andante Festivo. There is a story to this piece: On New Year's Day 1939 (the sad year World War II began), Sibelius was asked to conduct a piece of his own music to be broadcast to America as a greeting to the world at the World Exhibition in New York. He chose the Andante Festivo, originally for string quartet and arranged for string orchestra and timpani. Arriving late at the Helsinki radio station where it was to be played and recorded 'live', Sibelius (left) had only one chance to rehearse the resident orchestra. After one run-through, he said to the performers: "Play with more humanity" - and the broadcast began.

The SSO and Shui Lan played the music as it is: simple, honest - it has a humanity that is very hard to miss. My heart leaped when the strings opened into the final chords. The 1939 radio broadcast of the Andante Festivo remains the only recorded legacy of Sibelius' conducting. This is my first 'live' encounter with this heavenly work, which was played at the composer's funeral. Hearing it 'live' is so heartwrenching that I almost dare not hear it again. Almost.

The Inkpot Sibelius Nutcase is a subjective person completely subjected to his own biases and personal preferences. When Johann D'Souza is free, he cracks up the Nutcase.

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