Friday 8 March 1999 Victoria Concert Hall |
Chen Yi Percussion Concerto - World Premiere Subcription Series |
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Hector BERLIOZ Le Corsaire Overture, op.21 CHEN Yi (b.1953) Percussion Concerto Robert SCHUMANN Symphony No.3 in E-flat major, "Rhenish"
Evelyn GLENNIE percussion |
OVERALL NOISE RATING:
5 (that blasted handphone ... and of course, the decibel rating of the percussion concerto was earth shattering)
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 Adrian Tan
The composer's intentions to "bridge" the Eastern and Western musical traditions prevail in this work, using primarily Chinese musical themes, Chinese percussion instruments (an assortment of drums, gongs, cymbals), Western compositional techniques and a Western orchestra. The composition itself deserves credit as compared to other works of its kind, at least to as far as this reviewer has encountered.
I am of the opinion
that I was listening to something new, vital and in every sense of the
word ground-breaking. To say the least - the music was loud and attention-seeking. But seriously, repetitive comment that this music is either too
noisy, too blatant or too one-dimensional simply does not do justice to
this remarkable work. Chen Yi's Percussion Concerto does not reduce to
cacophony because it demonstrates an in-depth understanding of both
Western and Chinese music devices and uses them to immense effect.
If the
music was indeed too loud for too long - the appropriate description to
use should be "unrelenting". I love the meandering string runs and the
effective use of brass in capturing Beijing Opera wayang theatrics. The
subtlety is obvious if one is not distracted by the clearly more attention-
seeking percussion antics. Hence, this reviewer begs a repeat hearing
of this significant concerto already.
Glennie's hands go berserk over
the multitude of boom and clang machinery - absolutely remarkable - I
accord it the must-see-to-believe status. Her reading of the poem is
admittedly a letdown. Try as she might, she will not capture the essence
of that poem for obvious reasons and I put it to Chen Yi the question:
Wouldn't a seperate reader/singer have produced a more miraculous effect?
Yes, less glamorous, perhaps a (Chinese) soprano and percussion double
concerto as it would become - but what the heck! this is a new work, isn't
it?
It is not easy to find a balance between the refinement of Western
orchestral instruments and the all-showy Beijing operatic tok-tok-chang,
as I grew up calling it [So did I - Ed.]. Chen Yi's concerto comes close and I wager it to be the most succesful percussion work in a long time.
P.S. In the teaching of orthopedics in the UK, a light-weight space-age
mirror is installed at an angle above the patient's bed so that the
teaching doctor could demostrate the examination of orthopedic problems to
an entire class of students at one go. The SSO can perhaps do the same so
that the audience in the stalls can see the various percussion instruments
and Glennie's handiwork.. during the concerto.
Chen Yi has created a tour de force to showcase Glennie's incredible skill while maintaining a relatively simple part for the orchestra. There is ample evidence of excellent orchestral writing and effects that demonstrate a competent, creative mind at work. On first hearing, I thought there was insufficient exploration of the Chinese themes that Chen employs. These themes are extremely familiar to us as they figure prominently in the musical heritage of our legacy (or in the case of the poem in the literary heritage - so much so that some of us know it by heart) and it was a pity that they were not given enough emphasis.
The work on these themes would surely have been as interesting and fascinating as the percussion writing, and would have added another dimension to this work. At certain points, I question the authenticity of the percussion writing in the light of the reference to Beijing Opera. Then again, confining to the rhythms of the traditional opera will certainly not make a percussion concerto. As a whole, it is still a highly effective and exciting work that Chen Yi has contributed to the literature, and one that I am certain will receive more attention and performances. Chen Yi is a contemporary composer to be reckoned with; Shui Lan may have inadvertently added our orchestra's name to the canon of a composer that will be noted in the 21st century.
The performance itself was close to spectacular (that handphone that refused to stop ringing is going to go down in history). It begins with the hall in darkness, with three "spotlights" on stage that I'm sure is not part of the piece; certainly the glaring light that came on later certainly added to the drama. Shui Lan and Evelyn Glennie quietly entered the stage and the piece begins with an atmospheric sounding of gongs, notably fine-tuned to figure harmonically in the piece as well. The mysterious opening of the first movement "The Night Deepens" then builds into an exciting dance that features the dagu (literally "big drum", accompanied by the full orchestra.
The basic problem with this entire performance became apparent rightaway. The percussion soloist literally drowns the orchestra! At the volume that the Glennie played, it is almost inevitable that the drums, gongs, cymbals and edged sounds of marimbas hit with hard mallets inevitably upstaged the dominant string writing. It is perhaps because of this that any exploration of the theme became undiscernable.
"Prelude to Water Tune" is a realization of a famous poem by the Chinese poet Su Shi of the Sung Dynasty, and requires the soloist to recite the poem in the exaggerated style of Beijing Opera while playing on the percussion in support of the voice. Glennie sings with an appropriately nasal tone at some points, and most amazingly, in perfect pitch for one who went deaf at the age of 12.
This led me to wonder if the poem itself was necessary in the composition, especially if it cannot be understood. The 'realisation' was certainly non-existent from the rest of the orchestra, the strings playing mainly glissandos that created the effect of horror and suspense more that parting sorrow as suggested by the poem. The way Glennie performed, however, conjured the image of a drunken poet reciting a poem while accompanying oneself with various percussion instruments. Watching her, the rest of what was going on could almost be ignored. I thought this was the weaker movement of the three and one that demands a little more accounting for from the composer.
The final movement "Speedy Wind", as the names suggests, is quick and utilises a fixed rhythmic pattern used in martial scenes in Beijing Opera. I found this to be an interesting idea, as this rhythmic pattern is familiar to almost all who know Beijing Opera, and is the crux to the excitement of the battle scenes on stage. A solo cadenza towards the end of the movement brings to the forefront a set of tom-toms and the gongs that began the work, returning in the climax for a spectacular finish. The audience burst straightaway into enthusiastic applause - a triumph.
The SSO's performance of Hector Berlioz's Le Cosaire Overture was, to put it simply, swift and dismissive. The reading sounded badly under-rehearsed: ensemble was inadequate and there was this feeling that the musicians didn't know what to "say". To put it in another way, the performance was superficial and bland, paying scant attention to any sense of interpretation. This is simply unacceptable as we know very well that our SSO is certainly more capable than this. What a disappointing start to what is supposed to be a historical event! (It still is). This performance marred an otherwise interesting evening.
The treatment of Schumann's "Rhenish Symphony" also seemed rushed and superficial. Shui Lan opted for a brisk tempo through most of the movements that only worked occasionally as it undermined the broad grandiose lines in Schumann's writing. The first Lebhaft would have benefitted from a more stately pace to enable the musicians to sound more confident. The Scherzo had moments of delicacy and wit, especially towards the end but generally sounded messy. The best of the lot for this reviewer was the fourth movement Feierlich which though less than introspective as a visit to a majestic cathedral would inspire, Schumann's beautiful harmonies and the sensitivity of the SSO musicians resulted in some beautiful moments. Particular mention must be made of the SSO horn section which featured prominently and performed remarkably well in the symphony. Principal horn, Han Chang Chou, contributed an impressive solo.
For an encore, Shui Lan chose the Pizzicato Polka, which though always a fun piece to listen to, seemed like an odd ending to tonight's concert (besides sounding under-rehearsed as SSO encores tend to). The pizzicati were a mess, and Shui Lan in a humorous mood added some unexpected surprises that caught some musicians off-guard. The audience giggled at the mistakes - I wonder if that's what the orchestra was after. But I guess if one can enjoy it, that's all that's required.
The world premiere of Chen Yi's Percussion Concerto, the first-ever commissioned work by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, is the highlight of tonight's concert. Evelyn Glennie, percussion virtuoso extraordinaire, graces our stage once again with her dazzling virtuosity. Composer Chen Yi was in attendance, giving the audience a brief introduction of her music before the performance.
Chen Yi: Percussion Concerto
Reviewed by Ng Yeuk Fan
This is the most significant premiere since God knows when...in Singapore
at least. The previous one was hyped a lot but did not deliver what it
promised, no prizes for guessing which one. Anyway, I want to talk about
Chen Yi's new work... fascinating indeed it was.
Her pronounciation of the words were far from accurate, in contrast to what Chen Yi had claimed in her pre-performance introduction, still laden heavily with the Western accent. Knowing the poem well enough, I could understand the first few and final lines of the poem, but what went on in-between was almost unrecognizable.
I cannot imagine any other soloist on this concerto except Evelyn Glennie. Her dynamism and intense performance is at the heart of the music, as she maintains the rhythmic and dramatic pulse for the entire work, inspiring the orchestra and the audience. Visually, her concentration and movement around the array of percussion instruments was the focus of attention. Having seen her in her past performances in Singapore under the baton of Choo Hoey, I believe this is her most successful one yet. Here is a lady of exceptional talent and is clearly one of the most exciting soloists in the world today. I hope she graces our stage again and records this concerto with the SSO.
Adrian Tan thinks that the SSO should employ a sniper at the balconies to shoot unrepentant handphone carriers.
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