Saturday 18th September, 1999 Victoria Concert Hall	Young People's Concerts It's Carnival Time at the SSO!
	Carl Maria von WEBER Abu Hassan Overture Charles Camille SAINT-SAËNS The Carnival of the Animals Margaret Chen narrator Mime Unlimited LIM Yau conductor

OVERALL NOISE RATING: 2 (The kids were well behaved, but the parents were naughty for bringing their mobile phones.)

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

The Young People's Concerts are always something I look forward to. Though I no longer consider myself within the targeted age group for these concerts, there is always something to learn and enjoy no matter how many years you've listened to any of these great pieces.

This week's YPC was I think well-conceived and seemed to me a success in many ways. The theme "It's Carnival Time at the SSO!" was played to the full. Not merely a reference to the musical highlight, Saint-Saëns' Carnival of Animals, but invoking a sense of fun, not commonly associated with attending a "serious" classical music concert. Colorful balloons and streamers found their way around the corridors and stage of our antiquated Victoria Concert Hall, as children ran up and down the marble stairs with their faces painted. The novel pre-concert activities worked; I'm sure many kids had a great time and were already excited before listening to the orchestra!

In the concert hall, my feelings were mixed. Weber's Abu Hassan Overture, though thematically linked to the overall concept, did not work as well musically. Some untidy string ensemble playing during the 6pm session aside, the overture itself sounded rather flat. Hardly a piece of music that I would use to enthuse young audiences; it was greeted with only a polite applause. By the end of the concert, I concluded that this piece could have been dispensed with, and there would have been no great loss to the programme.

The Carnival of Animals has always been a favourite of mine, musically depicting animals not just by imitating their sounds but by many amusing anecdotes. A skit before the piece started showed a boy practising scales on the piano and finding them boring. Later these "scales" would be found within the piece, trying to demonstrate how these "boring" scales could become musically interesting in context. A nice idea, I thought, but one not quite whole-heartedly executed; the idea was somewhat wasted as it was not followed up upon.

The SSO's performance was lively and attractive. The two piano soloists Low Shao Ying and Low Shao Suan, flautist Evgueni Brokmiller, clarinetist Jean Johnson and cellist Wang Xiao Lan all deserving of praise. Mime Unlimited, presenting themselves as the 'Z' Friends, were an act complete in themselves. Creatively using an assortment of pails and mops, they depicted these animals as the orchestra performed the music.

Narrator Dr. Margaret Chen explained the animals depicted in turn, and called to the children's attention some of the composers ideas and use of particular instruments for various effects. Dr. Chen was clear and succinct, minus the occasional problems with the microphone, trying to reach out to the young audience with some degree of success. I thought what worked was when she pointed out the tune of the "Can Can" before the section on the tortoise. That made the audience appreciate the parody and humour of the music. What certainly didn't work, was the bit where she asked the children to make a "fish face" some time at the end of the section depicting fishes.

Though I think the audience (including myself) had a lot of fun during the performance in general, I thought there were things that could be improved. First of all, entertaining as they were, Mime Unlimited stole the show from the orchestra in a big way. Certainly much more focus could be given to the music and to the orchestra. Arguably, the aim might have been just to entertain and show that classical music is not just boring. Then I think the SSO ought to consider expanding its music education program to include older children to follow up on the enthusiasm they have generated. I have yet to see concerts targeted at Primary or Secondary school children where surely there can be more focus on the instruments in the orchestra and music itself.

One of the high points of this concert, unappreciated by most of the young audience, is the welcome return of Lim Yau. It is heartening indeed to see him back on stage with the SSO again, and I look forward to more exciting collaborations beyond the familiar repertoire he is conducting this season.

I look forward to Dolly (from "Under one roof " not Schumann) telling us stories with *gasp* Stravinsky, Poulenc and elephants at the next YPC. Now, that is something all of us should gallop down to see!

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Adrian Tan prefers Kentucky Fried Chicken to McDonald's Fried Chicken - those beanie babies are so ugly anyway.

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