Saturday 23rd October, 1999 Victoria Concert Hall	Familiar Favourites Baroque Classics
	Johann Sebastian BACH Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major, BWV 1048 Tomaso ALBINONI Oboe Concerto No.2 in D minor, op.9 Johann Sebastian BACH Orchestral Suite No.2 in B minor, BWV 1067 Georg Phillipe TELEMANN Viola Concerto in G major Georg Frederic HANDEL Water Music Suite No.1 in F Alix PENGILI oboe · Evgueni BROKMILLER flute Jiri HEGER viola · Bart FOLSE conductor

OVERALL NOISE RATING: 1 (a quiet evening)

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

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable concert, not just for the fact that the SSO only programmes Baroque music once in a blue moon, but for the mainly proficient and sensitive instrumental playing.

Now that I've got that out of the way, let me, um, indulge in authenticity, Baroque historical performance and all that jazz. Even if you don't agree with me, let's try to make this an educational exercise. (Which is not to say that I'm a qualified expert; just that otherwise there isn't much else to review in a Baroque concert...)

Let me focus on two issues which haunted me the entire night. (1) There was a conductor, the indefatigable Mr Bart Folse; and (2) the Historically-Informed Performance (HIP) thing.

The first thing that struck me as the Brandenburg Concerto launched off was how funny it looked to have a conductor "conducting" it. No offence intended, Mr Folse, it just seemed like it didn't matter. In the case of Bach's Third Brandenburg Concerto, it looks even more ridiculous - how does one "conduct" (read "wave stick in rhythmically congruent manner to pulse of music") those running semi-quavers of the outer movements? They really run by themselves, and if the orchestra doesn't get it together, no conductor waving a stick is going to save them! (Remember, during the 18th century, there were no conductors as we know of today).

My point is that according to HIP, as is practised all over today in period orchestras, the leader in such a performance is the guy/gal leading the continuo, typically the keyboardist. In effect, during the first and final movements, the dominant (intended or not) presence of a conductor seemed to combine logically, if undesirably, with the fact that Shane Thio on harpsichord was virtually completely masked. I didn't notice his part until I deliberately listened for it. Even when I heard it, the mindless chinkling without any presence or decoration is very outdated today.

On the other hand is the middle "movement". Bach apparently wrote only a one-bar Adagio, consisting of a two-note chord which nonetheless (by his great genius) provides a highly evocative bridge between the two fast movements. One performance method is to play as indicated. The other is to have the orchestra improvise - which is what the SSO did. Or rather Shane did. I was delighted to finally hear the harpsichord in the limelight, but although I have heard many wildly different interpretive takes on this "movement", this one was the oddest of all. The improvisation was strange, or to put it more effectively, rather "unbaroque" - that distinct Baroque character simply wasn't there. In fact, it sounded distinctly more modern, maybe even something contemporary. It went on and on, and felt overdone, overcooked. This wasn't the only time this strange style would appear.

Though there were wrong notes aplenty throughout the orchestra, I wasn't bothered at all. The SSO, in appropriately reduced numbers, sounded quite balanced, with some very nice solo playing from the front row string people. I was amused to note that their normal slightly astringent, even acidic tone actually made them sound like period instruments.

One thing I was looking out for was whether the players, particularly the soloists were going to use the Baroque trill, which begins on the top note, as opposed to the normal (Classical) trill. It turned out to be a bit confusing, as I could hear both being used. My conclusion was that the Classical was being employed reflexively, while the Baroque trill appeared where the score happens to facilitate or indicate as such. It was a little irritating for me to hear the wrong trill, but mainly because I am very particular about Baroque music sounding Baroque. It will probably not matter to those who do not follow the HIP movement.

Now this is not merely a matter of taste, elitism or me nit-picking. Beyond the fact that the "cultural" differences between Baroque music and non-Baroque music is sometimes as diverse as in, say, Chinese culture and American culture, sometimes it really does matter to the music.

Take for example the two suites played tonight. The Baroque "suite" is essentially a collection of dances nurtured as an art form by the French (and later adopted by others). If you consider this as I do, then you might see how ineffective the music is if you do not play them like dances. You need not even play them so that people really danced to them (which they used to in Baroque French opera), but play them simply as abstract dances, or musical exercises in dance form (which Bach's Orchestral Suites appear to be).

In the Orchestral Suite No.2, which was generally well-done, I was appalled at the flat-footed clumpy style in which the Polonaise was played. There was absolutely no feeling of the dance, as the notes were read straight off the score. The skipping rhythm characterising the polonaise was completely missing. What is interesting is that anytime you see someone playing like this, it can mean only two things: either it is deliberate, or someone hasn't done his homework. This is more than just a matter of knowing what Baroque music should sound like, but also a very personal understanding of its very soul. Playing Baroque music without this "spirit" is as bad as playing Jazz or Chinese traditional music straight from the score, without ornamentation or their particular brand of "cultural nuances".

But let me not imply that solo flutist Evgueni Brokmiller was bad. He was very good. If the tone is sometimes a little small, it was mellow. His ornamentation and additions to the solo part were, again like Shane's, very unusual. Again, I would say it is overdone, and sounded distinctly like it was some 20th century French flute concerto in action. Occasionally, this was quite distracting as I wondered what Bach would have thought.

I found the Rondeau uncomfortably fast - in fact, so ridiculously fast it again made Folse's attempt at "conducting" this music looked really pointless and funny, because it was plainly obvious he had no say about the tempo.

No repeats were taken except in the short and famous Sarabande (recognisable as the most popular Bach ring tone on Nokia handphones - that's ring tone 21). Though I was half-heartedly disappointed by the performance, here the soloist made me sit up and won my admiration. Again it was done extremely fast, but everything articulated finely in authentic spirit. What was most interesting was that after the melody was completed once, for the recap Brokmiller virtually completely overturned the score, effectively rearranging it in a fascinating display of the art of improvisation which demonstrated not just his skill but the vibrant character and Baroque splendour of this music.

I overheard much praise for the performance of the Albinoni oboe concerto after the concert, and do very much agree, op.9 no.2 being one of the loveliest of Albinoni's collection (thanks for not playing that Adagio). It was a lively performance, with soloist Alix Pengili's small and sweet tone nicely showcased, with only an appropriately light touch of vibrato. The Italian atmosphere of the middle Adagio was exemplary, and though I mentally flinched at the Classical trills, I enjoyed this very much.

We were also treated to a very noble performance of the Telemann Viola Concerto in G, with Heger's dark tone, powerful strokes and very manly, regal interpretation. His reading was tastefully unindulgent, sporting a majestic cadenza; a lively and spirited reading from soloist and orchestra, with tightly sprung rhythms worthy of HIP.

The concluding performance of Handel's Water Music in the Suite in F was a bit of an anticlimax - long and protracted, I could see the audience getting more and more bored as it wore on. Although Baroque pieces are comparatively short, programming ten movements from the collection of dances Handel wrote for King George I's river excursion is a bit too much - the concert ended at around 10.25pm. Perhaps Fireworks would have been better.

Anyway, speed is an issue again. I was wondering: why take the Overture so fast? Rushing tempo also ruined the Air, which has a very lusciously bouncy dance rhythm - it's really very infectious despite its moderate tempo, but not when you play it flat-footed. As far as I'm concerned, Folse also should not have paused between the Overture and the following Adagio - a very unusual practice considering the way the latter picks up as if in media res from the former.

There was some lively and brash playing from the horns. I must also highlight the very good support from the basso continuo of cello, bass and bassoon. But all was ruined by the final two movements, where messy ensemble was the order of the day. But most of all was the simple fact that conductor and orchestra treated the music as absolute music, missing the spirit of the dance, or of the brilliant vibrancy of the Baroque. Treating this music as absolute music turns it into muzak, which is responsible for the reputation of Baroque music as such among some listeners and collectors. Believe me, it is simply not true.

Chia Han-Leon is not quite ready for Y2K - need to buy more Bach CDs first.

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