Though it was formed in 1994, it is only this year that I myself have suddenly noticed the existence of this fine 45-member group that comprises The Philharmonic Chorus, partly due I think to its very, er, non-committal name. Having already won awards offshore, the choir (apparently known as TPC) here presents the second of its first full season of concerts, which is the first time it will be accompanied by an orchestra and collaborating with the Singapore Lyric Theatre. The presentation of the rarely-performed-in-Singapore Mozart Requiem is doubly welcome.

After a long time spent tuning up the orchestra, the performance began first with Samuel Barber's beautifully melancholic Agnus Dei, a work transcribed from string quartet and well-known also in its form for string orchestra, the Adagio for Strings, used to depressing effect in the film Platoon.

The immediate impression was the fairly quick pace conductor and chorus master Lim Yau took. Though my fellow reviewer found it too fast, I thought it not uneffective. The slower you sing, the more difficult it becomes; if the Chorus gives a better performance at the tempo chosen, I am only happy for them. The balance of the choir was well-judged, and I was particularly impressed with the soprano and tenor sections, and would continue to do so the rest of the evening. Together, the Chorus produced ample weight to substantiate the heavy load of the text's meaning, and yet retained an airiness to their tone which worked very well with the soaring music. On the other hand, this could be read as dryness of tone (particularly at the beginning of a concert before you warm up). In terms of passion, there was no lack of it: the Chorus demonstrated much intensity of singing. In fact at one point, I was impressively surprised by the sudden soaring of a solo(?) soprano (perhaps Jennifer Lien?) vibrato-ing at one of the climaxes. Normally, this would be considered distracting and/or extrusive, but it was in fact very effective.

What was also very admirable was the programming of the Agnus Dei as a prelude to the Requiem, which continued with no break for applause. (And my thanks to the audience for remaining quiet). The Philharmonic Chorus was substantially much larger in proportion to the orchestra fielded by the NUS Society-Singapore Lyric Theatre, so it was not unexpected that they would be the dominant factor of this performance. Not something to be regretted in this case (if you know me, you know that I detest fielding large choirs in music before the Romantic period), because TPC was indeed the group to watch and listen this night.

The Chorus maintained good and clear Latin pronounciation throughout, and their size surely contributed to the invocation of Handelian grandeur at key moments such as the Kyrie. Even in the urgent Dies Irae, they produced a good weight without being overblown (evident also in the Rex tremendae), generating ample force for the wrathful words, but always well-disciplined for what is still music of the classical period. Lim Yau (left) has obviously prepared them well. The moving Lacrimosa however, was rather less feeling than I prefer. Though the performance was not without grace, Lim Yau went for a more dramatic view, rather than the more gentle, "tearful" interpretation. But the opening prayer of the Hostias was sweet, ending with a very dignified account of the Quam olim Abrahae.

Technically, this choir has a lot going for it. Their phrasing for example, is well-considered and consistently pleasing. In passages demanding strict coordination, say the opening of the Osanna in the Santus, much of the interweaving was excellently delivered. Credit to the tenors and sopranos for the cleanest and clearest runs.

Now the four solo voices each have their "life story". Of this quartet, my heroine is the soprano Jennifer Lien. Though perhaps her sweet "warbler" (not wobbler, please) voice is more suited to a dramatic (comic?) role, she was at least the most distinctive voice in the concert, with the furthest projection range. It should be very interesting to hear her in an operatic context.

In contrast is the rather conservative tone of mezzo Wang Yu, who despite being flawless of execution came across as rather plain and forgettable. On the other hand, it can be said that this voice is more appropriate for a sacred work rather than Jennifer's lyrical birdsong.

But oh dear, we were all raising eyebrows at every audible appearance of tenor Shui Jiang Tian. His was the oddest voice of the four - strangely haggard of tone and rather on the gaunt side, I could swear he had just walked off the stage of a Chinese opera onto the VCH. In the otherwise very well-crafted performance (by all) of the Domine Jesu, his voice was mistakable for that of a mezzo's, or if I am to be really harsh, a failed countertenor.

William Lim's bass is strong, firm but not really deep. I still think that nowadays, basses have a rather narrow cone of projection. I miss those basses whose voices boom across the hall, forwards and sideways. Nevertheless, William summoned enough of the dead in his big solo in the Tuba mirum.

Speaking of the Tuba mirum, I've always found the trombone setting in this movement very clumsy and undignified. As the good set of notes provided in the programme booklet suggest, this was probably the fault of Süssmayr (the guy who finished the Requiem after Mozart's death). Anyway, the interesting thing was that tonight's trombonist, with a few slips, managed to convey the piece without too much drama, and thus delivered for me a rather less overcooked interpretation which I happily accepted.

The National University of Singapore Society-Singapore Lyric Theatre Orchestra (NUSS-SLT Orchestra), the Most Mouthfully-Named Orchestra in the World - proved again to be worth watching. Nevermind the slips here and there, there were many interesting things it provided at this concert. Its weakest spot is the violin section, pitifully too small in size. As music from the 18th century goes, very clean and precise articulation is necessary. I was trying very hard to hear the violins throughout the night, but most of the time they were drowned out by the choir. The opening passages of the Recordare, which I did catch, was indeed the messiest, causing everyone to deliver a sloppy performance.

Of the winds, the trumpets have some very important parts where they, in 18th century fashion, colour and drive the music. These punctuating phrases were not convincingly delivered. The two trumpets fielded would have been more than enough to cover the choir and orchestra, but it was obvious the pair weren't going to take advantage of their privileged role. The result - wasted opportunity. Why? Because when the trumpets appear, they are usually accompanied by the timpani.

What do I mean? My hero of the night was, and this may surprise you, the timpanist Chong Yew Khen. His performance throughout was totally unfazed and majestic - he was completely musically aware of the needs of the music, whether in terms of his very considered control of dynamics, or the distinctively 18th century style of phrasing used. If Yew Khen had added a roll here and there to the final chords, it would have been perfect. The choice of hard sticks emulated to near perfection the sound of the kettledrums used in the Baroque and Classical periods.

The final movement, the Lux aeterna, if a little tired, concluded the short concert satisfyingly - on reflection, I think this is because somehow the performers maintained the mood of thoughtful "Remembrance", almost church-like, rather than that of a concert atmosphere.

Swamped with work, CHIA HAN-LEON wishes for more rest in his life if only to write more reviews.

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330: 1.11.1998 © Chia Han-Leon

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