by Megha Bhattacharya
Whoever said Western classical music is dying in Singapore obviously haven’t been keeping up with the times! Singapore Symphony Orchestra has been actively working towards keeping the interest very much alive through their stupendous performances that they have on almost a monthly basis and last Thursday, they presented a three fold performance with local composer Terrence Wong’s Five Images, Tchaikovsky’s famous Violin Concerto and Brahms rebellious Symphony No. 4.
It doesn’t have to take a classical music expert to enjoy this concert, as the mesmerising sounds from the violin family kept everyone enthralled throughout. Starting with an in-house composition by Terrence Wong, the evening slowly eased into the beautiful rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto. Considered to be one of the most intricate and complex concertos ever, the leader violinist Loh Jun Hong however did not let it seem to be so at all. He even let his own expressions be reflected into the mood of the piece!
Brahms’ Fourth Symphony followed right after a short break, and the difference between the pieces were evident right from the start. The emotions, tempo and rhythm amongst the different movements of the symphony were brought out really well, so much so that a layman wouldn’t have to know music to understand it, because they could feel it. It was almost as though the notes of the violins, trombones etc were actual lyrical words coming to life.
Overall, it was a wonderful evening of music housed at the Victoria Concert Hall, where it’s charm and applauding audience contributed to the mood of it all. The SSO would have more upcoming performances for this season, so don’t forget to catch them!
Do also stay tuned to Campus’ Facebook page as we have giveaway for their tickets in May!
