I know this is late. But I was busy with work and I had the first few paragraphs already written… so I thought, “why not just finish it then”. My one cents worth of a review.
Traditional Modernity 传统•现代
NAFA Chinese Orchestra 南艺华乐团
NAFA Lee Foundation Theatre
7th April 2016
Do not be fooled by this seemingly ancient art form, the Chinese Orchestra is a relatively new and modern emulation of the Western Symphony. However, the music produced by the Chinese Orchestra is very distinct and full of colour. The modern Chinese Orchestra is made up of four sections: bowed-strings, plucked-strings, wind and percussion. And on this night, instruments from various sections take turns to stand in the limelight and attempt to perform cross genre and break boundaries; new music, new sound and new compositions. Under the baton of 郭勇德 Quek Ling Kiong, recipient of Singapore Young Artist Award, and 倪恩辉 Moses Gay, up and rising conductor of our generation, the NAFA Chinese Orchestra took flight and soared beyond traditional performance practice.
First thing I noticed was the lack of bass instruments. The orchestra adopted an Electric Bass in lieu of the usual borrowed Western bowed-strings, Cello and Double Bass. The 大阮 Da Ruan, from the plucked-strings section, mostly doubled the Electric Bass which proved counterproductive because both instruments did not compliment each other; the Da Ruan was way too soft and often swallowed by the Electric Bass. The Electric Bass did not blend very well with the acoustic instruments of the Chinese Orchestra. Throughout the concert, it seemed to be floating alongside the orchestra and more often than expected, the Electric Bass stands out alone and I found it pretty annoying after the first few pieces. The Cello and Double Bass could lend a helping hand when it comes to harmonizing with the other bowed-strings instruments such as the 二胡 Erhu or 中胡 Zhonghu, which clearly was something the Electric Bass failed to do. The rich tonal colour of switching in between arco and pizzicato playing of the Cello and Double Bass also could have made the orchestra sound better, but I figure that maybe the Electric Bass purposefully provided the Chinese Orchestra with a twist and effectively brought out the characteristics of varied genres which they attempted that night.
The oxymoron, ‘Traditional’ and ‘Modernity’, suggests an interesting or exciting juxtaposition between traditional techniques or pieces with a modern or contemporary approach. I was hoping for avant-garde pieces but on closer look at the concert highlights, I thought this may be pretty intriguing too. I will not go into detail of the concert pieces. I will just mention various thoughts that went through my head when I attended the concert.
The first few numbers performed by the orchestra under the baton of Moses Gay saw an obvious and clear influence of blues and other jazzy patterns. Although not in its basic form, the blues progression was distinctive and immediately recognised. Through the first few arrangements, by notable composers such as 罗伟伦 Law Wai Lun, 沈文友 Sim Boon Yew, 陈家荣 Tan Kah Yong and Eric Watson, the orchestra broke the stereotype of how a Chinese Orchestra would sound, from playing style to overall music arrangement, and she was true to the theme of the night.
At some point through the first few pieces, I felt like I was listening to a mini recital held by the 管 Guan musician. He was really good considering the fact that he has not graduated from the performance diploma program. I think he is also only in the first year. Or second year now. During my time as a student, I have never heard a good Guan music student play. I seldom hear it in tune. But this night, I did. It was beautiful. But not all sections were as stylish as this young talent.
The percussion section in particular went awry during 《北京一夜》 One Night in Beijing. The conductor, however, managed to keep every musician intact despite me having the constant feeling that the percussion section may go off track again. There was something about the arrangement which got me pretty disappointed too. It felt like a prelude to something bigger. The introduction was written in a traditional operatic style and likewise for the ending. The traditional material came back, and tempo became almost malleable which suggested a development or an introduction to a new segment. However, as the percussion section starts to build up a good drive of sixteen counts… the piece ended. I should have known when I heard the same motif played by the 唢呐 Suona before the percussion entered. Nonetheless, the entire arrangement of a 《北京一夜》 One Night in Beijing, which is originally a 90s mandopop song, was graceful and pleasing to the ears.
《天网》 The Celestial Web is a big work. I felt it was slightly out of place after Sim Boon Yew’s arrangement of Leroy Anderson’s Horse and Buggy. After being led down a street of popular jazz arrangements, I got pushed to another which had a solemn and more serious setting. Do not get me wrong, this grand work of Law Wai Lun is divine and I welcome it at any occasion. But to be placed immediately right after a lineup of jazzy arrangements, I felt it was jarring for my listening experience. Sitting right beside me was Koh Min Hui, SCO Ruan musician, and we were reminiscing good times when we performed the same piece ourselves with the SCO for Chingay 2008. Such fond memories…
Despite the placement of 《天网》 The Celestial Web, the orchestra showed a mature and cultured side of her under the baton of Moses Gay. The piece lies somewhere between ‘Traditional’ and ‘Modernity’, the performance reminded her audience that the NAFA Chinese Orchestra could easily adapt between modern arrangements and classic Chinese works. The choir part which feature poetry by Cultural Medallion recipient and multidisciplinary artist 陈瑞献 Tan Swie Hian was instead narrated by two students from the NAFA Theatre Department. The narration was expressive and dramatic. The text was thoughtful and provoking, suggesting a very new-age ideology.
Then, toilet break.
The second half of the concert was conducted by Quek Ling Kiong. Music presented on the second half were attractive and distinctively contrasting: 《摇滚2002》 Hard Rock 2002, 《麻将好友》 Mahjong Kakis, 《小字条》 Little Note and 《绚彩江南》 Colours of Jiangnan.
杨培贤 Yeo Puay Hian’s Hard Rock 2002 kicked the mood back on track after the intermission and gravity of The Celestial Web. 颜志文 Yan Zhi Wen who was the original composer was not mentioned in the program or did I get my facts wrong. No matter, hearing an arrangement of the late Yeo Puay Hian was heart-warming. I believe most musicians of my generation would have met or worked with Yeo somehow, especially plucked-strings professionals.
Eric Watson’s Mahjong Kakis displayed a wider and diverse colour in terms of chord use. I felt like I was hearing colours! The chord tone used is unique and subtly alluring, it is like hearing red and slightly different hues of red. The orchestra was emulating a jazz band with a catchy melody and groovy rhythm. Among the other pieces in the program for the night, this piece by Eric Watson has got to be true representation of the theme of “Traditional Modernity”.
陈子谦 Roystan Tan is no stranger to us all. He is a gem to our local film industry. Most importantly, he is truly artistic and truly local. Little Note is a short film, premiered in 2009, which tugged at the heartstrings of the filmmaker’s father. I have watched it myself several times with this same arrangement with a Chinese ensemble or orchestra. If you have not, I will not spoil it for you. Do click below for the video of NAFA Chinese Orchestra’s 《小字条》 Little Note. Do prepare two pieces of tissue if you are an emotional person, and one piece will do for the manly burly Hercules kind of guy.
The final piece for the night was 王丹紅 Wang Dan Hong’s 《绚彩江南》 Colours of Jiangnan which featured three soloists. All the excitement was made for this “triple concerto”. On the 二胡 Erhu was 黄晨达 Sunny Wong, Head of Chinese Instrumental Studies of NAFA Music Department, his wife 俞嘉 Yu Jia on the 琵琶 Pipa as well as 尹志阳 Yin Zhi Yang on the 笛子 Dizi. The husband and wife duo has always worked the stage, and no less this night on a stylish single-movement work with the three soloists as lead instruments. The melodious motif is borrowed from the traditional 江南丝竹 Silk and Bamboo Music of the Jiangnan region of China and embellished with colourful modern chords. The piece lacks of any technical passages however reminds her listener that it is not always necessary to be difficult to play for it to be called a good piece. Sometimes it is equally challenging to captivate the audience with accurate periodic performance style or flavour. I will end off this blog entry with the much anticipated performance of 《绚彩江南》 Colours of Jiangnan by the NAFA Chinese Orchestra, under the baton of Quek Ling Kiong, with the soloists.
If you are interested in finding out more about the other pieces they performed, it is all made available on the 南洋艺术学院音乐系华乐学科 NAFA Chinese Instrumental Studies’ Facebook page. Click here.
gildon c. 