SSO Chamber Series: Mendelssohn and Vaughan Williams
- albertlwj7
- May 26, 2014
- 2 min read
SSO CHAMBER SERIES
MENDELSSOHN PIANO TRIO/VAUGHAN WILLIAMS PIANO QUINTET
SOTA CONCERT HALL
25 MAY 2014
An edited version of this review was published in The Straits Times on 27th May 2014 under the title "Quintet's great work saves the day"
The Chamber Series organized by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra showcases their musicians in this more intimate setting, often joined by guest musicians. In this latest installment, pianists Pang Siu Yuin and Albert Tiu were the invited collaborators in Mendelssohn’s Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor and Vaughan Williams’ Piano Quintet in C minor respectively, with vastly differing results.
While much has been made of Mozart’s tremendous musical output in his short life, it has been oft overlooked that Mendelssohn was arguably a more prodigious pianist and composer with a similarly brief existence.
His Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor remains one of the most popular work of the genre today, with its grand sweeping melodies and thunderous dramaticism reviving the “golden age of music”. Notorious for its treacherous passages requiring virtuosity of the highest level from its performers, the trio has proven to be the pitfall of lesser musicians. Joined by violinist Hai-Won Kwok and cellist Yu Jing, the performance never threatened to reach its peak.
In a curious occasion of safety-first, neither its subliminal virtuosity nor melancholic yearning were given its rightful place in the music, and in this case half of one and half of the other did not make a whole. Despite occasionally tickling the listener’s palate with hints of picking up the pieces, the group fell short of sweeping the audience off with its grandstanding gestures.
Violinist Kwok’s genteel sound infused elegance in places where more muscle was required, and under these circumstances Pang struggled to not overpower the string players with the multitude of notes in her score. Even the faerie-like music of the dancing sprites in the third movement failed to sparkle. Perhaps the only saving grace of the performance was cellist Yu’s soaring tone and musicianship, but her efforts in resuscitating the performance proved futile.
The second half of the programme perhaps prevented the concert from being a disappointing debacle. Vaughan Williams’ Piano Quintet in C minor, while lacking in the nationalistic maturity of his later works, was a work which saw the composer’s first steps in breaking free from his youthful influences and impose his own style.
Partnered almost to perfection by pianist Tiu, the group of violinist Chan Yoong-Han, cellist Ng Pei Sian, violist Gu Bing Jie, and double bassist Yang Zheng Yi took the work by the scruff of its neck and delivered a reading that alternated between being loquacious and heart-wrenching.
The quintet’s near-impeccable ensemble work were most pronounced in the chorale-like sections that saw the strings match each other flawlessly while being interjected by Tiu’s masterful range of light and shade.
Its Brahmsian harmonies and romantic passion were in full force, and even if the electrifying nervous energy sustained throughout resulted in fleeting moments of hesitant intonation, capped off a thoroughly satisfying performance.
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