Inspired mix of classical and neo-classical music

REVIEW / CONCERT

SSO MOZART & STRAVINSKY: MUSIC ON THE AIR

Singapore Symphony Orchestra - Hans Graf (conductor)

Esplanade Concert Hall (recorded/streamed)

Last Saturday

This second streamed concert under the direction of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra's (SSO) chief conductor Hans Graf was a clever juxtaposition of classical and neo-classical styles, exemplified by the music of Mozart and Stravinsky.

The Adagio and Fugue by Mozart is somewhat out of the ordinary for the composer.

Opening with a dark, menacing slow section, it has a strong, rhythmic fugue devoid of the lyricism that listeners expect from Mozart.

Graf directed the 17-player string ensemble in a powerful performance, liberally over-dotting the Adagio theme for extra punch. The Fugue that followed was taut and suitably strong.

Stravinsky was one of countless composers who greatly admired Mozart. Graf picked Apollo, one of several ballet scores he was commissioned to write for Ballet Russes.

The ballet centres on Apollo, leader of the muses, who is visited by the muses of dance and song, mime and poetry. Stravinsky drew from baroque, rococo and classical influences in this work, but the music is uniquely his.

Very different playing emerged from the SSO strings, with excellent solos from the four section leaders and a brief, witty solo from Karen Yeo on bass. At times, the playing tended to the romantic, but this piece was a refreshing foil to the intensity of the Adagio and Fugue.

Another Stravinsky-Mozart pairing made up the virtual second half of the concert.

The Octet For Winds by Stravinsky is for an unusual ensemble of flute, clarinet, two bassoons, two trumpets, tenor and bass trombones. The composer has written about the use of "classical" forms in its three movements - sonata, theme and variations and fugue - and the Octet is regarded as one of his pioneering compositions in neo-classical style.

Graf joined the winds un-masked in this and the following piece.

Seeing so much more of a conductor's expressions may have been a factor, but whatever the case, the SSO winds were fabulous - playing with superb sound, ensemble and style. There was not a weak link among the eight.

A sense of enjoyment could be felt in the second movement, and Li Xin (clarinet) and Liu Chang (bassoon) were sparkling in the final movement fugue.

As suddenly as the sound opened up in the Octet, it darkened in the closing work, Mozart's Serenade In E Flat, K.375 for winds.

Written in five movements for two each of oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn, it has two fast outer movements, two minuets in between and an exquisite slow movement in the middle.

Graf is a master of Mozart, but the contrast in sound and articulation between neo-and "ur-" (original) classical seemed too stark. Fortunately, the Serenade picked up with each movement, and there was a rousing finale to the piece.

The programming for this concert was inspired.

Within the constraints of player numbers and instrumentation permitted, Graf has selected works that show how the past influences the present and the future; and how music can be so different, yet similar.

The SSO is finding its feet in this new order of recorded medium, and the Stravinsky Octet was a performance to remember.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 01, 2020, with the headline Inspired mix of classical and neo-classical music. Subscribe