Music Is: SSO Concerts Back in Full Swing This May 

To celebrate the return of a full orchestra back on stage, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) has unveiled an exceptional line-up of concerts this May and June, spotlighting works by Beethoven, Schubert, Sibelius, Elgar and Dvořák. 

Look out for appearances by international guests such as acclaimed German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott, Swiss conductor Mario Venzago, British baritone Roderick Williams, “Piano Battle” pianist Paul Cibis, and British soprano Keri Fuge, as well as local stars including Singaporean baritone Martin Ng, flutist Natalie Ngai and theyoung talents of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO).

May

Kickstart the month on a high note with Elgar Cello Concerto and New World Symphony on 6 May, starring the SSO, German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and guest conductor Mario Venzago as they come together to present three of the world’s favourite orchestral masterworks: Sibelius’ Finlandia, Elgar’s Cello Concerto, and Dvořák’s New World Symphony. 

On 10 May, British baritone Roderick Williams together with German pianist Paul Cibis will take audience back in time as Williams vocalises the poetic yearnings of lovers, soldiers and travellers. Titled VCHpresents Chamber: Roderick Williams in Recital, the programme will feature selections from the lovelorn songbooks of Schubert and Schumann, as well as songs from the English tradition. 

Accompanied by the SSO, Roderick Williams will also grace the stage with British soprano Keri Fuge and Swiss conductor Mario Venzago on 13 May to present a musical retelling of Emily Bronte’s novel, Wuthering Heights. Watch how the “Beethoven of Hollywood”, famed film music composer Bernard Herrmann, recreates scenes from the novel with an orchestra and two vocalists. Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, with its universally recognised fateful opening, makes a powerful prelude to this concert, titled Beethoven’s Fifth and Wuthering Heights. 

Catch Singaporean baritone Martin Ng as he joins hands with musicians of the SSO  to put together VCHpresents Chamber: Remembering Schubert I – Winterreise and Rosamunde – the first of a three-part series of concerts, dedicated to showcasing the works by Austrian composer Franz Schubert. Specially curated to give listeners a glimpse of Schubert’s richly melodic music that is filled with poetry and soul of unparalleled depth, VCHpresents Chamber: Remembering Schubert II – Music for Piano and Strings will take place on the same weekend on 1 May. The series wraps up on 15 May with VCHpresents Chamber: Remembering Schubert III – Death and the Maiden, featuring the composer’s famed Death and the Maiden Quartet, one of the greatest legacies left behind by the composer. 

End the month of May with the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) Percussion Ensemble, as they present an experimental programme featuring the works of American avant-garde composer John Cage, on 27 May.

June

Witness the young talents of the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO) in action again this month as they showcase one of their own, flutistNatalie Ngai to present SNYO in Concert: Vivaldi Piccolo Concerto and Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony on 17 June. Led by SNYO Principal Conductor Joshua Tan, Ngai is set to take the audience to the mellifluous heights of Vivaldi’s trademark woodwind wizardry, before the full orchestra regales the crowd with the sumptuous melodies of Dvořák’s Eighth Symphony. 

The VCHpresents series this month shines the spotlight on organists Evelyn Lim, Loraine Muthiah, Diana Kostova and Yap Wai Hoong as they come together for the family-friendly VCHpresents Organ: Whose Hill Is This? on 18 June. Follow them on a journey as they tell a story through their music about how two bears search for a home to call their own. Prior to the concert, attendees can visit the organ exhibition, located outside the concert hall, to learn more about the pipe organ. 

In addition to all the live concerts, fans can continue to enjoy SSO’s music in the comfort of their homes with a free digital release of Flurry of the Flute (Online) on 12 May, featuring SSO’s Principal Flutist Jin Ta performing the challenging 1934 Flute Concerto by French composer Jacques Ibert, and two masterpieces from the Germanic symphony canon: Haydn’s aristocratic Symphony No. 95 and Mendelssohn’s imposing Symphony No. 1. Led by Chief Conductor Hans Graf, the performance will be made available free on SSOLOUNGE. 

More information available on SSO’s website