Arts Concert Music Preview Singapore

Music Is: SSO Kicks Off The New Year With An Exciting Second Half Of Its 2022/2023 Season

Following the successful launch of the first half of its 2022/2023 season in June this year, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is promising yet another exciting second half of the season in the new year, featuring performances by Artist-In-Residence Chloe Chua, two SSO gala concerts staged by acclaimed international artists, free community concerts and more.   

The season’s line-up also includes appearances by renowned guest soloists like French pianist Lise de la Salle, English pianist Paul Lewis, pianist Chiyan Wong, Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich and Chinese violinist He Ziyu, who will be performing works by some of the most iconic names in classical music such as Beethoven, Mozart and Stravinsky. Apart from the notable pieces by international artists, the SSO and Singapore Symphony Chorus and Youth Choir will come together in April to present Requiem by Osip Kozlovsky. 

January 

On 6 January, the SSO will be joining hands with jazz pianist Thomas Clausen and his trio for SSO POPS: Tribute to Bill Evans. Led by conductor Jean Thorel, they will pay tribute to some of the late artist’s most recognisable tunes in the Bill Evans Suite written by composer-trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg, as well as Symbiosis, an extraordinary  fusion of symphonic and jazz elements by Claus Ogerman. 

Kicking off the first of her three concerts with the SSO, Chloe Chua Plays Mozart 4 will take place on 12 and 13 January. Led by Music Director Hans Graf, concert-goers will get to witness the young musician’s new take on Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4. In this concert, the SSO will also be performing Bizet’s popular Symphony and Debussy’s dreamy Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun.  

Rounding off January on a high note, SSO Gala: Mahler’s Wunderhorn with Hans Graf and Sumi Hwang is set to deliver an evening filled with poetry, reflection and magnificence on 20 January. Led by Maestro Hans Graf, the SSO will perform Richard Strauss’s valedictory Death and Transfiguration ); Mahler’s famous orchestral song settings featuring rising South Korean soprano Sumi Hwang, and Brahms’s Third Symphony. 

February

Come 11 February, French pianist Lise de la Salle is set to charm audience with her performance of Gershwin’s atmospheric Piano Concerto in F, originally called the New York Concerto. Led by guest conductor Bertrand de Billy, the SSO will serenade the crowd with Korngold’s monumental Symphony and the music of Danish composer Riisager.

On 16 and 17 February, Paul Lewis Plays Mozart Piano Concerto 25 to mesmerise the audience with this concert hall favourite. Thereafter, veteran American conductor Robert Spano and the SSO are set to take the evening up a notch with Schumann’s exultant Rhenish Symphony.

On 24 and 25 February, join renowned pianist Chiyan Wong as he performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 17 with preeminent Chinese-American conductor Xian Zhang in this programme titled Mozart’s Starling. Mozart’s stately 39th Symphony and the intriguing L’Éloignement for string orchestra by contemporary Chinese-French composer Qigang Chen will complete the evening’s programme. 

March 

The month of March is off to a rousing start with the Bruch Violin Concerto and Mahler 5 on 2 and 3 March. Witness Chloe Chua’s immense talent as the young SSO Artist-In-Residence performs Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with acclaimed Dutch-Maltese maestro Lawrence Renes leading the SSO. Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, with the fin de siècle beauty of its famous Adagietto, makes this an unmissable programme.

Music lovers will have plenty of opportunities to experience the beauty and thrill of classical music this month, compliments of the SSO. Led by Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez, the SSO will present a similar line-up of pieces for SSO Lunchtime Concert on 9 March at the Victoria Concert Hall, SSO In Your Community on 10 March at The Republic Cultural Centre Theatre, Republic Polytechnic, and Music in the Meadow on 12 March at The Meadow, Gardens by the Bay. 

On 18 and 19 March, Concerts For Children: Journey Around The World, will provide an ideal opportunity to immerse the little ones in the world of music and allow families to spend quality time together. Look forward to a fun-filled afternoon as conductor and presenter Jessica Gethin and the SSO take audience on a journey to explore the soundscapes of music from across the globe.  

Don’t miss the chance to catch home-grown conductor Kahchun Wong, now Chief Conductor of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, in action as he will be in town for Kahchun Wong and Daniel Lozakovich on 25 March. This one-night only concert will see Kahchun Wong lead Swedish virtuoso violinist Daniel Lozakovich and the SSO in an enthralling performance of Mendelssohn’s popular Violin Concerto, complemented by a new work from Singaporean composer Syafiqah ‘Adha Sallehin and Brahm’s impassioned Fourth Symphony.

On 31 March and 1 April, Artist-In-Residence Chloe Chua, together with Music Director Hans Graf and the SSO, will come together for her third and final performance for this season, Chloe Chua Plays Mozart 3. Witness the rising star continue her Mozart cycle with the immensely popular  Violin Concerto No. 3, framed by the romantic ardour of Schumann. 

April

Choral enthusiasts will be pleased to know that the Singapore Symphony Chorus and Youth Choir will be taking the stage on 7 April for The Kozlovsky Requiem, where they will be performing the 65-minute Requiem by Classical composer Osip Kozlovsky, a masterwork that has been praised alongside the revered counterparts by Mozart and Verdi. Led by Music Director Hans Graf, this Asian premiere will also feature renowned artists including soprano Olga Peretyatko, mezzo-soprano Olesya Petrova and more. 

On 14 April, Music Director Hans Graf will lead the SSO and fast-rising Chinese violinist marvel He Ziyu in an enchanting performance Winds Above The Sea – Hans Graf and He Ziyu, promising a memorable evening filled with great music. The programme line-up includes Stravinsky’s fascinating Violin Concerto, Debussy’s La Mer, as well as Stravinsky’s iconic Symphonies of Wind Instruments

May 

One of the most anticipated performances of this season SSO Gala: Royal Affairs – Kings & Queens of Opera on 5 May will see the illustrious German soprano Diana Damrau and the magnificent French bass Nicolas Testé make a welcome return to Singapore. Attend this regal gala with these stars of the opera world in romantic arias and duets by Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi and more.

On 14 May, let Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez and the SSO take you by the hand to explore the beauty of classical music through their performance for SSO Mother’s Day Concert at the Singapore Botanic Gardens, dedicated to all moms.

Come 19 May, Associate Conductor Rodolfo Barráez, together with the SSO and Singaporean virtuoso guitarist Kevin Loh are set to take audience on a multi-coloured musical trip through well-known orchestral works. From Italian nostalgia to Out of Africa, framed by graceful Viennese waltz, genteel Spanish fantasias, Mexican dance and American Broadway.

End the month of May with the Singapore Symphony Choruses’ first live standalone choral family concert, with all three choirs coming together for Tre Voci, on 27 May where they will perform choral classics alongside contemporary favourites.

SSOLOUNGE 

Fans who wish to enjoy SSO’s music in the comfort of their homes will be pleased to know that there will be a great selection of concerts made available on SSO’s digital concert hall, SSOLOUNGE including Hans Graf & He Ziyu – Beethoven, 1806 on 23 February , The Four Seasons with Chloe Chua on 16 March, Han-Na Chang & Churen Li – Beethoven & Grieg on 20 April, and Stradivari Quartet & SSO on 18 May. 

More information about the SSO here

0 comments on “Music Is: SSO Kicks Off The New Year With An Exciting Second Half Of Its 2022/2023 Season

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: