Opening the Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s new season, as the lights dimmed in the Esplanade Concert Hall, a hush of anticipation blankets the audience. As SSO CEO Kenneth Kwok delivered his opening address, we were promised a season launch that would go beyond music, and bring with it a sense of reflection, resilience, and renewal, as he reminded us of music’s enduring ability to nourish and to heal – a fitting prologue to what would become a deeply emotional and visually stirring evening.

Opening the programme was Erich Korngold’s lush and lyrical Violin Concerto in D major, performed by the prodigious 24-year-old Swedish violinist, Daniel Lozakovich. From the moment he stepped on stage alongside conductor Hans Graf, the hall erupted in raucous applause – a prelude to the music’s own emotional eruption. Korngold’s concerto, steeped in sweeping melodies and golden-age Hollywood warmth, is a work that teeters between nostalgia and nobility. Lozakovich brought a remarkably human touch to the piece – gentle, emotive, and unpretentious. His playing seemed to evoke the human voice itself, speaking of sadness, the yearning, the quiet triumphs – each note was etched with nuance and intention.

As the first movement unfurled, you could almost feel Lozakovich’s empathy for the music. He would smile tenderly at the orchestra after each phrase, and with a casual flick of his hand through his curls, seemed to momentarily step out of time – before plunging back into it with complete focus. Hans Graf’s sensitive direction allowed the orchestra to both support and shine, matching Lozakovich’s depth with warmth and transparency. The concerto’s cinematic spirit came alive especially in the final movement – almost swashbuckling in nature – a nod to Korngold’s film-scoring brilliance and bravado. As the piece surged toward its climax, it encapsulated something deeper: poise, finesse, and a sense of healing. As Kenneth had suggested earlier, perhaps this was what we had come for.

After a thunderous ovation and multiple curtain calls, Lozakovich returned with two encores. During the first, fireworks outside the Esplanade coincidentally lit up the night – a serendipitous echo to the brilliance happening on stage. His concentration never wavered, his command of the instrument spellbinding. One could not help but feel that the violin wasn’t just a tool for performance, but an extension of his inner world – his emotions flowing freely through bow and string.

After intermission, the stage was reset for Strauss’ monumental An Alpine Symphony, rendered not just in sound but in stunning visuals by German musician-photographer Tobias Melle. Projected in high definition above the orchestra, Melle’s photographs, taken over multiple treks through the Bavarian Alps, were perfectly timed to match the music’s narrative arc, from the first light of dawn to the mountain’s peak and eventual descent into night.

Strauss once said, “Now at last I have learned to orchestrate” – and this work, demanding an orchestra of gargantuan proportions, proves the point. From the opening murmurs of nightfall, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra rose to the occasion with clarity, energy, and emotional resonance. The first moonrise, shimmering across alpine ridges, was gently scored by harp and winds – a quiet prelude to what would become a vast and sweeping soundscape. As the cowbells chimed and the storm approached, the orchestra surged with purpose. The thunder machine roared, lightning (courtesy of steel sheets) crackled. And yet, amidst the storm’s chaos, beauty endured.

Each section of the orchestra had its moment – the brass announcing a triumphant ascent, the strings surging with energy, the organ lending a majestic grandeur to the final act. Graf conducted with effortless control, guiding us through glacier, peril, and epiphany. This was a musical pilgrimage and a reflection of nature’s power and of our place within it. By the time we reached the final moments – a return to moonlight, as gentle and mysterious as the beginning – there was a collective sense of peace in the hall. The journey had come full circle.

This performance encapsulates what the upcoming season was all about: of artistic ambition, of emotional connection, of the power of orchestral music to move and to transform. Daniel Lozakovich dazzled not just with technique but with emotional generosity. Hans Graf and the SSO brought Strauss’ towering symphonic vision to breathtaking life, and Tobias Melle’s visuals reminded us of the world’s majesty – and of our fragile place in it. In an age where noise often drowns out nuance, this concert offered space to breathe, reflect, and be still. A reminder, once again, that even in challenging times, music can lead us to the summit – and gently guide us back home.

Photo Credit: Chris P. Lim/Singapore Symphony Orchestra

An Alpine Symphony In Images + Korngold Violin Concerto played at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 18th and 19th July 2025. More information available here