da:ns festival 2019: Pas de Deux by Raimund Hoghe (Review)

Finding tenderness and connection in the face of seemingly irreconcilable differences.  Raimund Hoghe is a shorter than average 70-year old German man with a discernible hunchback, pale and serious. Takashi Ueno is a much younger Japanese man of average height, slim and lithe. One wonders how the two might even begin to find a point of connection with each other with these distinct physical builds and … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Pas de Deux by Raimund Hoghe (Review)

Preview: VCHpresents Intimate Moments from West to East by Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Intimate Moments’ is a new series of concerts giving audiences the chance to watch, listen and converse with a select musician of the Singapore Symphony family. The concerts are intimate, with this first one held in the cosy Victoria Concert Hall Dance Studio, with a rare chance to get up close to a musician and their instrument. This November, meet violinist Zhang Si Jing with … Continue reading Preview: VCHpresents Intimate Moments from West to East by Singapore Symphony Orchestra

da:ns festival 2019: FULL OUT! (Review)

Living proof that street dance is just as much of an art form as every other production gracing the Esplanade Theatre. It’s hard to believe it’s been over a decade since the Esplanade’s da:ns festival has featured street dance performers on the mainstage. Almost as if to make up for this absence, FULL OUT! features some of the world’s very best dance crews gathering for a single, … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: FULL OUT! (Review)

Preview: Elgar Cello Concerto by Singapore National Youth Orchestra

Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Cellist, Ng Pei-Sian, joins the Singapore National Youth Orchestra as soloist in Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Written in 1919, the Concerto is one of Elgar’s best-loved works. Alongside the Concerto are two other stylistically distinct 20th-century masterpieces. Opening the concert is Malcolm Arnold’s Four Cornish Dances depicting the history, traditions and character of Cornwall, the southwesternmost region of the United Kingdom. Prokofiev’s … Continue reading Preview: Elgar Cello Concerto by Singapore National Youth Orchestra

da:ns festival 2019: Princess by Eisa Jocson (Review)

Someday my prince will come. But not if you’re Pinoy.  Growing up on a steady diet of Walt Disney’s animated films, the current generation of young adults were almost certainly bombarded with a relentless insistence of happy endings and visions of the ideal woman as a svelte, prim and proper princess. The sad reality is, the Disney empire’s brand of happiness would apply only to … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Princess by Eisa Jocson (Review)

Preview: The Night Garden by Jo Anne Sukumaran

The Night Garden marks the debut concert of Singaporean-based, Swiss-trained bassoon soloist Jo Anne Sukumaran, celebrating the launch of her solo album of the same name recorded in Montesilvano, Italy in 2018. The Night Garden is set to be an exhilarating journey of discovery leading audienc members through the dusk, emerging into the light, a safe space for the heart and mind. In a chamber setting, a select … Continue reading Preview: The Night Garden by Jo Anne Sukumaran

Preview: Don Pasquale – An Italian Opera with Singlish by The Arts Place

Marking their debut on the local arts scene, new company The Arts Place opens with a quintessentially Singaporean production – their very own local take on traditional Italian opera Don Pasquale…with Singlish! Reimagining the commedia dell’arte in present-day Singapore with an original script, Don Pasquale features fresh dialogue in English and Singlish, and relatable characters modelled after familiar figures in Singaporean society. The plot follows a young couple in … Continue reading Preview: Don Pasquale – An Italian Opera with Singlish by The Arts Place

da:ns festival 2019: Acosta Danza (Review)

Gravity defying, intricate choreography marrying the discipline of ballet with the richness of Cuban culture. Almost certainly one of the greatest dancers to have emerged from Cuba, Carlos Acosta is a modern legend in the world of ballet and contemporary dance. The first Cuban principal dancer of London’s Royal Ballet, Acosta’s meteoric rise is nothing short of spectacular, and as the opening show for this year’s … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Acosta Danza (Review)

Preview: VCHpresents – Love and Longing, and French Connections by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Rising star Chinese tenor Long Long will be joining pianist Tengku Irfan for a delightful programme of songs and opera arias on Sunday 10th November. Titled Love and Longing, the chamber concert, which is part of the SSO’s VCHpresents season, features music by Massenet, Fauré, Verdi and Gounod. Long Long is one of the most exciting lyric tenors of his generation. Having graduated from the Shanghai … Continue reading Preview: VCHpresents – Love and Longing, and French Connections by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Voilah! 2019: SSO Gala – Vladimir Ashkenazy & Gautier Capuçon (Review)

A lavish opening for Voilah! 2019  Although never positioned as such, it feels as if the underlying theme of the individual battling insurmountable odds runs through the latest SSO Gala’s set. Opening the 2019 Voilah! France Singapore Festival, the concert invites internationally celebrated conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy along with French cellist Gautier Capuçon to perform two pieces by Schumann, and a Tchaikovsky symphony to finish. The gala … Continue reading Voilah! 2019: SSO Gala – Vladimir Ashkenazy & Gautier Capuçon (Review)