Title : SSO Christmas Concert 2011
Date : 13th December 2011 (7.30pm)
Venue : Esplanade Concert Hall
This was going to be my first SSO Xmas Concert. I bought the
tickets via SSO really early as I had missed it for the past 2 years running
(no more tickets). Even at such an early date, I didn’t manage to get my normal
prime seats but on the 2nd tier at the back.
Well .. it was an orchestral performance anyways so nothing much to see. So the
event started at 7.30pm and was there at 7pm after running from RP to the
Esplanade.
They started out brightly with White Christmas (orchestra
only). It set the mood for the evening. Light and flurry .. but yet very heart
warming. I felt the hairs on my arms stand in anticipation of what was in store
for me the rest of the evening. The narrator did a good job in his opening
intro and I totally agree with him that it doesn’t feel like xmas until the “arts
start the xmas programme.” For me the highlight of the first half of the
concert was the 4 Dances from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and Silent Night. The 4
dances were well done full of feelings and yet very precise. Silent Night was and
still is a traditional hymm / carol MOST synonymous with Christmas. It was the
first “sing-along” carol and I think the audience needed to get warmed up. It
didn’t help that most people only know the first verse (me included). Yes the
other verses were printed in the programme book but the lights WERE off in the
hall. I felt the Carol of the Bells was quite well done with bars of other
carols inserted in. It sounded like a mess but it all came together very well
in the end if you listen to all the parts wholly rather than lets say just
focussing on the woodwind section.
The second half started again brightly with an all-time
favourite Sleigh Ride. This was followed by the Waltz of the Flowers again from
Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. The harpist was almost perfect in her introduction.
Standing ovation to her !!! Every note was plucked at the perfect pitch, volume
and timing. Perfect !! Of course the rest of the orchestra also held their own
and were very good.
From a long time ago, “O Holy Night” has always been my all
time favourite Xmas carol. It is a Carol which is regularly not done properly
because I feel that it requires quite a wide range to hit the high notes and
also good control to mainly a steady voice over the “fall on your knees bit”
which is sustained pretty long. I have to say that the choir were barely heard
during this rendition. (Actually the choir was barely heard throughout all the
vocal pieces.. this may be due to my FAR seat..mind you I was still on the
first floor) I think also the audience were all warmed up already and they
belted this out heart-and-soul. It may have not been the most accurate or
technically-correct sung version of O Holy Night I have ever heard but singing
it out together with so many other voices in the audience & choir while
being supported by the SSO is one of the most magical feelings and totally sums
up the spirit of togetherness over Xmas.
The fun song of the 2nd half was Rudolph. The
orchestra did an excellent jazzy-bigband-classical version of this fun carol. I
could see the audience jiving to the music and the attending children were very
thrilled by it as well .. especially the “neighing” at the end.
Mr Lim Yau and his orchestra, kindly did an encore of “We Wish
You a Merry Christmas” to our delight !!
Overall, it was a very good concert with superb conducting
of a deservedly well-decorated orchestra. All pieces performed were full of
emotion and really captured the essence of Xmas.
A special mention to the narrator, Mr William Ledbetter, who
kept the entire concert lively with his candid comments.
Again I stress that it may be because of my seat (Row CC), I
was unable to hear the choir clearly. At times it was difficult to hear the
actual words that was being sung and the blending of the various vocal parts
was not as harmonious as that of the orchestra. Also it would have been more
pleasant if the ladies in the choir were dressed in “generally similar” colors.
There were a few members in green, some in red, one in beige etc. This kind of
diminished the visual impact of the choir.
This is an event which I will definitely attend again in
2012 and be a part of my yearly calendar. This time I will make sure I book my
tickets EVEN earlier.
.... its beginning to feel a lot like Christmas ... thank
you SSO ....
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