AntonioLucioVivaldi(1678-1741)
ViolinConcertoinFminor,RV297‘L'inverno’(Winter)
fromLequattrostagioni(TheFourSeasons),Op.8,No.4
Allegrononmolto
Largo
Allegro
RaymondTio,violinsolo
AstorPiazzolla(1921-1992)
Arr.LeonidDesyatnikov
InviernoPorteno(BuenosAiresWinter)fromCuatros EstacionesPorteños(TheFourSeasonsofBuenosAires)
ArrangedforViolinandStrings
RyanTan,violinsolo
JohannStraussII(1825-1899)
Anderschönen,blauenDonau(OntheBeautifulBlueDanube), Op.314
ÉmileWaldteufel(1837-1915)
LesPatineurs,Op.183(TheSkaters’Waltz)
PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky(1840-1893)
SelectionsfromTheNutcracker(suite),Op.71a
Tea:ChineseDance
DanceoftheMirlitons
WaltzoftheFlowers
Concert duration: ~1h, with no intermission
Dear esteemed guests, fellow friends, and loved ones – a warm welcome to NTU CAC Symphony Orchestra’s concert, Dal Segno: Dancing in the Snow!
We are a young symphony orchestra founded in 2019 – just before COVID-19 took its toll – with our roots dating back to 1994 as the now-defunct NTU String Orchestra. After 25 years, we made a bold decision to expand our soundscape and repertoire. As we continue to build upon our soundscape and strive for growth, we believe that while our journey to maturity will be a long and perhaps even difficult one, it is undoubtedly a rewarding and fulfilling one.
Tonight, after a year of recovering from the hit we took from the COVID-19 restrictions, we are proud to be having our second concert with full symphonic orchestration. We are very thankful to finally be able to rehearse as a full orchestra. In the time we had together after transitioning back from playing in smaller chamber groups, we have worked tirelessly to not only rebuild the orchestra soundscape, but to also push the limits of the orchestra and our individual members.
Tonight’s concert features two soloists who are committed members of our orchestra: Raymond, our Concertmaster who has seen through thick and thin of the growth of the orchestra since his first year with us in 2019; and Ryan, our in-house multi-instrumentalist belonging to the best of both worlds (violinists and violists could disagree). We would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation for their extra time and commitment, and for communicating, delivering, and inspiring musical conversations within our rehearsals.
Inspired by the season of giving, Dal Segno: Dancing in the Snow celebrates the gift of music – the medium that enables us to connect and share with you the spirit of the season.
In the same essence, we would like to extend our deepest appreciation to all the support that we have received over the past years – including but not limited to – the NTU CAC Symphonic Band for their gracious instrument and admin support; NTU Cultural Activities Club and Student Affairs Office for their continued support towards our programmes; our sponsors for extending a helping hand to make this event possible; the sound and lighting technicians for their expertise and support; our members – for loving and celebrating music-making as passionately and fervently as us; our guest players – for extending their support and passion for music-making; and last but not least – the audience, for making all of this possible.
In music, Dal Segno (from Italian for “from the sign”) is used as a navigation marker, often as an instruction to repeat certain parts of a music. As we conclude the first semester of this academic year, we hope that this concert would bring you, the audience, and our members a meaningful culmination of all our efforts this semester, as well as an anticipation for what we have in store for the next semester. We also hope that it is a reminder of the trialand-error nature of music, and that through each concert and musical experience, we hope that you, the audience, would serve witness to our growth as we journey in the spirit of Dal Segno. Sit back and enjoy as we bring to you the spirit of the season, as we waltz through the distinctive musical eras!
- NTUSO Committee 22/23
NTU CAC Symphony Orchestra (NTUSO) was established in September 2019 after its expansion from a string orchestra with over 20 years of experience. The newly-converted NTUSO aims to promote excellence and enrichment in classical music and to provide a platform for students to learn and perform a wider repertoire of music. With a combined strength of over 70 active members, NTUSO and its affiliations continue to grow and thrive every year.
Currently under the baton of our passionate conductor, Mr Chan Wei Shing, the orchestra rehearses symphonic repertoire to perform in our annual concerts and ad-hoc performance opportunities such as TEDxNTU, Resonates With, and The Grandeur of Christmas at Paragon. Additionally, exclusive enrichment opportunities are provided to members, including but not limited to masterclasses, chamber coaching, and corporate/external performances - honing the musicianship and leadership initiative of our zealous members.
NTUSO is committed to a holistic approach to both internal and external networking and collaboration. Through our efforts, we have established SOfam, a two-month-long bonding initiative for like-minded musicians to network and gain connections; and worked alongside organisations such as the National Gallery to provide exclusive performance collaborations for our members.
Website: www.ntucac.com/symphony-orchestra/ | Instagram: @ntusymphonyorchestra
Facebook: @ntuso | YouTube: NTU Symphony Orchestra
Chan Wei Shing, born to a musical family, started learning the piano at the age of eight and the cello at ten, with Mrs. H. Ilano (Former sub-principal, SSO). In 1985, he won the First Prize in two categories of the National Music Competition – the Cello Open and the Chamber Music category. Since then, Wei Shing has been involved in many concerts and opera productions such as Die Fledermaus and La Traviata, and also Young Musicians Concerts. As principal cellist of the Singapore Youth Orchestra then, he was also selected as soloist in 1985 and in 1988 for the orchestra’s tour to Australia.
In 1988, Wei Shing studied at the University of Music in Vienna with Prof. Angelika May for two years, as a result of
winning the scholarship from the former Cultural Foundation and the Lee Foundation. Then he went on to the University of Music in Graz to study with Prof. Rudolf Leopold. Here in 1996, he was awarded the Master Degree of Arts majoring in Cello Performance.
During his study at Graz University, Wei Shing was appointed principal cellist of the University Orchestra and University Opera Orchestra where he played in many concerts and operas. He was also chosen to represent the university in the exchange program with many different Academies and Universities in Europe.
Besides playing in orchestras, Wei Shing also played in many concerts and festivals such as the Vienna Festival Weeks, Bad Aussee Music Festival Weeks, Holland Music Session, and Brahms Music Weeks, among others. He has also participated in masterclasses with renowned cellists like William Pleeth, Phillipe Müller, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Wolfgang Bottcher, Valentin Erban, and Ivan Montigetti.
Since his return to Singapore, Wei Shing has been performing regularly. He has been involved in many chamber concerts in Asia including a trio performance with pianist Pascal Roger in the Singapore Arts Festival with the Singapore Dance Theatre, and CD recordings of works from Tsao Chieh and Poon Yew Tien.
In 2009, Wei Shing was appointed the Music Director of The Millennial Orchestra. The orchestra hopes to feature local talents and composers which will include works by Dr. Kelly Tang, Dr. Er Yenn Chwen, and many more. Among orchestra works, Wei Shing also conducted operas by Donizetti, Purcell, J. Strauss, B. Britten, C. Monteverdi, and is the Music Director of The New Opera Singapore.
Despite the frigid temperatures of winter, this season is said to be the most magical; for some, it is the season of recovery and preparation. For others, it is associated with curling beside the fire, and the promise of the new year to come. For those who celebrate, it is also the season of Christmas and spending time with your loved ones.
While this cold temperature is not present in Singapore, we hope to bring the same kind of magic with the 5 works presented to you today. Dance with us as we bring you familiar tunes from the The Nutcracker (suite) and Winter from The Four Seasons, tangos like The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, as well as two charming waltzes, The Skaters’ Waltz and On the Beautiful Blue Danube.
L'Inverno
Allegro non molto
Agghiacciato tremar trà nevi algenti
Al Severo Spirar d' orrido Vento, Correr battendo i piedi ogni momento;
E pel Soverchio gel batter i denti;
Largo
Passar al foco i di quieti e contenti
Mentre la pioggia fuor bagna ben cento
Allegro
Caminar Sopra il giaccio, e à passo lento
Per timor di cader girsene intenti;
Gir forte Sdruzziolar, cader à terra
Di nuove ir Sopra 'l giaccio e correr forte
Sin ch' il giaccio si rompe, e si disserra;
Sentir uscir dalle ferrate porte
Sirocco, Borea, e tutti i Venti in guerra
Quest' é 'l verno, mà tal, che gioja apporte.
Allegro non molto
To tremble from cold in the icy snow, In the harsh breath of a horrid wind;
To run, stamping one's feet every moment, Our teeth chattering in the extreme cold
Largo
Before the fire to pass peaceful, Contented days while the rain outside pours down.
Allegro
We tread the icy path slowly and cautiously, for fear of tripping and falling. Then turn abruptly, slip, crash on the ground and, rising, hasten on across the ice lest it cracks up We feel the chill north winds course through the home despite the locked and bolted doors... this is winter, which nonetheless brings its own delights.
*accompanying text for each movement
Winter, the last of the four seasons, is also the name of the last violin concerto of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons. The Italian composer concludes The Four Seasons with a masterfully composed concerto written as a musical impression of winter. Much like the other concerti from the same work, Winter is segmented into three distinct sections (fast–slow–fast) and was published together with an accompanying poem. The poems are neatly divided into the three sections, each evoking different scenes from the respective season.
Icy, unsettling, almost like a cold droplet running down the spine, the first movement Allegro non molto opens with a sequence of trills that builds in intensity, like shivering in the icy cold winds, emulated by the runs in the solo violin. The second movement Largo brings relief to the tense atmosphere carried from the first movement; the slower and melodious tune from the solo violin combined with long droning tones from the lower strings, are akin to a restful day by a cozy fire. Plucking strings, combined with the delicate octave jumps from the solo cello gives the impression of rainfall. The final movement Allegro paints the arduous journey and caution needed to traverse during winter. The solo violin begins with a very dark and mysterious melody line, before the rest of the ensemble joins in, almost as if caught by a monstrous storm with tumultuous winds. The concerto is then brought to a thrilling end with a flurry of repeated notes, illustrating a frenzied rush back into the comfort of home.
While Vivaldi was a pioneer in creating seasonal works, we can see that he inspired many others, including Piazzolla, who based his work on his hometown of Buenos Aires. The Argentine composer was adept on the bandoneon (a type of square concertina, sounds like an accordion), an instrument that is fundamental to tango music. Piazzolla revolutionized the modern tango style, termed nuevo tango, which consisted of many musical styles, including traditional tango, classical music, and jazz. Quinteto Astor Piazzolla, the tango quintet he invented – consisting of bandoneon, violin, piano, double bass, and electric guitar, performed the countless nuevo tango works Piazzolla wrote in his lifetime.
Quinteto Astor Piazzolla was no doubt an amazing amalgamation of a jazz, tango band as well as a chamber music group. Today however, instead of the original sounds from the tango quintet, we celebrate Piazzolla’s nuevo tango style in an excellent string ensemble arrangement by Desyatnikov, who cleverly pays homage to Vivaldi’s ingenuity by weaving parts of Vivaldi's Summer into Piazzolla’s Winter. This is remarkably notable as Vivaldi, the seasonal work pioneer, lived in Italy (belonging to the Northern hemisphere), while Piazzolla lived in Argentina, which happens to be in the opposite hemispheres to Vivaldi’s birthplace. As such, both composers experienced opposite seasons at the same time of the year.
Sit back as Piazzolla’s work showcases his visions of experiencing Winter in his hometown of Buenos Aires. A heart-wrenching tune from the cellos and violas takes the centerstage, almost like reminiscing a memory from the past before the solo violin confidently interrupts the serenity with an erratically accented and paced melody. In the bouts of intense exchange of melodies, listen closely as the piece gradually evolves, smoothly layering Vivaldi’s Summer atop the original version of Piazzolla’s Winter, without disrupting the ebb and flow of the music.
At the time of composing On the Beautiful Blue Danube, the Austrian composer Strauss was inspired by a poem by Karl Isidor Beck, where each stanza was punctuated with: ‘By the Danube, beautiful blue Danube’. The waltz was initially written as a choral work; it was commissioned by a choirmaster from the Vienna Men’s Choral Society in 1865. However, Strauss only started composing this work one year after the initial commission, as an effort to lift Vienna’s spirits from a recent lost war (Austria was defeated by Prussia). The premiere of that choral version did not amount to much success, as much of the lyrics were satirical, ridiculing the lost war, which were frowned upon by the Austrian audience. Strauss later revised the piece, removing the lyrics entirely and instead adapting it into an orchestral version, and the premiere of the work received much praise; so much so that Austria made it their unofficial national anthem, which is still performed annually in the Vienna New Year's Concert.
The Blue Danube, as it has become known, has quickly risen to be one of the most well-known Strauss waltzes, especially after the popular Netflix series ‘Squid Game’ premiered in September 2021, where the familiar tune was played just before the games commenced. The piece opens with a warm call from the horns and cello, slowly layered by the rest of the orchestra, forming an introduction waltz which resembles a sunrise. The piece is beautifully written to then link five distinctly different waltzes together in succession, each with distinctively different tunes and character. Strauss convincingly rounds up the waltz to a beautiful closure by reintroducing some of the waltzes one last time with a spin.
In 1882, the French composer drew inspiration from an ice-skating rink at a large park (known as Bois de Boulogne) in Paris, to create one of the most iconic waltzes. Similar to Strauss, Waldteufel was also a prolific composer of dance music such as waltzes and polkas, and of over 200 of his abundant number of compositions, The Skaters’ Waltz remains as one of his best-known piece of work. Waldteufel's works can be distinguished from Strauss's waltzes and polkas in that he placed much more emphasis on smooth gentle phrases and running scales that are constantly being exchanged between voices, unlike Strauss, who focused on producing a broad and grand waltz, with great emphasis on the waltz beats, which can be clearly felt in The Blue Danube.
The bright and brilliant introductory running scales is likened to the graceful form of a skater getting ready to skate. Almost like Strauss’ The Blue Danube, Waldteuful not only ties together four unique themes that bring forth the essence of winter, but he also concludes his famous work by revisiting his first theme, albeit with a much fuller and grander sound.
In Tchaikovsky’s lifetime, he composed three ballets, all of which were famous: Swan Lake (1876), The Sleeping Beauty (1889), and The Nutcracker (1892). Despite being the last created ballet of Tchaikovsky’s, The Nutcracker is still universally popular, and is primarily enjoyed during the Christmas season. The work was loosely based on a story ‘The Nutcracker and the Mouse King’ by E.T.A. Hoffmann, which was adapted by Alexandre Dumas as a children’s fairytale.
Tchaikovsky’s brilliance in his ballet works is evident in its popularity. In today’s selection, each dance is specially picked from Act II: Kingdom of Sweets; showcasing the multitude of different styles of dances that can be portrayed through music, each with their unique pulse and feel.
This short movement is packed with action in the wind section: strong focused blasts from the bassoons, accompanied by beautiful flute flourishes, and later accompanied by waves of notes from the clarinet.
Fitting in the theme of the Kingdom of Sweets, it is likely that Tchaikovsky was inspired to write a piece of music for which its title had a double meaning; Mirliton, similar to a kazoo, is a simple reed flute, that produces sound similar to a comb and paper instrument, while Mirliton du Pont-Audemer is a French pastry that is rolled into a tube, filled with chocolate praline mousse, and dipped in chocolate. In this movement, feel the lighthearted bounce as the flutes converse, as the Mirlitons “march” across the Kingdom of sweets!
Featuring the beautiful sound of the harp solo, Waltz of the Flowers is a grand symphonic piece in the style of a French waltz. Filled with grace and elegance, Waltz of the Flowers brings you to a fantasy realm of dancing, where it is sure to enchant you with the sweet sounds of the swirling strings and warm brass and woodwinds.
Programme
VIOLIN 1
Adele Teng *
Andrea Yee
Fu Xuan Cindy
Joanne Teo
Lim Carmen *
Matheus Calvin Lokadjaja
Lim Chuan Kai Nicholas
Raymond Tio ^
Sim Wei Kiat
Tan Ying Shan
VIOLIN 2
Caleb Lau Kah Loke ^
Chwee Yun Hui
Denise Tan Shi Min
Eunice Lai Ying Xuan
Faith Yap
Kiersten Yeo
Samantha Easaiya
Sharmeela Banu D/O Shah Jehan *
Shona Chong *
Soh Kai Mun
Tan Zining, Elise
Legend:
*: Committee members
^: Principals
#: Guest players
VIOLA
Abigail Antonia Wijaya
Alyna Tan #
Hooi Yu Leong, Lyon ^
Justin Teo Jin Yuan *
Lim Li Qian *
Ng Ze Wei
Sia Juling *
Tan Rui Jie Ryan
CELLO
Chen Yijie *
Chia Wei Rong
Eileen Paw Zhang Hui
Hong Yixin ^
Tan Anan
Ye Seow Hui *
BASS
Claire Lim #
Sayhao Lim #
PICCOLO
Natasha Cassandra Cecilia Monteiro
FLUTE
Chang Eugene
Natasha Cassandra Cecilia Monteiro
Sophie Ng Jing Yi
OBOE
Thalhah Bin Mohammad Sharif #
CLARINET
Ang Teck Yen #
Lin You Qian
BASSOON
Ma Bohao #
Wong Khai Heng
HORN
Jose Matthew Abram Mendoza #
Topaz Tan ^
Legend:
*: Committee members
^: Principals
#: Guest players
TRUMPET
Wei Zhengjie
TROMBONE
Nicholas Teoh #
Lucas Lim Cheng Li
BASS TROMBONE
Jermayne Lim *
TUBA
Darryl Seow
PERCUSSION
Chen Wei Yi #
Goh Jun Heng
Lee De Jie #
Timothy Elison Janong
KEYBOARD
Ng Ze Wei
We would like to express our gratitude to these sponsors and partners for their generous support.
Front-of-house Soh Hong Ming Ivan, Joseph Tan Wei En
Tutors Chan Wei Shing, Chikako Sasaki, Goh Eng
Hong Vincent, Jessie, Ye Zhi, Lau Wen Rong, Lim Yin Huang Eric, Mark Ignatius De Souza
Editorial & Design Adele Teng, Shona Chong, Lim Li Qian
Emcees Ng Ze Wei, Sharmeela Banu D/O Shah Jehan
