As part of the Virtuoso Series, SCO presents Percussion Rhapsody, a showcase of solo works for the erhu and percussion. Led by SCO’s associate conductor Moses Gay, the concert puts some of SCO’s younger musicians in the spotlight, namely Wong Qin Kai on erhu and Derek Koh on percussion. The title of the concert, Percussion Rhapsody, combines the two solo pieces, Percussion Concerto and Erhu Rhapsody No. 6, which serve as highlights of each half of the concert. The stark contrast in timbre, texture, and technique between the erhu and percussion will be a treat for the audience, as both soloists demonstrate their distinct virtuosic flair.

Opening the concert is Guandong Overture, a piece by Sui Lijun inspired by the spirit of Guandong, a region in China’s Northeast known for its vast landscapes and bold characters in both its music and its people. As such, the music features the suona for its bright and grandiose timbre, along with a rich orchestration that gives it an expansive character. Certain folk elements are retained to preserve the melodic materials native to Guandong, such as the inclusion of the Northeastern folk song, The Crescent Moon at Midnight.

After visiting the Northeast, the music takes the audience to the Tibetan plateau with Wang Jianmin’s Erhu Rhapsody No. 6. In this virtuosic piece for the erhu, the composer employs Tibetan elements to capture the folk essence, most notably incorporating percussive techniques on the instrument and foot stomping to emulate Tibetan dance rhythms. Originally composed in 2023 for The 14th Chinese Golden Bell Award for Music, Erhu Rhapsody No. 6 is the most recent of Wang Jianmin’s six rhapsodies for the erhu. This performance by Wong Qin Kai will be the world premiere of the Chinese Orchestra version of this piece.

As the programme transitions into the second half, Chen Yi’s Percussion Concerto presents another feast of virtuosity, featuring Derek Koh as the soloist. Commissioned by Evelyn Glennie and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra in 1998, this piece draws its inspiration from Beijing Opera. Each of its three movements presents one aspect of Beijing Opera: The Night Deepens is an opera tune from Farewell My Concubine that informs the musical material in the first movement; Prelude to Water Tune is a poem by Su She, read here in an exaggerated operatic voice by the percussionist in the middle movement; Speedy Wind is a rhythmic pattern commonly heard in martial scenes, reimagined here with the myriad of percussion instruments that concludes the piece with a virtuosic cadenza. The huge selection of instruments in this multi-percussion setup, including the dagu, gongs, cymbals, tom toms, and mallet instruments, among others, also gives this piece a unique technical demand that requires the percussionist to be well-versed in both Chinese and Western percussion techniques.

The final piece, Misty Rain on Maple Bridge by Li Binyang, concludes the concert and takes the audience to Suzhou, with musical forms such as pingtan and kunqu informing the piece’s musical materials. The composer is inspired by a verse in the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu’s poem, “crossing the maple bridge in misty rain at dusk”, depicting a dreamy and elegant atmosphere. In portraying the thousand-year-old maple bridge, the music taps into the versatility and diversity in colour of the orchestra and brings the concert to a climactic closing.

Percussion Rhapsody is more than just a concert featuring percussion and erhu as soloists. It is a culmination of SCO’s versatility as an orchestra in tackling repertoire engaged in both traditional and contemporary materials. It also signifies the promising future of Singapore’s musical talents, as both the soloists featured were born and bred locally. This ties back to the theme of this season, Metamorphosis, as the repertoire is forward-looking while also deeply rooted in tradition.