Singapore, 20 April 2023 (Tuesday) – Singaporean conductor Darrell Ang returns home after an extensive and impressive conducting career around the world. This is his maiden concert with a Chinese orchestra, after an extensive conducting career with world-renowned symphony orchestras.
In 2007, Darrell won the three top awards – the Grand, Audience and Orchestra prizes – at the 50th Besancon International Young Conductor’s Competition. In 2015, his Zhou Long Chen Yi: Symphony “Humen 1839” with the New Zealand Orchestra by Naxos Records was nominated for best performance at Grammys in 2016. Darrell is currently Sichuan’s Artistic Director and Chief Conductor since 2017.
The concert opens with a world premiere of the Chinese orchestra version of Thaipusam, composed by SCO Composer-in-Residence Wang Chenwei. This piece was originally commissioned by the National Piano and Violin Competition 2019 as the solo set piece for the Violin Senior Category, while the symphony orchestra version was commissioned and performed by Singapore Symphony Orchestra just last year.
The highlights of the concert have to be Kungfu Koncerto and Aba, Aba!, composed by Darrell Ang, and were just recently premiered by the Sichuan Symphony Orchestra in March 2023. The Kungfu Koncerto is a composition for martial artist and large orchestra. The role of the orchestra is to provide a soundtrack for the martial artist to successfully display their virtuoso skills. The music is built on a Chinese folk tune called 《丰收山歌》. The second theme is whispered at the beginning by several instruments, before it is heard in the strings in a soulful lament. It is also turned into a highly energetic dance movement in the composition’s second half.
In addition, world renowned and decorated wushu martial artist Master Su Zifang (苏自芳) will share the stage for the world premiere of Chinese orchestral version of Kungfu Koncerto. With 65 years of experience in performing and coaching wushu, Master Su was a decorated wushu sportswoman and instructor who was a former China Wushu Champion, Asian Games Gold Medalist, and World Champion. The last time SCO performed alongside a wushu artist on stage was in 2014 at “Our People Our Music” mega concert at The Sport Hub. It will be a treat to wushu and CO music enthusiasts to witness a cross-disciplinary performance in Kungfu Koncerto, where music and sports can integrate as one.
Aba, Aba! is scored for Tibetan Folk Singer (High Voice) and Symphony Orchestra. It is a work in three sections, and utilises a single tune - a folk melody in pentatonic mode. This melody, however, is heard in different guises throughout the composition. It is first heard as echoes by solo woodwind instruments, before it is turned into a majestic march played by the full orchestra. The tune quickly takes on a festive character as it weaves throughout the various sections of the orchestra. Then, it becomes the basis for the soloist’s expressive incantation amid a quiet backdrop, before it is turned into a fast and furious folk dance that ends the work in magnificent splendour.
In Aba, Aba!, vocalist Tsering DarGi will be performing alongside Darrell and SCO as a special artist. Tsering’s special appearance in Aba, Aba! Received full sponsorship by 成都潮棠餐饮管理有限公司 (潮棠火锅). Tsering DarGi is a musician from Hongyuan County, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. The third-class national singer is currently a member of the Ngawa Nationality Singing and Dancing Troupe.
Crowd favourites are also included in this highly anticipated concert, such as selections from Maestro Zhao Jiping’s Qiao’s Grand Courtyard, and Wang Danhong’s Ode to Sun. Audiences are in for a treat in this richly diverse repertoire, under the baton of Darrell Ang.
Internationally acclaimed Singaporean conductor Darrell Ang collaborates with the SCO for his debut concert with a Chinese orchestra. Darrell Ang, winner of the Gold Award and Best Conductor Award in the 50th Besançon International Young Conductor’s Competition, will join hands with SCO to serenade you with a spirited repertoire with profound emotional depth. Zhao Jiping's Qiao's Grand Courtyard Suite and Wang Danhong's Ode to the Sun paint vivid pictures of northwestern and southwestern China respectively, while Wang Chenwei's Thaipusam and Chow Jun Yi's Kampung exude strong local flavours and capture the cultures of local ethnic groups. The highlight of the concert will be the world premiere of two very special works. Together, Darrell Ang and SCO will present Kungfu Koncerto composed by none other than Darrell Ang himself. The concert is set to be beyond exciting!
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Darrell Ang & SCO Programme list
Conductor: Darrell Ang
Thaipusam (World Premiere of CO version), composed by Wang Chenwei
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Kampung, composed by Chow Jun Yi
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Kungfu Koncerto (World Premiere of CO version), composed by Darrell Ang
Martial Artist: Su Zifang
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Aba, Aba! (World Premiere of CO version), composed by Darrell Ang
Vocal: Tsering DarGi
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Qiao’s Grand Courtyard (selections), composed by Zhao Jiping
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Ode to the Sun, Mvt IV: Ode to the Sun, composed by Wang Danhong
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Darrell Ang & SCO ticketing details
SISTIC Link: https://www.sistic.com.sg/events/darrell0423
Ticket Price (Excludes SISTIC charges):
$70、$60、 $40、$20 (Concession, includes Senior Citizen, Student, NS Men etc)
Other upcoming concerts include:
The Mother’s Day Concert will be happening on 13 May 2023, 7.30pm at the SCO Concert Hall.
Reward the queen of your life with a special Mother’s Day concert by the SCO! Under the baton of Principal Conductor Quek Ling Kiong, join SCO and Xinyao veteran artist Alex Su at SCO’s annual flagship Mother's Day Concert, as we bring you heart-warming favourites that promise to delight.
The Young Children’s concert 2023 DiSCOvering Treasures of Chinese Music - In Search of the Magical Musical Bows will be happening on 19 May 2023, 10.30am (sold out) and 20 May 2023, 11am at the SCO Concert Hall.
Listen to the sounds of birds chirping and horses neighing! Where do those sounds come from? Where are the swans and honeybees? Who is reciting Tang poetry? Haha! Guess no more! All of these come from magical musical bows! Calling out to all our young friends, hesitate no more, and follow the magic of Quek Quek's baton into vast prairies, uninhabited mountains, and mysterious woods. Join us on a quest for musical bows in all shapes and sizes, and all colours of the rainbow! See how they fly, see how they dance! All friends who are young at heart are also most welcome to join us!
For Our Dreams: Wang Chenwei’s Composition Showcase concert will be happening on 10 June 2023, 7.30pm at the SCO Concert Hall.
Dreams reflect our psyche, while music uplifts our spirits. Titled For Our Dreams: Wang Chenwei’s Composition Showcase, this entire concert features Singapore local premieres of SCO’s Composer-in-Residence Wang Chenwei, under the baton of Conductor Emeritus Maestro Tsung Yeh. The opening orchestral piece, For Our Dreams, inspires us to pursue our ambitions. In the virtuosic Diyin-Sheng concerto Taoyuan Wonderland – the first of its kind – the soloist Lim Kiong Pin will portray picturesque scenes of Taoyuan, Taiwan. Based on three Macao landmarks, Postcards from Macao presents the city’s unique history and culture infused with Cantonese, Hokkien and European influences. Finally, Percussion Principal Benjamin Boo will lead the concerto Bronze Age of Shang, evoking the elaborate rites and glorious culture of the Shang Dynasty over three millennia ago. Together, let us relive the past, aspire towards the future and strive for our dreams!
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About Singapore Chinese Orchestra
Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) is Singapore’s only professional Chinese orchestra. Inaugurated in 1997, the orchestra made up of more than 80 musicians took on the twin role of preserving traditional arts and culture and establishing new frontiers through the incorporation of music elements in its repertoire. SCO has impressed a broadening audience with its blockbuster presentations and is fast establishing itself among its counterparts around the world. Known for its high-performance standards and versatility, the SCO is recognized through invitations to perform at numerous prestigious events locally and internationally. In line with its vision to be a world-renowned people’s orchestra, SCO continues to inspire, educate and communicate through its music.