Yu Ye Hua - A Showcase of Asian Contemporary Music

This pre-tour concert was a rare treat to a wide selection of choral pieces in many languages. For more than two hours, over 70 voices were blended to entertain the audience through a combination of unaccompanied vocal music. More importantly, this concert prove that persons of all ages are capable of enjoying music written in the vocal genre. Everyone was well-served by the splendid performance.

The opening pieces, sung in three different languages, Japanese, Indonesian, and Mandarin, displayed the versatility of the Victoria Chorale and the VJC choir. In these pieces, members of the choir demonstrated the vocal dexterity and discipline that bespoke of a runner-up in the 2001 SYF Choral Excellence Competition. The choir blended so well with the Victoria Chorale that it was hard to tell them apart.

On their own, the Victoria Chorale gave a superb rendition of pieces composed by local and foreign musicians. It was exciting to hear the performance of non-English pieces that were linguistically challenging. Throughout the evening, simple movement were choreographed into the pieces with faster tempos. These were delightful and charming, and the use of colourful costumes and light stage props were effective in dispelling any notion that an unaccompanied choral performance might be unduly too seriously boring for the mass audience.

Well-known choral conductor, Nelson Kwei, led the night in an inconspicuous way. Except for the occasional bows during the applauds, Kwei concentrated on making music out of the singers. If this concert was a feather on Kwei's hat of accomplishments, then this would be anything but an ordinary feather. Assertive, but conservative in his conducting gestures, Kwei employed all the right moves; never too much or little.

The epitome of the evening was the rendition of Zechariah Goh Toh Chai's Yu Ye Hua. Sung in Hokkien, it exuded the emotions of misery, loss, and desolation. Performed with deep emotions and technical artistry, the Victoria Chorale gave a stirring interpretation of the composer's intentions. There was excellent balance and contrast in the voices, and finely-shaped phrasings in the performance.

Perhaps the only bane in this concert was the venue; the acoustics were insufficiently reverberated. It is only fair to say that this concert could have been brought to a higher plane had it been performed at a location primarily constructed for musical performances. The performers have gained my respect for displaying their courage through performing pieces outside their comfort zones in terms of the repertoire, language, and style.


(Article reproduced from The Arts Magazine - May/June 2002, by Timothy Teo)