the mad scene

Do you know that Vietman actually has its own opera house? Really!

But as to whether there’s an active company producing operas, that’s another question altogether and its not like I haven’t Googled it. This opera house was built by French colonials in the 19th century and now operates as a theatre for rent. Currently there is a Vietnamese musical being rehearsed, but the term ‘Opera House’ stuck even if no opera is being produced today.

Compared to the sterile-clean Singapore, Ho chi Minh is still very much a city in development. Many big international brands have yet to invade within its walls, so travellers hooked on Starbucks and MacDonald will be disappointed (but KFC has already made inroads into the city). Upon leaving the airport, you will be struck by the enormous number of motorcycles on the road: taking up to 80% of vehicles, motorcycles are by far the most popular mode of transport in Ho Chi Minh, and the roads are filled with swarms of them. As our tour guide remarked, “last time rush hour always traffic jam, now every hour is rush hour!”Exhaust is the pervading scent that fills the streets, and traffic signs are merely recommendations, not hard and fast rules to follow. We watched in disbelief as a motorcycle crossed the road barrier and went against the traffic to reach the pavement on the other end. To cross, just boldly step onto the roads trying not to scream like a wussy tourist; the motorbikes will simply swerve around you as you cross. I felt like Moses parting the red sea of motorbikes. After 2 days of doing this, crossing the road has become much like an adrenaline-inducing extreme sport, and you’ll be up for bigger challenges! I watched wide-eyed as a 5 year-old girl walk across a busy junction diagonally while motorcycles swerve around her!

All this may freak out the most pampered among city dwellers, but Ho Chi Minh has a certain old world charm that is hard to find in our rapidly commercialised societies: imagine diners of roadside hawkers eating on little plastic stools, young couples sitting on towels along the sidewalk with drinks, vendors selling knock-offs of Louis Vuitton bags etc. Then there are the relics from the past, such as a replica of the famous Notre Dame Cathedral with bricks specially imported from France.

Indeed, French culture still plays a large influence when it comes to defining high culture, from the classical architectural concepts to trendy sidewalk cafes. Restaurant singers perform a bunch of French pop songs in between Vietnamese, Chinese and English numbers. Then there are the museums and tourist locations dedicated to remembering the Vietnam War; the French tourists must be smug that their little ex-colony in south-east Asia whipped the Yankee’s asses so succinctly!

Which brings us back to the opera house: Somehow I can’t really imagine that the Pastas and Malibrans are willing to travel to these parts of the world by steam ship when they are equally in demand in Europe and the US, so its probably the lesser divas that have graced this stage. With that in mind, the architechs have built a really small house in the classic horseshoe shape, sitting probably no more than 600 with boxes lining the 2nd and 3rd storeys. I’m sure the accoustics must be wonderfully warm for the voice . Just think of the many wonderful performances of Carmen, Manon, Werther and other classics of the French rep being performed here 50 to 100 years ago. Intricate cornices and ornaments grace the stage pronicium (forget about projecting surtitles there!), complementing the humongous chandelier on the ceiling and the storey-high classical bare-breasted statues on the exterior. (unfortunately there was a rehearsal going on so I couldn’t take pictures of the interior.)

Lastly, Ho Chi Minh is also the first time I’ve experienced being hunted down by trannys pimping ‘real’ girls on moterbikes. Its certainly a unique culture where trannys work as pimps; they would spot single males strolling along the sidewalk, ride alongside them and pitch: “sir sir, you want young girl massage? (US)10 dollar only, very cheap!”, while the aforementioned young girl acts all sultry with hair tossing and boobie thrusting. They would then follow you along the sidewalk for a distance, sometimes even cutting into your way until you agree or in my case, make a run for it! I was approached by 4 more tranny-and-girl-on-bike teams in no more than 1 hour, but you can bet your last dollar that I wasn’t the least bit tempted

 For those of you who have not attended Lee Jae Wook’s previous 3 performances in Singapore and are curious to hear what he sounds like, fret not, as The Mad Scene brings you two MP3s of erm… I don’t really know actually. Jae Wook gave me a copy this CD, his only full-length recording, after our interview. Its an album of art songs composed by a senior Korean composer. As the booklet is written entirely in Korean I have no idea what the composer’s name is nor the title of the songs. But these should give you an idea of what Jae Wook sounds like:

The Mad Scene- Lee Jae Wook Song 1

The Mad Scene Lee Jae Wook Song 2

You know, when I’d first discussed setting up an opera blog set in Singapore with my kakis (including the very lovely Salome), one of our reservations was whether there was even enough opera and vocal concert activities in SG to warrant frequent coverage. As it is, between the combined efforts of the major musical organizations, namely the SLO, SSO and SCO, visiting international artistes, broadcasts of filmed opera by GV and independent film enthusiasts, and performances of conservatories and grassroots arts groups, it seems like we’ve got quite a blossoming classical vocal scene after all! So while we’re a long way from being the Met of South-east Asia and still a rather long way from our first home-grown Ring Cycle, lets take a moment and celebrate our little operatic centre that is Singapore!

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. The title just sells itself already doesn’t it? I’ll add that having attended quite a few of NAFA’s student concerts with the teachers taking the leads, their standards are pretty high. Add to their jewel of a theatre, a 600 seater with the warmest acoustic (which I’ve experienced from both sides of the stage having performed there myself), and a pleasant evening is almost a sure thing.

Of course, what’s a grand concert without its soloists? There’s of course Nancy, accompanied by NAFA graduate Zhou Qian in the alto part, Singapore’s by-default (i.e. non-Korean) primo uomo Lim Shieh Yih, and one Ralph MacDonald in the bass part (no idea who he is so would anyone like to dish the dirt?) As usual, check out the Events Page for details. Concert’s on 9 April 08, 8.00pm.

For more Beethoven, Arts Central is broadcasting a European performance of the Missa Solomnis this Monday, 11pm. Log on to the Arts Central website for details.

Read also:

The Mad Scene Exclusive Interview with Nancy Yuen:

http://themadscene.athenarts.com/?p=148

Thank goodness I’ve had this little bit of time to check my email. Here’s the press release of sorts, as posted on the Arts Community Yahoo! Groups. I’ve read lots of bad reviews on it but it seems pretty exciting going by the trailer, how often do we get operas given the big screen special effects and explosions treatment, not to mention the dishy Joseph Kaiser as Tamino (Rene Pape’s in it too)? See the trailer for yourself at http://www.magicflutefilm.com/.

Joseph Kaiser

SFS is pleased to present “The Magic Flute”, our SFS Talkies event for
March. SFS Talkies feature screening of alternative and art-house
films, followed by post-screening interactive discussion.

22 March 2008 (Saturday), 1.45pm, The Picturehouse

The Magic Flute
2006 /135 min / 35mm / Opera on Film / English / PG
Directed by Kenneth Branagh

Just as Mozart composed “The Magic Flute” specifically for the
man-in-the-street of 18th century Vienna, so does Kenneth Branagh (”As
You Like It”, “Hamlet”) present a cinematic adaptation for 21st
century audiences. Aided by CGI and new dialogue crafted by famed
actor and author Stephen Fry, Branagh locates the simple story – a
prince sent to rescue a princess – in the battlefields of the First
World War.

Tamino is a young soldier sent to rescue Pamina, daughter of the Queen
of the Night, kidnapped by the priest Sarastro. Accompanied by
Papageno, a simple-minded bird-catcher, Tamino discovers that his
mission may not be so straightforward after all, and that the lines
between good and evil are not so clearly defined.

Homepage- http://www.magicflutefilm.com/

Programmer’s note: Don’t miss the opening sequence or, as in the opera
lingo, the overture.

Regards,
Dave
SGFilm - http://www.sgfilm.com

http://www.magicflutefilm.com/

To summarize, the ho-hum first half of the evening was thankfully saved by a fantabulous second half, and tenor Lee Jae Wook stole the show once again.

The concert is programmed with Chinese music in the first half, Western fare after the intermission. Ironically for a Chinese orchestra, it was the Western fare that turned the evening from a potential disaster into a qualified triumph.

But first, I have a minor, well actually not so minor, quibble with the SCO: why in this auditorium that sits little more than 500 are all the singers electronically amplified? I have attended numerous SCO concerts with instrumentalists and vocalists, and it is only the singers that are miked. We are talking about professionals who have sung in thousand-seating halls and theatres, is the administration afraid that they can’t be heard in such a small setting?

I’ve heard different theories from different people, ranging from the hall’s unfavourable accoustic (the floor is carpeted after all) to the difficulty for singers to blend with various traditional instruments in the orchestra. Nonetheless if amplification is absolutely necessary I hope that an ‘official’ message is provided in the program beforehand.

Having attended my fair share of concerts, I understand that the first number is usually a throw-away, a warm-up piece for the singers especially with female voices. The popular coloratura number Grassland of July (Qi1 yue4 de4 Cao3 Yuan2) by Shang De Yi was the proverbial sacrificial lamb for Nancy: its relatively low notes was an ill fit for the voice at that point in time, while the coloratura passages were treaded through without any of her trademark brightness or pizazz.

Next Jae Wook took the stage with the popular folksong In That Faraway Place (Zai4 na4 yao2 yuan3 de4 di4 fang1). He got all the words correct despite a heavy accent, impressive considering the song carries four different phrases with no repeat in words. However, his straightforward, stentorian delivery was greatly at odds with the pastoral imagery of the piece. A session with Maestro Yeh to work out the nuances in dynamics might have solved the problem, but it apparently never took place. Perhaps Jae Wook was too busy conducting interviews…

But he redeemed himself with his next number, a Korean song by composer Lee An Sam. Here he gave a powerful, impassionate delivery of what the program describes as “( a song about) seeking someone to devote his love and blazing passion, and hopes that this love will grow and bloom”.

Next, Liu Yue Ming gave us Gada Meilin, a song about a patriotic hero sung in the original Mogolian dialect in the 1st phrase and in Chinese for its refrain. This voice is not a baritone as billed in publicity materials but a much rarer breed: a deep, dark basso-profondo. While the photo in the program and said publicity materials showed a dashing middle-ager, what we saw on stage was a man rather advancing in age, and the voice reflected it: a profoundly dark aural prescence with a slightly raspy quality, with booming chest tones and clear projection, the perfect fit for a Magic Flute Sarastro. Unfortunately, he has a habit of swallowing consonants ala Sutherland, with the result of sacrificing the poetic qualities of his native language.

He is also a great student of the stand-and-belt school of delivery, with not much variation in tonal colours or dramatic instincts. This was especially true for The Great River Flowing East (Da4 jiang1 dong1 qu4). In his hands, the song’s many shifts in mood fell flat. He was not helped by the orchestra and Maestro Yeh either: crucial moments were wasted with unsynchronized delivery, with a few players getting lost during arupt shifts in tempi. This mainstay in the Chinese music literature deserved much better treatment!

Thankfully, the ending was saved somewhat by the 4th movement of Zheng He-Admiral of the Seven Seas, a full-length vocal cantata commissioned by the SCO from Hong Kong composer Law Wailun. When I attended its premiere, I found it a rather dreary affair: the movie-score composer’s gimmick was simply to make the bass sing very very low, and the soprano sing very very high. IMHO its a work that’s better heard in excerpts rather than in its entirety, so tonight’s evening was a perfect setting to hear some music from it.

With two of the work’s original cast reprising their parts, Liu Yue Ming and Nancy gave a lovely, well, love duet, blending smoothly while singing at extremes of the human vocal range. Jae Wook adequately filled-in the tenor part of Zheng He, here functioning as an (incomprehensible) narrator. The movement’s pastoral, sea-faring theme was vividly portrayed by its composer and brought out by maestro Yeh and the orchestra. The first half ended with a rousing instrumental performance entitled Kill the Tiger, Ascending the Mountain.

The second half started with a charming instrumental medley of tunes from My Fair Lady. That these were Chinese instruments playing Western music was not awkward at all; in fact the combined sound of the orchestra gave a rather warm, chamber-like quality to the Western pieces, kinda like hearing a baroque period instrument ensemble playing Puccini… not quite like that but something like that…. (it should be noted that the typical Chinese orchestra also uses cellos, double basses and assorted Western percussion instruments, and for tonight’s purposes a pop drum set and electric bass were thrown into the mix.)

Next, Jae Wook performed Torna a Surriento and O Sole Mio. The combination of his detailed reading of the text, skillful, Italianate phrasing, strong vocals and passionate delivery simply took our breaths away.

Next to this no-holds barred display, O mio babino caro and Think of Me was a tad anti-climatic, but Nancy made the best of it: appearing in a backless soft pink outfit with a plunging neckline, she offered charming, graceful interpretations of the two numbers. Its strange that neither of the two male singers were asked to fill-in for Rauol’s lines in Think of Me. After enthusiastic applause for the beautifully sung cadenza that ends Think of Me, the many ah peks and uncles in the audience were treated to a glimpse down the aforementioned plunging neckline as she took her bow.

Liu Yue Ming offered us Showboat’s Ol’ Man River and Santa Lucia. In the former, the many low notes were a great showcase of his deep basso, although his unidiomatic delivery dragged the performance down after too many repeats of the main theme (set to different words). Nonetheless his vocal command made this a commendable effort. Despite his heavily accented Italian, Santa Lucia fared better, improving in characterization on the musical repeat where he sang in Chinese.

The highlight of tonight’s evening was undoubtedly the Boheme Act 1 finale, Che gelida manina, Si, mi chiamano Mimi, and O soave fanciulla. Jae Wook was criticized in Traviata for his acting (or lack thereof); tonight he took the opposite approach, emphasizing each sentence with many gestures; and while his many literal movements (such as scribbling on a notepad, pulling on his blazer to emphasize coldness and general arm-waving) may seem hammy onstage, it did much to put the music in its context for this suits-and-gowns event.

Both singers’ performances in this well-known scene were completely natural, musically and dramatically; improvising from a little pre-planned skit, they were the perfect reincarnation of bohemians in a run-down apartment, so tight was their chemistry. Instead of approaching O soave fanciulla as the I’m-gonna-love-you-forever-and-ever duet as most singers are wont to do, Jae Wook turned it into a humorous scene of male flirtation, with a coy Nancy reacting accordingly.

You know the saying that performing with a great partner inspires you to do better? While I have attended many of Nancy’s performances, I had seldom seen her so… inspired. Not only was every phrase and gesture perfectly in place as expected from the professional we knew from numerous performances, she was evidently having fun going through a piece she had already sung many times! Responding to Jae Wook’s enthusiastic over-gesturing, she drew out a characterisation that was at once fresh, energetic and delightful. Both partners achieved the rare standard of turning a familiar piece into something new for the audience, and the bravos that rang out were especially deserving.

Performing next to the established dream-couple of Singapore opera, poor Liu Yue Ming, though no fault of his own, became the unfortunate gatecrasher in the final number and 2 encores. Amigos para siempre was taken at a tempo much to fast for my liking, its breakneck speed eradicating the warmth of the words, but trio’s full-throated belt in the final chorus won them another round of bravos.

After the official programme, the Traviata Brindisi became not only an encore of tonight’s concert but also a celebration of their earlier partnership (though I’m not too sure if the latter was intended). Whatever it was, it got the audience swaying along to its infectious beat, with Liu filling in for the chorus parts. Lastly, a reprise of Amigos para Siempre finally sent the happy audience home. A job well done for both orchestra and soloists.

Read also:

The Mad Scene exclusive interview with Lee Jae Wook:

http://themadscene.athenarts.com/?p=231

Traviata Lovers toReunite Next Week:

http://themadscene.athenarts.com/?p=219

Spotted on the backcover of Natalie Dessay’s new CD Italian Arias:

Just so you know who the really special guest is…

After attending January’s Traviata where Lee Jae Wook contributed to a rather lovely Alfredo, I was rather surprised to learn that Lee would be returning to our shores so soon. I took the chance and wrote in to the Singapore Chinese Orchestra, who is organizing a concert with Lee and his Traviata co-star Nancy Yuen this weekend (check out the Events Page for details), who kindly organized this little sit-down for Lee and myself.

In fact, Lee had already sang here no less than 4 times since May 2007, a fact that I only learnt as I had missed the other two. Future engagements are also in the pipeline, and with his beautiful and expressive full lyric tenor voice, I certainly welcome the opportunity to hear him more.

Being not very fluent in English, Lee had to use an interpretor to communicate the more complicated sentences; but music being an international language, we were soon discussing favourite divos and roles, as well as a meeting with Monserrat Caballe. Lee may not be fluent in English, but he is very eloquent and smoothly provided interesting points and topics. Here then is the transcript of what we had discussed.

Sentences in italics are mine, with those in brackets (like this) being my private thoughts during the interview:

The Mad Scene: Hi Mr Lee, welcome back to Singapore! Tell us about your experience performing in La Traviata.

Lee: Thank you. The Traviata performances were very fun, and I had a good time. I felt the chorus and orchestra did a good job but could use a bit more polishing; nonetheless it was a great production.
How did you find working with Nancy?

She was very good, very professional. We first sang together in the Verdi Gala last year, and its very enjoyable working with her. I look forward to singing with her again this weekend.

Why 2 productions in such a short time? Was it a coincidence?

Not really. I was invited to sing Alfredo after the Verdi gala, and shortly after the Verdi gala I returned to Singapore to sing in a VIP only gala for the SCO. Based on that performance, maestro Yeh Tsung was kind enough to invite me back for this concert.

How do you find working in Singapore, as compared to other places you have sung in?

I find arts organizations in Singapore to be highly organised. This is especially true for the SCO, everything is planned in detail and they are very hospitable to the artist. I also enjoyed the food here, and its very clean. (Now where have we heard that before? Guess it must be true then!)

What are the differences between singing with a western orchestra and Chinese orchestra?

The differences are not really big, but I’m amazed that the Chinese orchestra has the flexibility to arrange music for the Western orchestra for Chinese instruments. I think this opens up so many possibilities. In Korea, we have our own orchestras of traditional Korean instruments, but they only play Korean music. I would very much like to adopt this concept to our Korean orchestras.

Tell us what you will be singing for us this weekend?

I’m singing quite a big programme which includes Korean songs, Italian arias and Napolitan songs like O Sole Mio and Torna a Sorrianto. I will also be singing a Chinese song, which gave me such a headache because I had to memorise all the words! Lastly, I will also be singing the Act 1 finale from La Boheme, with Nancy of course!

What do you think of Rodolfo as a character?

Oh, I identify very closely with Rodolfo. Because like him, I was a struggling artist once. My first profession was in visual design, but at that time people keep asking me why I was wasting my time doing this when I should be doing music, So I definitely relate to Rodlofo’s experience of living for his art.

At age 29, I left my job and studied singing. After only one and a half years of studying voice, I won the National Singing Competition in Korea! Then shortly after I left for Italy to continue my vocal studies, and in only a short time I won third place in the Monserrat Caballe competition! So it does seem that I’m well suited for this job!

But I don’t find my experience in visual design to be a waste of time, because I find that the study of art helps me greatly in expressing my music. To play a role, we need to imagine colours and shapes that can help us to refine our interpretations, and having knowledge of art definitely helps.

Which of course brings me to the obvious question, one which I originally planned to ask later but might as well do it now…) So did you get to meet Monserrat? What was she like?

Of course I got to meet her, she was in the jury! That was in 2002; at that time she was very sick, but she still made the effort to come and hear us sing.

Do you listen to her recordings?

Well yeah, cos its my job to! Actually when I was studying singing I listened to a lot of recordings, but since I started singing professionally I try to avoid listening to CDs because I’m afraid I might unintentionally imitate their styles, as I want to develop my own style for that particular role. If its an opera that I haven’t done or one that I’m doing for the first time, I will listen to get an idea of how the music can be approached. Otherwise I try not to.

(Guess he’s not much of an opera queen…)

Tell us some of your favourite singers?

My favourite is Giuseppe di Stefano, its a pity that he only died so recently last week. I also enjoy listening to Benaminio Gigli and Fritz Wunderlich.

(Yup, definitely not an opera queen…)

Any future engagements in Singapore?

Yes, in August I will be back here for Turandot (!!!)

(Stunned silence…) As Calaf?

Yes.

(Of course, I tried not to ask the obvious question for fear of being rude, journalistic integrity be damned. But from my bewildered expression I guess he could already see what was on my mind…)

At first when the SLO approached me, I had politely refused as my voice was very lyrical by nature; Rodolfo, Alfredo, Rigoletto’s Duke suit me best. But my professors in Korea encouraged me to give it a go, as they feel I have the potential to grow into a dramatic tenor and this is a good chance to develop the voice in that direction, so I think its a good thing to try out. But they warned me not to change the voice too much, just try to stay within my limits. If I try to imitate the dramatic tenors like Franco Corelli or Mario del Monaco, it will be very dangerous for my voice.

The SLO has agreed to let me sing Calaf with my lyrical approach. One reason I like to take on this challenge is because Calaf is an Asian character, and there isn’t many Asian tenor roles in opera, there’s Calaf and a Chinese character in Lehar’s The Land of Smiles, but that’s it! Singing Asian roles make me feel less awkward about being an Asian in a Western art form, and hoepefully I will be able to take my Calaf onto international stages.

(Well, Pav was essentially a full lyric too, and he certainly kicked ass as Calaf back in his day. And as long as we’re talking about operettas, I guess there’s also Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado which is set in Japan, but I don’t really think its a suitable part. Then there’s the new addition to operas with Asians in it…)

Since you like playing Asian characters, have you seen The First Emperor that starred Domingo? Would be interested to be in singing it?

No I have not seen it yet, but I’m always up for taking on new roles and music. I have been singing opera for 10 years now, I’m 37 this year and although I’m considered old, my voice is still very young! Its still passionate and strong and ready for more challenges!

I desire to build a bridge between Korea, Singapore and China through opera. I think music is such an international language that even though we may speak differently, our common appreciation for music can bring us together. My work with the SLO can bring mutual benefits to the Singapore and Korean opera scenes, because in Korea we have very good singers, and very good equipment such as concert halls, theatres and conservatories. Therefore I hope that we can establish a good partnership with the talents in Singapore and bring diversity to the opera culture across Asia.

Thank you Mr Lee, all the best for your performances this weekend.

Thank you.

Of course I had to take a photo, just to proof that I was there in his hotel room if nothing else. A friend told me to ‘be prepared just in case’ but I have no idea what that means…

Yeah I know what you are thinking: Lee Jae Wook may like to play Asians, but can he enunciate in Chinese? Come to the concert to find out! Get your tickets at Sistic.

For those of you boys and gals who missed the many reincarnations of Solti’s Strauss operas, Decca has been reissuing them steadily from last year. The additional good news is that it has dropped from full price to mid price (therefore around S$16 per cd). The newest addition is “Der Rosenkavalier” with the great Regine Crespin as the Marschallin. Indeed, no less than Lotte Lehmann (one of the most famous Marschallins) sang praises of Crespin’s interpretation. Her sensuous sexy voice would probably make your knees weak, not just Octavian’s.

The other reissues are Nilsson’s Elektra and Salome. Indeed, Elektra was one of Nilsson’s signature roles, and has only been almost superseded recently by Gwyneth Jones’ interpretation. It is difficult to imagine Nilsson doing the dance of the seven veils, but she certainly has the voice of an Isolde (a criteria Richard Strauss set for anyone singing Salome), although the awful cover of Nilsson on the cds might have provoked good boy John to bash his head against the wall rather than to watch her dance. Other Salomes you might want to check out is Lujba Welitsch’s closing scene (Recorded in good sound with Reiner on the RCA label) or Caballe’s (also on RCA). Caballe might not look like a Salome, but she certainly sounded like one. Check out Cheryl “I sing anything” Studer’s version on DG if you want an unsexy boring interpretation in great recorded sound. For those fortunate souls out there who managed to catch Kartia Mattila’s version of Salome from the MET opera on radio (amongst other sources) will know she’s our Salome of the twenty-first century. So what are you waiting for, DG or EMI?!!

The last reissue (For now!) is Lisa Della Casa’s Arabella led by Solti. Dear Lisa’s Arabella is always a first choice for anyone who wants a recording. The problem is there are several versions of her Arabella floating around (studios and live recordings). This is a studio version, recorded in 1957. The sound is fantastic, given the recording year. I would choose this version for my first Arabella as there is a libretto that comes with it. The other live versions do not have the libretto; however, her interpretation of Arabella has deepened. DG has also reissued another live version (from 1963) in their Twofer Opera House series, but there’s no libretto. I have seen this set at HMV@Hereen going for just S$26 so it might be worth making a trip there.

So here’s hoping that Decca would release the other operas in this series in mid-price: an Ariadne Auf Naxos with Leontyne Price as well as Die Frau with Julia Varady.

Bottomline: I have not compared the sound of the previous issues (the one with the “new digital remastering via 96khz 24-bit and Cedar) with this new batch of reissues. However, the information on the internet from a number of people noted that there is not much difference in terms of sound, so hold on to your money if you already have the previous versions.

Remember back in the day when the Three Asia-Pacific Tenors claimed to be the region’s answer to Carreras, Domingo and Pavarotti? While that idea quickly fizzled, I suppose we can, in the tradition of press hyperbole, call this latest pairing Singapore’s answer to Callas and di Stefano, or Netrebko and Villazon, or even Sonny and Cher if you prefer…

Anyway, the pair that gave us such a memorable Traviata in January are reunited once again next week, under the auspices of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. They will be singing an assortment of Chinese and Korean folk tunes, as well as securing their title of “Operatic Love Couple for the First 3 Months of 2008″ with scenes from La Boheme and Phantom of the Opera.

Now I know the prospect of hearing Puccini’s music on traditional Chinese instruments might cause some listeners to squirm, but think of it as an interesting experiment; at least its not the typical piano cum vocal recital that we typically get, and the voices are very much the real thing.

Nancy and Jae Wook in Traviata

Unfortunately, Song Kee Chang who sang Germont won’t be returning, instead fellow baritone Liu Yue Ming will be taking his place. Read the Events Page for programme and details.

Our SLO Traviata review

Our exclusive interview with Nancy Yuen

P.S I had wrote earlier in my Traviata review that Song Kee Chang sang the opening night performance with an annoying nasal quality. According to a friend who played 2nd violin in the orchestra, it turns out that he was ill that night; for the other shows in the run, his voice was a full, booming presence, as confirmed by other friends who had seen the remaining shows.

You know, sometimes a bit of knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Like when you are trying to customise your WordPress blog layout, which is functional but lets face it rather utilitarian looking, with what little HTML knowledge you’ve learnt about a decade ago. One moment you’re trying to remove the search function on the header, suddenly you find that the entire header is gone! Thankfully, what little skills you have is sufficient to replace the precious banner and title, hence the somewhat different look of the blog today. All this is hypothetically speaking of course…

Simple as it may be, I’m actually rather happy with this current layout, now I just need someone who knows what he is doing to customise it a bit for me, mainly just changing of background and font colours, and maybe doing something about that skinny little sidebar on the right. Budget is around SGD$50 to $100, not a lot I know but its not a lot of work anyway. Know anyone who may be interested? Please email me at themadscene@gmail.com, thanks in advance for your help!