Synopsis

The Singapore Chamber Music Festival’s first concert brings together unique combinations of chamber ensembles in neo-classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco considered his ‘melodious and serene’ Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet (1950) one of his best works of chamber music. Written a decade later, Jean-Michel Damase’s Trio for Flute, Piano and Oboe blends modern harmonies and techniques with classical forms and textures, resulting in “music that is cheerful and singing, enriched with a certain nostalgia”.

Shostakovich’s shortest string quartet, the String Quartet no. 7, was also composed in 1960. It stands in sharp contrast to Damase’s trio: the music contains rapid shifts of mood and time, alternating from playful to sorrowful.

The concert also features Eric Watson’s Concerto Arabesque for Flute, originally written for re:Sound, and reworked for flute and string quartet. The music is inspired by the ornamental designs for in ancient Islamic art.

Programme

Jean-Michel Damase Trio for Flute, Oboe and Piano
Dmitri Shostakovich String Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 108
Eric Watson Concerto Arabesque for Flute and String Quartet
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Guitar Quintet, Op. 143

Duration - 90mins with 20min intermission

Musicians

Cooper Wright, oboe
Eric Lamb, flute
Kevin Loh, guitar
Leslie Tan, cello
Nicholas Loh, piano

Concordia Quartet:
Wilford Goh, violin
Kim Kyu Ri, violin
Edward Tan, viola