All Six are Favourites!

Lianhe Zaobao 联合早报, 14 Sep 2023

(Translation)

Stepping into the recital studio at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music for a dress rehearsal, I was taken aback by what was in front of my eyes. Musicians who were usually put together for concerts now dressed in plain clothes, instrument cases lying around in the room…goodness! Will I be able to appreciate music in this environment?

Then, the rehearsal started and the music started playing, and I was instantly transported back to a court in the Versailles, into a painting as detailed as Vermeer’s works – local Singaporean ensemble Red Dot Baroque was playing Bach’s complete Brandenburg Concertos with such gusto and elegance.

I was not able to attend the ensemble’s actual performance of the Brandenburgs due to travel plans, but I was elated to find out I could attend the dress rehearsal, and seized the opportunity to experience the complete work live. 

I first came across Brandenburg Concertos more than half a century ago, when I was a young boy in secondary school and was just starting to explore western classical music. I recorded the Brandenburg Concerto No.5 (the one with a harpsichord solo) on tape, and fell in love with the work after listening to it on repeat. During my school days in England, I also listened to the other five concertos, and particularly enjoyed the second and fourth as well. I subsequently self-learnt the recorder, and liked to play repertoire from the Baroque period. Yet as fate would have it, not once in my life did I listen to the Brandenburg Concertos live.

Yes, so many things in life depend on Fate. How did I discover Red Dot Baroque? I saw an advertisement four years ago at the Old Parliament House for the ensemble’s Christmas concert and bought tickets for the concert. The first concert I attended after COVID-19 was also by Red Dot Baroque. I wrote a piece for the newspaper after I attended this concert, and was pleasantly surprised when I received a reply from Red Dot Baroque’s Founder and Artistic Director, Alan Choo, who had sent his heartfelt gratitude to the newspaper via mail. I was deeply touched by the gesture, and not long after became a donor of this ensemble.

 Unless I’m overseas, I am always present at Red Dot Baroque’s concerts. Three things in particular that I admire about the ensemble: 1. Alan Choo always presents and explains the pieces and interesting instruments in such an engaging manner that helps the audience have a deeper understanding of the music; 2. All the musicians in the ensemble are great players in their own right, yet work so harmoniously together as a group; 3. Red Dot Baroque frequently engage in cross-disciplinary collaborations that bring new light to the music presented in the programs.

 Experiencing the Brandenburgs live was such an eye-opening experience for me. Initially only a fan of the fifth concerto, I walked away from the rehearsal becoming a devoted listener of the complete work. All six of them are now my favourites!

English translation by Brenda Koh