Friday, December 05, 2003
Baritones are cool people
Coming so soon after the Jose Carreras concert gets cancelled due to financial issues, it was difficult not to draw the parallels betwen the Three Tenors alum and tonight's concert.
But trust Aussie singer Roger Howell to bring his special sense of humour to the Victoria Concert Hall, making a generally mediocre concert into a unique, enjoyable experience. Anyone who graciously insults tenors is A-Okay in my book.
Together with fellow baritones Leonardo Lopez-Linares and Zhang Feng, the Three Baritones were a hit with the audience, who ranged from the "arty-farty" elite to a bunch of IJ schoolgirls at the back. Their attempt to prove that baritones are the most versatile voice in a choir was a resounding success, as they sang pieces from Mozart's operas, to The Prayer and my personal favourite, Webber's Music of the Night.
(Although, at this point, I must state my disappointment that Zhang Feng, who sang the Phantom's part, was too stiff for the role. Not to mention, he tripped over several lines and just couldn't enunciate "Music". I normally am not this critical, but I was truly hurt by the way the song turned out.)
I was there at the invitation of a friend of mine, a final-year NTU student, a member of the Singapore Lyric Opera, but it was fun to meet acquaintances I knew from church, friends of another member of the SLO. Perhaps it was because I know several of them, but the SLO's male chorus is light-years ahead of their female counterparts when it comes to making music. Loosen up in future, ladies.
It's been a while since I've attended a choral concert as part of the audience but I will admit I enjoyed myself, despite all the concert's shortcomings. It'll be a totally different experience on Friday night. I can't wait.
Coming so soon after the Jose Carreras concert gets cancelled due to financial issues, it was difficult not to draw the parallels betwen the Three Tenors alum and tonight's concert.
But trust Aussie singer Roger Howell to bring his special sense of humour to the Victoria Concert Hall, making a generally mediocre concert into a unique, enjoyable experience. Anyone who graciously insults tenors is A-Okay in my book.
Together with fellow baritones Leonardo Lopez-Linares and Zhang Feng, the Three Baritones were a hit with the audience, who ranged from the "arty-farty" elite to a bunch of IJ schoolgirls at the back. Their attempt to prove that baritones are the most versatile voice in a choir was a resounding success, as they sang pieces from Mozart's operas, to The Prayer and my personal favourite, Webber's Music of the Night.
(Although, at this point, I must state my disappointment that Zhang Feng, who sang the Phantom's part, was too stiff for the role. Not to mention, he tripped over several lines and just couldn't enunciate "Music". I normally am not this critical, but I was truly hurt by the way the song turned out.)
I was there at the invitation of a friend of mine, a final-year NTU student, a member of the Singapore Lyric Opera, but it was fun to meet acquaintances I knew from church, friends of another member of the SLO. Perhaps it was because I know several of them, but the SLO's male chorus is light-years ahead of their female counterparts when it comes to making music. Loosen up in future, ladies.
It's been a while since I've attended a choral concert as part of the audience but I will admit I enjoyed myself, despite all the concert's shortcomings. It'll be a totally different experience on Friday night. I can't wait.
