Singapore has ambitions to be a musical
force in the world. With no less than three
excellent tertiary institutons with exciting music programmes (including a
conservatory which is making a reputation way beyond the boundaries of south
east Asia), a specialist School of the Arts, a tremendously active concert
culture, a handful of performance venues which impress by any standards, and a plethora
of professional performers including a national orchestra – the Singapore
Symphony – which sounds at times almost world class, it seems to be heading firmly in the right direction.
There is, though, a very long way for
Singapore to go along this journey. This
is painfully obvious from the fact that music in schools is still generally regarded
as a competitive activity intended to increase corporate prestige rather than an
important element in enriching an individual’s artistic sensitivities -
something reinforced by the total obsession Singapore music teachers have with
the competitive culture inculcated by the graded music examination system. There are also some very attractive-looking performance
venues which suffer from appalling acoustics, hopelessly inadequate pianos and a downright
bad environment for the performing of and listening to music, while the vast
majority of performing ensembles in Singapore can be cringe-mockingly poor - as,
indeed, can the SSO on occasions - and not seem to be aware of it.
However, the major barrier to overcome on
the path to international credibility as a musical hub is the low expectations
of audiences and, all too often, of those charged to lead, direct or
observe musical performances. Audiences
can’t be blamed; how can they know the difference between bad, mediocre, good
and excellent if nobody guides them properly? I note a sad lack of the kind of Music
Appreciation sessions which can so successfully be used to foster a proper
perception of quality. Pre-concert talks, radio broadcasts focused on music, and educational introductions to music (either live or broadcast) are
horrendously inconsistent – I’ve heard some fabulous ones, but rather more which
are not just bad but fundamentally misguided – and audiences are so often
subjected to the mediocre, that they assume it is the norm. They have no ambition to experience better,
simply because they do not know it exists.
As a critic, I take on a responsibility for
trying to prompt audiences to recognise the mediocre, to appreciate the good
and to seek out the excellent. While I
often get abuse for it (I still chuckle at the memory of a blog post in which I
criticised an audience in another country for rapturously applauding a terrible
concert; I was inundated with abusive emails from members of a Singapore youth ensemble
who assumed that I was referring to them) I also get some appeals for critical
guidance from those Singapore musicians genuinely anxious to improve beyond the
standards which are still common currency in Singapore.
So I have to apologise to Singaporean
countertenor Chan Wei En who asked me to attend a concert he gave last weekend and
offer my opinions. He was hoping I might
be able to offer suggestions for improvement. I made a few enquires beyond Singapore (he has
been studying in the USA) and was told that I really had to hear him; that he
was a very promising young countertenor.
So I took a gamble and suggested to the Straits Times that his recital
warranted a review in a public arena. They
accepted and, in the event, there were no guidance points I could realistically
offer him. I believe he is probably one
of Singapore’s best young singers and one who has the potential to make waves
on the world stage. Having said that, he
also performed what for me was the most successful new work by any Singaporean
composer that I have heard in recent years.
I mentioned all this in my Straits Times
review. Now read on...
"no less than three excellent tertiary institutons with exciting music programmes (including a conservatory which is making a reputation way beyond the boundaries of south east Asia)"
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree about the conservatory, I would hesitate to call any other tertiary institution in Singapore offering a music programme, "excellent"!
As you remain anonymous I have no way of knowing whether you are a student, a teacher, a disinterested observer or just someone spinning a line. PLEASE make your comments worthwhile by telling us who you are and from what perspective you write.
DeleteMarc Rochester
Dear Dr Marc,
ReplyDeleteYou ask whether I am a student, a teacher, a disinterested observer or just someone spinning a line. I am deeply hurt and can only respond to say that I am none of the above.
I am perhaps the most prolific composer, writer, poet and painter in history, and with a creative output spanning far longer than any other polymath could hope to achieve. A great many compilations of music or poems have one or even several of my creations. So famous am I that Blogger has even provided an entry in the pick list specifically for me - no Kings, Presidents or Prime Ministers have such recognition and honour.
So I am more than a little surprised that you do not recognise my name. Surprised and hurt. However, I can understand why my identify may confuse some people. After all - though my name is famous, non-one has yet identified my date of birth. And that is how I prefer to leave it !
yours ever,
Anon.