It is not often that a critic gets to hear a performer who has all the potential to achieve greatness on the world stage. I have come across three, all of whom, by a curious coincidence, have been singers. In one case I was wrong - although that particular singer went on to achieve eminence in a rather different field - while the second lived up to every word of praise I offered, and has gone on to exceed all expectations I had. Let's see what happens to the third, for I only heard her on Friday evening. This is what I wrote for my Straits Times review.

Tenor Jeremy Koh is, like Teo, a product of the SLO-Leow
Siak Fah Young Artists Programme. His
voice seems less naturally inclined towards opera, and it felt as if he was
nearing his limits in Quanto e bella from L’elisir d’amore. But his is nevertheless a fine, clear voice,
and always absolutely pitch-perfect.
Sharing the stage with these two relative newcomers were
more established soloists. William Lim’s
usual avuncular manner seemed to have deserted him, and while he was an ideal
partner to Teo in the Mozart duet, and sung a solo from I Pagliacci with great
warmth, he looked and sounded stiff.
Chinese soprano Wang Bing Bing was far from stiff. Hers is a big, booming voice – with the doors
open and the wind in the right direction, it could probably reach some of the
outlying islands - but a forceful voice is not everything (whether you are an
opera singer or an American President-elect), and Wang’s delivery was often so
extreme that it overwhelmed niceties of pitch and rhythm.
In her duet with Teo - Belle Nuit from the Tales of Hoffmann
– Anna Koor’s mezzo-soprano had a brittle edge, but she brought a pleasing
warmth and expressiveness to the Easter Hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana.
Rather than the Esplanade’s own organ, the SLO Orchestra
used a nasty electronic thing to lend holiness to the Easter Hymn, and it was
probably this machine’s irritating top register which caused the chorus some
tuning problems. Otherwise, they were
beyond reproach. Augmented by two other
choirs – Evokx and the Singapore University of Technology & Design – the
SLO Chorus was absolutely fabulous.
Their performance of the Triumphal March from Aida, aided and abetted by
some electrifying trumpet playing from the SLO Orchestra, was about as exciting
as music can get.
The SLO Orchestra, for their part, was on cracking form
throughout. In no small measure this was
due to Jason Lai who was making his debut with them. He worked his way through the inevitable
collection of short operatic extracts, giving it all a tremendous feeling of
coherence.
Perhaps Lai’s greatest achievement was in keeping a tight
rein on the exuberant SLO Children’s Chorus, even when they seemed about to
escape the confines of his direction in the enchanting Evening Hymn from Hansel
and Gretel. Totally yet unobtrusively in control, he inspired strong and
focused performances from every single performer – child and adult - in this noteworthy gala concert.
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