It’s been many years since its inception, but while the Singapore Lyric Opera has served the opera community well, it has yet to receive the kind of backing that is befitting of a national institution such as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. While the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay has stellar facilities, with the Theatre capable of putting up any number of complicated performances, it still lacks a permanent tenant, unlike the SSO, comfortably ensconced in the Concert Hall.

Fundraising activities make up a large part of a company such as the SLO, and concerts such as Opera on the Silver Screen are ideal vehicles for this, as well as serving the important task of introducing newcomers to opera, making it seem more approachable.

For all their limited rehearsal time, Joshua Tan’s orchestra put up a tight, cohesive show. The choice of orchestral interludes and overtures was largely well-drilled, beginning with Rossini’s Barber of Seville overture that hummed like a well-oiled engine, if not the most ebullient or bubbly of performances. The overture to Die Zauberflote was played straightforwardly and unfussily, if again not the most excitingly, as was the Act I prelude to Carmen. No obvious weak links here, and I’m pleased to say that they acquitted themselves well.

But it was the singers that the audience was clearly here for, and they were out in full force here, though they clearly did not all inhabit the same level of inspiration.

Peter Ong’s tenor was easily the weakest link in tonight’s performances. He started off with a patently ungerman “Dein ist mein ganzes Herz”, featuring thin, watery vocals in the higher registers that were simply embarrassing, with a curiously Italianate sound that was poorly suited to the music. His other contributions included an even weaker Duke of Mantua in “La donna e mobile”, where he compensated with trying to act out the part, but ended up coming across a spoilt brat rather than a suave nobleman. Later, his off-stage singing in Violetta’s aria similarly weakened her scene.

Anna Koor’s creamy mezzo was also clearly the least experienced of the remaining singers. Her Rosina was tentative and uninteresting, which was a pity since the voice itself, more satisfying in the higher range (which however was a little nasal) than the lower, was full of texture that could have lent itself toward characterization. Her voice was probably more suited for Carmen, which she performed coquettishly with a fan in hand (where did this tradition come from?) rather than with a cigarette, and red rose in head. Here the vocal characterization was stronger, though her Carmen came across rather more dainty than Bizet wanted her to be.

The remaining singers were all stellar.

In Zhang Feng’s two arias – Largo al factotum (Barber) and Di provenza il mar (Traviata), he distinguished himself with perfect technique, supported beautifully in all ranges. Rarely have I heard a more beautiful baritone. As Germont Pere he was meltingly persuasive, and I wanted to hear more. As Figaro he was boisterous, playful and imaginative with the text, if interpolating his own notes here and there, nimble and engaging. Here’s a singer I really want to hear more of.

William Lim, though not endowed with the most naturally beautiful voice, was clearly experienced, letting the words rather than actions speak for themselves, his Escamillo serious, if not the charmer he could be. His duet with Gerodias in Bei maennern, welche Liebe fuelen, was perfectly balanced with Gerodias’ silvery voice. Over the years, William Lim seems to have improved the control of his vibrato, while adding depth to his understanding of text.

It was soprano Rachelle Gerodias, however, who clearly stole the show. She has a radiant, starry quality about her presence (though she is hardly statuesque) that any diva would be glad to borrow. Her flower duet raised expectations, with her silvery floated high notes, and her pure, innocent Rusalka (sang in English) pushed them further. But it was in Puccini and Verdi that she truly shone, with such sincere identification with the characters that she was the character. Her O mio babbino caro was affecting and moving, with impassioned singing that went straight to the heart. Her Violetta was a completely different level again, nimbly engaging all of Verdi’s vocal hoops but also managing to convey a woman who desperately wants her freedom. She clearly lives in the interpretation of Violetta. Her colouratura was stunning here, and if I have any regrets, it’s that she didn’t sing Ah fors’e lui as well. Oh, and I would have paid good money to hear her interpolate that (unwritten) E-flat.

The choir is easily forgotten in any opera performance, and we can’t let them go unmentioned. Though clearly too small to begin to sound as an ensemble, they did well in the Anvil Chorus as well as the Song of Hebrew Slaves, as well as in their supporting roles in the two Carmen pieces.

It’s easy to poo-poo productions like “Opera on the Silver Screen” as dumbing down what opera-philes consider high art for the common listener. But if opera is to survive (and in Singapore it’s still firmly in the nascent stage, despite the establishment of the Singapore Lyric Opera), then it has to increase its audience pool, and what better way than to introduce them to the art through familiar, non-intimidating ways? Allow them a chance to enjoy themselves and they might come back again. I brought along a friend who I’ve been trying to get to listen to classical music and opera and he found it the most fun that he had had for a long time. In fact, he now hopes there’ll be a part two. In fact, I must secretly say, so do I.

Derek Lim

 

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