review: diners club pianist of the year competition 1986

Victoria Concert Hall, Singapore (Saturday, 30th august, 1986)

LAST weekend's Pianist of the Year Competition was more than a mere battle between four accomplished female musicians.        The contest provided an evening bubbling over with inspiring and piquant nuances.        What made it both memorable and auspicious was the fact that this was the first contest of its nature here. Planned and executed by Diners Club with painstaking detail, the contest was no small affair -- the conductor and four of the five judges were flown in from abroad, and the prizes included an Ibach grand piano and an all-expenses-paid cultural week in London."        It isn't often, either, that our aspiring pianists get to perform with a symphonic orchestra; in this case, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra. And it was doubly satisfying that the four young women lived up to expectations.        Although only two of them walked off with the prizes, all four are winners," said Graeme Humphrey, one of the judges, in his summary of the evening's competition.        Lillian Ang, 19, gave the evening an impressive start with her rendition of Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto in C Minor (1st Movement). Touching The piece, written just after the composer had beaten his mental illness had dark passionate passages with heavy, Russian melodic lines. Lillian played the brooding chords with touching intensity. Unfortunately, there were two occasions when she played running passages with the full orchestra, without the emphasis needed.        However, it was an admirable attempt, considering that it was her first performance with an orchestra.        The youngest contestant, 16-year-old Elaine Chew, displayed a sustained virtuosity on Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto in E Minor (1st Movement). She maintained a precise balance capturing the romantic style of the piece which wasn't typical of Chopin's usually rhapsodic piano studies.        I could feel the audience holding their breath whenever she executed her winding passages with sustained third- or sixth-intervals. These were tiring and exacting, calling for a competent technique which she certainly had.        It was also her first occasion with an orchestra. "That little girl really touched me," sighed Dennis Lee, another judge. "I don't think I or many others could have handled that concerto at that age. She was amazing."        Lena Ching's piece, the 3rd Piano Concerto in C Minor by Beethoven (1st Movement), seemed the least complex. But this is misleading, because it required the same no-nonsense technique of the previous concerto.        Lena's passages were more distinct because of the style of the concerto's "dialogue," which had her and the orchestra playing alternatively.        The orchestra's lengthy introduction of the concerto provided an amusing turn: While waiting for her cue, Lena found ample time to clean the keyboard and her glasses. However, when she displayed those sparkling arpeggios, the audience was enthralled.

But the evening's sensation was Christina Tan. From the moment she walked confidently onstage and adjusted the piano seat, we knew that she was someone to be reckoned with.        We weren't disappointed. christina gave an impressive introduction of Prokofiev's 3rd Piano Concerto in C Major (3rd Movement).        There was never a let-down in her performance which was a breathtaking combination of lightning assaults and changing rhythms. Though hers was the shortest and most abstract piece that evening, her immense energy swept the audience along.        While the judges deliberated on their choice of winners, English conductor Philip Ellis led the SSO in an engaging rendition of Tchaikovsky's Overture from Romeo and Juliet. Mr Ellis' ability belied his years: He is only 24 years old, like Lena Ching, the evening's "oldest" contestant.        It transpired that he had only four days to rehearse the orchestra with the contestants. "That's the way it always is," said Mr Ellis. "There's never enough time. But I think that it's been very satisfactory the way things turned out. I've enjoyed the experience."        All four contestants were tense as they waited backstage. The judges' decision took a lot longer than the organisers had anticipated. After the Tchaikovsky overture, the orchestra retired from the stage, leaving the audience to an uncomfortable wait.        On evenings like this, I die twice -- once before performing, and then, waiting for the results," said Christina Tan. "My feet are killing me!" Gauche I asked her how often she practised on the piano. "Would you believe it -- hardly! I'm probably the laziest contestant here. I really hate practising, and do the minimum."        Mistress of ceremonies Koh Chieng Mun supplied some gauche moments to an otherwise thoroughly entertaining evening. When the long-awaited decisions were placed in her hand, she took her time to announce them, seemingly unaware of the tension and the audience's growing impatience.        On learning that she'd won the trip to London, runner-up Lena Ching said :" Maybe it's just as well I didn't win the grand piano. I already have one!"        While expressing his and the judges' satisfaction with the high standard of the competition, Mr Graeme Humphrey suggested that in future, it might be a better idea if the contestants played entire concertos instead of just one movement. The judges felt that one movement was insufficient, and so took into account the finalists' semi-final performances as well.        It is hoped that such competitions will be held annually, as they not only showcase new talent, they enable budding classical pianists a chance to enrich the learning experience.