Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Gil ShahamEsplanade Concert HallJuly 17, 7.30pm

The Singapore Symphony Orchestra’s (SSO) new music director Hannu Lintu’s inaugural concert had one unmistakeable message – change is coming. The hallmarks of a symphony orchestra are its sound and repertoire, and Lintu made it very clear that he will be pushing the boundaries along both dimensions, and doing so in double time.

Lintu’s journey with SSO began with a new commission by Tan Chan Boon, Après l’Odyssée (After The Odyssey), which is the opening movement of his Seventh Symphony. A doyen in the composer community, schooled in Paris and steeped in the Austrian tradition, the diehard Mahlerian has not only composed prolifically, but imparted his knowledge to leading young composers, amongst them Wang Chenwei and Jonathan Shin. To programme his work alongside Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 was an inspired decision.

Tan composes on an expansive canvas. His symphonies are large works, often as long as Mahler’s symphonies, and this movement lasts some

20

minutes. A gentle, slightly Eastern motif persists through the work, and Tan’s textures were Alpine-like, somewhat less heavy than in some of his previous works.

Lintu has said, “I want a recognisable sound” for the SSO, and After The Odyssey showed how he has already begun this process. There was a less forward balance, an expanded tonal palette, and some of the gentlest pianissimo passages ever heard from the SSO. There were times in the past when it seemed as if the SSO had not been given enough time to work on an overture or new commission, but it was clear that Lintu and the orchestra had treated Tan’s work with great respect. It was a pity that this single movement left the audience in suspense, yearning to hear what the composer has coming in the following movements.

New York-based Gil Shaham has been a close friend of the SSO for many years, having performed, toured and recorded with the orchestra. He brought Mason Bates’ Nomad Concerto, written for him, for its Asian premiere.

Inspired by music from nomadic cultures in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, the four movements of the...