The Singapore Symphony Orchestra will perform in seven Chinese cities from Oct. 13 to 25, led by new music director Hannu Lintu. It hasn’t toured China since 2011. Before leaving, the orchestra previewed music for the trip at concerts at NUS Cultural Centre, featuring works by Wang Chenwei, Mendelssohn and Mozart.
The Tour Programme
At NUS Cultural Centre, the orchestra played selections from the programme it will take to China. The preview featured three named composers: Wang Chenwei, Mendelssohn and Mozart. The account doesn’t list the seven cities or name venues for the China performances. It also gives no ticket prices, tour costs or revenue.
Lintu led the orchestra at the pre-tour concerts. As its new music director, he’ll lead the Singapore Symphony Orchestra on the China tour. The account provides no further details about his appointment or the terms of his role.
The orchestra last toured China in 2011. The upcoming performances run from Oct. 13 to 25, marking its first return to the country since then.
Performers and the Concerts
Violinists Chloe Chua and He Ziyu performed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante in E flat major (K.364) for violin and viola with the orchestra. Lintu conducted. The account praised their playing as warm, skilled and lively.
Chua and He joined the orchestra for a work written for violin and viola. The source names both performers and the piece, but offers no comments from them about the concerts or tour. It doesn’t provide details about fees, employment arrangements, rehearsal conditions or other labor terms for the musicians.
Mahler's First Symphony closed both nights of the pre-tour concerts. The account says it ended each programme, but doesn’t give the running order for the other works or say whether the China tour will follow the same sequence.
What the Preview Reports
Dry acoustics at the venue hurt some details during the concerts. The account doesn’t specify which passages or instruments the acoustics affected. It describes energy, emotion and promise for the tour, while also noting the limitation.
The report gives no figures for the orchestra's funding, ticket sales, sponsors or the China trip's financial arrangements. It names no unions, worker organizations or disputes, and describes no government action tied to the tour. The documented facts focus on the seven-city schedule, the musicians and works heard at NUS Cultural Centre, and the sound conditions there.
The China performances begin Oct. 13 and end Oct. 25. At the preview concerts, audiences heard music by Wang Chenwei, Mendelssohn and Mozart, including Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante. Mahler's First Symphony closed both nights, and Lintu will lead the orchestra on tour.