IT is a rare occasion when the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) collaborates with two Malaysian pianists in a concert.
Join the MPO in 'Piano Duo: A Celebration of Malaysian Talent's featuring Foo Mei Yi and Ng Chong Lim at 8.30pm on May 25 at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP), KLCC, Kuala Lumpur.
FRENCH WIT
The MPO and the pianists will present Poulenc's 'Concerto In D Minor For Two Pianos'. It contains traditional French qualities of wit, frivolity and brevity and was written in 1932.
MPO Resident Conductor Gerard Salonga will lead the MPO to open the concert with Rachmaninoff's 'The Rock', an atmospheric work that takes its title from Mikhail Lermontov's poem of the same name and which premiered at the Russian Music Society in Moscow in 1894.
The concert closes with Brahms' 'Symphony No.1 In C Minor' that takes the listener on a 45-minute artistic journey from turbulent beginnings to a triumphant conclusion.
VERY SPECIAL
In a recent interview, Ng said that he and Foo had collaborated a few times but this will be the first time they are performing together with an orchestra.
"I am very excited because both of us are Malaysians and performing here in our homeland with the MPO is something very special."
Ng's most recent memorable concerts have all been in Malaysia — performing Schumann's 'Piano Concerto' with MPO (July 2022), Bach Concertos with Malaysian Bach Festival Orchestra (March 2023), and 'A Night for the Children' (2022) and 'Illumination' (2023).
"This is my first time performing the Poulenc Piano Concerto."
PANDEMIC
Ng's most memorable concert at DFP was his first major performance with the MPO in July 2022.
"This was where I performed the Schumann Piano Concerto right after the pandemic.
"There are many other collaborations that are memorable such as the MPO chamber series with Ionut Mazareanu and Ming Goh, two great violinists, and the Malaysian Bach Festival Orchestra in 2023."
NORTH MACEDONIA
Ng's other memorable concerts include a concerto performance with an orchestra at Royal College of Music, London, the United Kingdom in 1995, and another in Orhrid, North Macedonia in 2018 when he was one of the jurors at an international piano competition.
CHARITY CONCERT
Ng will perform in another MPO chamber concert in June and will also have an annual charity concert for underprivileged children which he has been doing for the past 12 years.
Ng from Kuala Lumpur is a pianist and composer who studied at the Royal College of Music (RCM), London.
He has performed in many international festivals and has served as juror of international competitions such as the ASEAN International Chopin Piano Competition in Malaysia, The Jakarta International Piano Competition and Singapore International Piano
Competition.
He was adjunct lecturer at Universiti Malaya and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts in Singapore, and devotes his free time to helping homeless and underprivileged children locally and in Nepal and Cambodia.
TAIWAN EARTHQUAKE
Foo said that she recently returned from Taiwan, playing at the National Kaohsiung Centre for the Arts.
"The audience turned up with enthusiasm and courage despite the tragic earthquake. I was very touched by their response," she said, adding that she will be playing at the Singapore International Piano Festival later this month.
"I have been privileged to perform at DFP with the MPO many times since 2006. I was also invited by the MPO for a concert tour in Peninsular Malaysia. We were very lucky to perform and to visit schools giving workshops," said Foo.
VISUAL ARTISTS
In recent years, United Kingdom-based Foo has started working with creators outside her usual musical circle.
"My latest project Far East Sounds brought me closer to visual artists in Malaysia such as Gema Bumi, a soundscape and video production company, and Fusion Wayang Kulit, a shadow puppet company," she said.
RAVI SHANKAR
Citing Bach, Schumann, Stravinsky, Unsuk Chin, Bob Marley, Alanis Morisette, Gypsy Kings, and Ravi Shankar as her favourite musicians, Foo is a prolific concerto soloist.
She has appeared with the Avanti Chamber Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic and the MPO among others and has performed at the world's most eminent festivals such as the Lucerne Festival, Ultraschall Festival Berlin and Born Creative Festival in Tokyo.
Foo graduated from the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music in London. She holds a teaching position at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and was an Artiste-In-Residence at the National University of Ireland 2022.
The pianists will also be presenting a masterclass at 6pm on May 23 at DFP. Tickets RM25 for the public and RM200 for participants.
Tickets: RM218-368.
Call 03-2331 7007.
