Event: Fantasie – Melvyn Tan Live!
Venue: Esplanade Concert Hall
Date: 19th Jan ’11
A Triumphant Return
The music and arts glitterati descended in droves upon the Esplanade Concert Hall tonight to witness what could possibly have been the most eagerly-anticipated piano recital involving a Singapore-born pianist in recent history.
You could easily make a case that Fantasie – the debut recital of renown pianist Melvyn Tan, was the hottest ticket in town.
One might be tempted to draw smart parallels between Fantasie and the legendary 1986 Horowitz comeback concert in Moscow, and although the magnitude of the two events simply cannot be compared, one should not ignore the cultural and social significance of Melvyn’s homecoming concert as well.
Indeed, much has made of Melvyn’s controversial fine of an undisclosed amount back in 2005 due his defaulting of National Service.
However, tonight was not a time for that.
Tonight was all about a man, a Steinway, and a hall full of expectant listeners.
There was a palpable sense of anticipation in the air minutes before the concert began, and you could tell that this was to be no ordinary recital.
The audience immediately burst into rapturous applause the moment Melvyn walked onto the stage, and his countenance revealed a slight sense of being overwhemled by the response he was being treated to.
The night’s programme consisted of Schumann’s Fantasiestücke, Debussy’s Images (Book 1) and Chopin’s Polonaise-Fantaisie in A-flat Major and Sonata in B minor…
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