| Friday 27 March 2026 | 19:30 |
| Cooper Wright | Oboe |
| Eric Lamb | Flute |
| Kevin Loh | Guitar |
| Leslie Tan | Cello |
| Nicholas Loh | Piano |
| Concordia Quartet | |
| Wilford Goh | Violin |
| Kim Kyu Ri | Violin |
| Edward Tan | Viola |
The Singapore Chamber Music Festival’s first concert brings together unique combinations of chamber ensembles in neo-classical music of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco considered his ‘melodious and serene’ Quintet for Guitar and String Quartet (1950) one of his best works of chamber music. Written a decade later, Jean-Michel Damase’s Trio for Flute, Piano and Oboe blends modern harmonies and techniques with classical forms and textures, resulting in “music that is cheerful and singing, enriched with a certain nostalgia”.
Shostakovich’s shortest string quartet, the String Quartet no. 7, was also composed in 1960. It stands in sharp contrast to Damase’s trio: the music contains rapid shifts of mood and time, alternating from playful to sorrowful.
The concert also features Eric Watson’s Concerto Arabesque for Flute, originally written for re:Sound, and reworked for flute and string quartet. The music is inspired by the ornamental designs for in ancient Islamic art.
