Concert review: NAFA Wind Ensemble shines in classical music

Bestowing melodious tunes for Cool Classic Band Weekend on 6 February 2021, Wind Ensembles from Nanyang Academic of Fine Arts’ School of Music (NAFA) gathered to perform array of classical music, captivating audiences at the Esplanade Concourse and through live-streaming. The Ensemble comprised of Brass Ensemble, Brass Quintet and Wind Sextet presented a 40-minutes historically informed concert, delighting audiences amid the pandemic.

The Brass Ensemble opened the concert with Oskar Böhme’s Trompeten-Sextett Op.30, filling the tranquil stage with an expressive and lively narrative. It began with a moderato to a steady incline, building enthusiasm for the rapid and quickfire rhythmic pace that followed, led by the trumpeters.

In the more vigorous than refined first movement, the ensemble etched out a thrilling emotive, masking the scarcity of rich distinct colour in Trompeten-Sextett that was sadly compressed by the broadcast recording. Condensing the original longer piece into 9-minutes, the brass ensemble found their way back with warmness and soothing shades in the second movement, ending harmoniously in a tonality of melancholy.

Seeking chemistry despite social distancing as the night progressed, the NAFA Brass Quintet’s rendition of Sony Kompanek’s Killer Tango permeated passion and sensualness. The trombonist welcomed the piece authentically with a velvety tone, inviting one to groove alongside its rhythmic flow. Balancing out vibrancy with sentimental flavours, the earthy sounds delivered by the responsive accompaniment of the tubist grounded the performance with an unobtrusive melody.

To establish flourishment from the repeated sequence, the trumpeters’ ornamentations were uplifting and brimming with charm that hinted a slight note for more cohesion and precision. Finishing with a celebratory tune in unison that resolute through deep plummeting sounds of the tuba, NAFA Quintet’s Killer Tango indeed strikes a chord in one’s memory.

Finally, Conductor Joost Flach and NAFA Wind Sextet bought upon a glorious end to the concert with Ferdinand Ries’s Nocturne for Wind Sextet. Portraying solemness initially, the homophonic texture was soon accompanied by contrasting brightness of the flute, emitting rays of light into the dark tone, transitioning to a joyous melody in its first movement.

Affording smiles in the second movement, the wind sextet maintained a serene harmony that transformed gradually to the dignified melody of the bassoon in the third movement. Weaving gracefulness from the flutist, NAFA Wind Sextet declared a call to arm and emerging victorious with warm tones and peaceful tunes from the horn.

With a degree of variations and solo parts from the flutist and horn player, the fourth movement stretched the group’s techniques to the limit. This was delivered splendidly with a surprising clean end, executed timely from the perfect orchestration of Joost Flach. In the last movement, the performers interacted with one another through the responsive imitation of melodies, bringing the concert to a closure monophonically in a harmonic spirit. As a whole, the immersive performance by Wind Sextet was certainly a highlight of the concert. Nonetheless, it was a revitalizing evening well-spent with NAFA Wind Ensemble.

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