Kris Foundation's 'Allure' - a piano recital review
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Dr. Chang Tou Liang: Straits Times (life) Singapore, 15 Aug 2018
Ning Hui displayed a mastery of six composers of different eras and styles. She opened with a slick account of Chopin's Second Scherzo, revealing a pearly tone with sharp contours smoothened over. Two Scarlatti Sonatas keenly contrasted staccato with legato playing, polar opposites of sound production and projection.While her advocacy of living composers, Korean Unsuk Chin (Etude No.6 “Grains”) and Briton Thomas Ades (Darknesse Visible), was spirited and admirable, it was See's juxtaposition of Sonatas by husband-and-wife Robert and Clara Schumann which sealed the deal. Both cast in G minor, Clara's salon-like charm and Robert's blistering passion were the toast of the evening's offerings. |
Sound & Fantasy - a piano recital review
Dr. Chang Tou Liang, Straits Times (Life!) Singapore 18 June 2015
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...the repertoire she offered was well-chosen and reflected an all-rounded musical personality. Opening with J.S.Bach's Toccata in D major (BWV.912), there was both clarity and fluidity. Various shades and moods followed in Beethoven's Sonata in E flat major (Op.81a), also known as “Les Adieux”. There was excitement in the first movement's farewell and desolation in the slow movement's portrayal of absence, which See brought out particularly well. After the interval, two Scarlatti sonatas, both in D minor, provided many points of contrasts. Here, small was beautiful as these little gems were windows into See's refined touch. Belying See's petite physical stature was a voluminous sound, which carried through the [Schumann Fantasie's] three movements...there was much to marvel at her grasp of the music's architecture and form...she gave two substantial encores which offered more tantalising glimpses to her widening repertoire. Ravel's impressions of dancing fountains in Jeux d'eau was an impressive mix of delicate sprinkles and gushing spouts, and the piece de resistance that was Chopin's Winter Wind Étude was enough to blow all doubters away. The Tempest - a piano recital reviewSeptember 2013
"...an impressive recital and a promising return for the young pianist". The first half of the night was a demonstration of Ning Hui’s individualism and maturity as a performer. Ning Hui made a lasting first impression with a heart-stirring arpeggio in the opening bars of Beethoven’s Tempest Sonata, and it is promptly followed by a thrilling adventure with a mischievous mix of wonderment and indignation. The recital was completed with one of Mendelssohn’s most famous piano works, the Rondo Capriccioso. Ning Hui’s playing was filled with so much warmth that it is difficult to imagine that the piece was in fact rather challenging, and it was due to her unwillingness to show off unnecessarily and ability to be inconspicuous about her virtuosity that made this rendition one of the best I’ve ever heard. |
The Business Times, September 2012
Dr. Chang Tou Liang
...an unshakeable self-belief that translated into polish and poise. Her Mozart movement from Sonata K.311 displayed a firm grasp of symphonic thought, matched by a feather-like touch and delicious rubato for Chopin’s First Impromptu. Under her hands, even Khachaturian’s rather superficial Toccata did not sound like empty motoric rumblings. |
Lianhe Zaobao, September 2012
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Featured Articles
Meet the creator of fusion music – John Mayer, the Anglo-Indian from Calcutta
Calcutta Nagar is a series of short compositions that Mayer composed as a remembered celebration of the city of his birth. Each miniature composition evokes a section or aspect of the city (Kali Mandir, Hoogley Nadi, Naya Bazaar) and is good demonstration of his eclectic approach to composition and enduring commitment to give voice to both sides of his identity. This clip showcases the young Singaporean pianist See Ning Hui from whom we will be hearing more of in the not too distant future, I’m sure.
