Strait into the Saddle: Matthew Schmidt hails the Singapore premiere of ‘Die Walküre’

Review of Die Walküre (concert perf.), directed Podesta, conducted Chan Tze Law, Singapore, 2020.

July 2020, Volume 14, Number 2, 62–5.

The Orchestra of the Music Makers in Singapore was seeking a fresh challenge, something to mark the start of a new decade. Its choice was ambitious: Die Walküre, the second opera in Richard Wagner’s Ring cycle. All the more remarkable is that this is a volunteer orchestra, made up mostly of young non-professional musicians, who play together three or four times a year, an illustration of the depth of musical talent in this city state. The OMM has played a substantial role in nurturing the republic’s classical musical scene, with its performances of Mahler’s symphonies and the Singapore premiere of Bernstein’s Mass, and these efforts are further supported by community engagement programmes, and the organisation of orchestral camps for young musicians.