2009 Shows III

CATS (10 Apr – 3 May 2009)

10 Apr – 3 May 2009

Tue – Fri, 8pm
Sat, 2pm & 8pm
Sun, 2pm & 7pm

Approx 2 hrs 45 mins (including 20 mins interval)

Esplanade Theatre

Tue-Thur & Sun Evening Shows
Standard – S$140, S$120, S$95, S$70, S$160 (VIP Box), S$140 (Box B & G), S$120 (Box B-G), S$40 (Restricted View), S$70 (Restricted View)

Gala (14 Apr), Fri & Sat Evening, Sat & Sun Matinee Shows
Standard – S$150, S$130, S$110, S$85, S$170 (VIP Box), S$150 (Box B & G), S$130 (Box B-G), S$40 (Restricted View), S$85 (Restricted View)

Synopsis

The producers who brought you the sell-out season of The Phantom of the Opera return with a superb international production of CATS, starring one of theatre’s finest performers, Delia Hannah!

CATS is quite simply a phenomenon. With magnificent music composed by the legendary Andrew Lloyd Webber, including the poignant hit song “Memory”, an imaginative set, inspired choreography and stunning costumes, CATS is a brilliant song and dance spectacular not to be missed as it makes a triumphant return to Singapore.

CATS is the best-known and best-loved musical the world has ever known, holding the record of the longest-running musical in West End history having played for 21 years. In addition CATS played 18 years on Broadway and has been presented in over twenty-six countries, in about three hundred cities, in ten languages.

CATS first opened in London in May 1981 to rave reviews and went on to win a record-breaking number of awards worldwide including two Olivier Awards for ‘Musical of the Year’ and ‘Outstanding Achievement of the Year in Musicals’, and seven Tony Awards.

Sistic Link

Romeo & Juliet (30 Apr – 2 May 2009)

30 Apr – 2 May 2009
Thur-Sat, 08:00PM

Approx 2 hrs 20 mins, INTERVAL: Approx 10 mins
Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel

Standard – S$69

Synopsis
TNT Theatre Britain has developed an international reputation for presenting dynamic, exciting and direct productions of Shakespeare’s major works. Live music, powerful choreography and a simple performance style allow a modern audience to experience Skakespeare’s great love story as an Elizabethan audience might have done at a London theatre some four hundred years ago. In this production the play is freed from the cliches of West Side Story and the film starring Leonardo de Caprio, and is rediscovered as a story not of urban street kids but of “Two houses both alike in dignity”. This is a tragedy of clan war, of a town in violent chaos, riven by family feuds, where the deaths of two young lovers bring the warring factions to their senses. Verona is brought to the stage in all its classical glory, Latin passion and baroque decadence.

This is an Italy where honour, pride and family loyalty are valued above morality, peace and love. In a modern world equally riven by violence and intolerance, where peace seems as elusive as true love, this great tragedy is as relevant as ever. This is not a historical but a mythic setting that enables the morality play and the romantic tragedy to reach its true potential.

All too often, Shakespeare suffers from directors and even designers imposing an interpretation on the original that stifles its essence. TNT works carefully to bring out the true richness and depth of Shakespeare. This approach has been much appreciated by a wide audience who is often surprised at how accessible and relevant Shakespeare’s plays become when they are performed in the manner Shakespeare might have intended. The plays were written to be performed with limited scenery which calls upon the imagination of the audience, live music, small casts, energetic physical performances and a sensitivity to poetry. All of these elements are present in a TNT Shakespeare production. Less is more or, to quote Hamlet, “the play is the thing”.

The music for this production comprises both recorded instrumental and live vocal elements. In addition to original composition, John Kenny has arranged and adapted many baroque vocal instrument works, which are performed on historical instruments by The Scott Free Ensemble (baroque violin, alto & tenor sackbuts recorders, percussion, harpsichord and organ).

TNT & ADG’s Romeo & Juliet tours to thirty countries on three continents in 2009

“Wonderfully unpredictable and astonishingly inventive, their imagery defies description” : Scotsman, Edinburgh Festival

“Extraordinary. TNT demonstrates how Shakespeare can be made relevant to a modern audience anywhere in the world” : Japan Times, Tokyo

“Highly effective and charismatic theatre” : Village Voice, New York

Sistic Link

A Tapestry of Sacred Music Sounds of Ecstasy by Rizwan Muazzam Qawwali Group Pakistan (1 May 2009)

1 May 2009
Fri, 09:00PM

Approx 90 mins

Esplanade Recital Studio

Standard – S$35

LANGUAGE: Urdu, Persian & Punjabi

“Qawwali is a precious thing that has stood the test of time. The songs connect to the human spirit and freshen the human soul. Its main message is love…” – Rizwan Mujahid Ali Khan

Seated on the floor, musicians strike up a deliberate, percussive melody. Minutes later, an impassioned cry fills the air, a robust male voice whose call is answered by a chorus echoing and responding to his poetic words of love and devotion. With pulsing rhythm, the music quickens and builds in intensity. In the rousing surge of drums, strings, harmonium, hand claps, rapid-fire scats and improvised vocals, performers and audience alike sway to the hypnotic beat, filled with emotion and lifted in the rapturous experience that is qawwali.

Rhythmic, ecstatic and always energising, qawwali is, musically, an improvisational and virtuosic exercise in repetition and variation, ideally, a means to attain spiritual enlightenment and, culturally, a form of Islamic Sufi devotional music with roots in 8th century Persia.

Having spread across Central Asia, the Middle East and India along with the propagation of Sufism over 700 years, qawwali displays traits of both Persian and Indian music, and features qawwals (qawwali singers) singing religious praise songs or allegorical poems about divine and secular love to instrumental accompaniment by an ensemble. Today, besides being a time-honoured form of sacred music, qawwali music has also evolved into a secular form of music, common in Bollywood movies and embraced by a growing secular audience worldwide.

Rizwan Muazzam Qawwali Group Pakistan is led by Rizwan and Muazzam, the young nephews of famous Pakistani “Emperor of Qawwali” and one of Time magazine’s 2006 “Asian Heroes”, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The group has performed at WOMAD festivals and other events around the world, and recorded and performed traditional and fusion qawwali to acclaim.

Come experience the rousing energy of qawwali. Be lifted to ecstatic heights through a music whose joyful passion transcends language, religion and culture.

A Tapestry of Sacred Music introduces Singaporean audiences, in a three-day programme of ticketed and free performances, to the diverse sounds, moods and colours of sacred music from around the world.

Sistic Link

One response

6 05 2009: Mian Azeem (20:02:14) : edit

Dear All
it has been great experience to perform in esplanade singapore. we appriciate effort of Esplanade to bring us there in singapore.

Regards
Mian Azeem
International Manager
Rizwan Muazzam Qawwali Group Pakistan
Cell # 92-300-9664817
Cell # 92-321-9664817
sufimusic786@hotmail.com
sufimusic786@gmail.com

A Tapestry of Sacred Music Music of the Desert (2 May 2009)

2 May 2009
Sat, 09:00PM

Approx 90 mins

Esplanade Recital Studio

Standard – S$35

Synopsis
Come into the Sahara desert with its endless expanse, lonely campfires and starry skies as ensemble Tartit brings you a slice of the nomadic desert life with its earthy, evocative music.

Tartit’s nine members are of the nomadic Tuareg people in Northern Mali who have been present in the vast territories of the Sahara and Sahel in Africa for thousands of years and for whom music, song and poetry are an integral part of life.

Hear them perform ancient Tuareg desert music and recent compositions with vocals and instruments such as the traditional tinde (drums), the centuries-old imzad (violin) and tehardant (lute), and the modern guitar.

Compelling in its mix of piquant melancholy and simple joy, the music of Tartit – featuring plaintive vocals backed by spare, repetitive, rhythm-led instrumentation in vibrant call-and-response songs and haunting ballads – will give a sense of the strength and struggle of the enigmatic Tuareg people to survive amidst the constant menace of state repression and natural drought.

Tartit was founded in 1995 in a refugee camp and invited to perform at the Festival of Women’s Voices in Belgium that same year. Since then, the ensemble has performed in national festivals, toured the UK and Europe several times, most recently as part of the stunning Desert Blues shows, and recorded an acclaimed album, Ichichila.

Immerse yourself in Tartit’s Tuareg desert blues and be uplifted by its simple, natural beauty.

A Tapestry of Sacred Music introduces Singaporean audiences, in a three-day programme of ticketed and free performances, to the diverse sounds, moods and colours of sacred music from around the world.

Sistic Link

An Enemy of The People (2-3 May 2009)

2-3 May 2009
Sat & Sun, 7.30pm

Approx 2 hrs 15 mins

INTERVAL: Approx 10 mins
DBS Arts Centre – Home of SRT

Standard – S$50, S$30

Synopsis
Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s classic play – “An Enemy of the people” is the story of an honest physician’s attempt to warn his community about a public hazard that politicians and investors want to hide. The town in which the play is set has built a huge bathing complex (The Springs) that has great medicinal value and is crucial to the town’s economy. Dr. Thomas Stockmann has just discovered that the water in the Springs is seriously contaminated. He alerts several members of the community including the local newspaper editor and the printer, who, at first, back the doctor.

However, the doctor’s brother, Peter, who is also the town’s mayor, accuses his brother as one who would ruin the town with a false report. He orders Thomas to retract his statements so that the news of the pollution is suppressed. Thomas refuses his brother’s order and holds a town meeting to give a lecture on the serious danger to public health.

What happens next? Does the doctor have anyone at all to support his honest intentions? Does he leave his native town he so dearly loves? Watch it unfold.

Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen was one of the world’s greatest dramatists. He was the leading figure of an artistic renaissance that took place in Norway at the end of the nineteenth century. Ibsen lived from 1828 to 1906.

Sistic Link

Beltuner – Jazz Manouche (Gypsy Jazz) Concert (7 May 2009)

7 May 2009
Thu, 8pm

Approx 90 mins
Alliance Francaise Theatre
Standard – S$35

Synopsis
Beltuner is a genuine musical alchemy. See them perform diabolical rhythms of gypsy music – the pompe manouche, the waltz’s whirl, the tango and the nostalgia of the Ballads from Eastern Europe.

Sistic Link

Vocal Traditions of India by Kaushiki Chakraborty Presented by SIFAS in collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay ( 9 May 2009)

9 May 2009
Sat, 7.30pm

Approx 1 hrs 30 mins

Esplanade Recital Studio

Standard – S$28

Package – $50 for 2 shows (The other show is Vocal Traditions of India by Pt Ulhas Kashalkar on 10 May)
(Only through Sistic Hotline & Authorised Agents)

LANGUAGE:Hindi

A versatile artiste blessed with the rare gift of a melodious voice and vast musical potential, Kaushiki trained under the tutelage of gurus Jnan Prakash Ghosh and her illustrious father, Pt Ajoy Chakrabarty of the Patiala gharana (a particular school of music). Her recitals are marked with maturity beyond her years and sound musical knowledge complemented by remarkable spontaneity. Kaushiki, a child prodigy, has received immense acclaim for her artistry; the most coveted being the BBC Radio 3 World Music Award (2005).

Accompanying artists
Sudhir Nayak on harmonium
Rohit Mujumdar on tabla

Sistic Link

Krisdayanti – Live at the Esplanade (9 May 2009)

9 May 2009
Sat, 07:30PM
Approx 90 mins
Esplanade Concert Hall

Standard – S$188, S$158, S$128, S$98, S$78
Box Seat – S$188

LANGUAGE: English & Malay

Since she was proclaimed Asia Bagus 1st Champion in 1992, KrisDayanti blazed a spectacular journey to Superstardom, marked by prestigious awards not only from Indonesia but from Japan, Europe and Singapore.

Awarded One of the Most Lustrous 6 Women of Indonesia (Star Tabloids Indonesia 1996), to One of the Most Influential Women in Indonesia (Globe Asia Magazine 2007), Krisdayanti’s latest award was MediaCorp’s Planet Music Award for Best Female Singer in 2008. She won this award twice!

KrisDayanti has recorded 11 Albums, and starred in TV movies and films.

Its been 5 years since her last Singapore Concert. Now she’s back to entertain and enthrall you in shimmering style, at the Esplanade Concert Hall! Be mesmerized when you hear “Menghitung Hari”, “Cobalah Untuk Setia”, & “Cinta” from her repertoire of song hits.

Music Director for the concert is renowned film composer and keyboard artiste Andi Rianto. Indeed a double treat for music lovers having these two brilliant artistes together in one not-to-be-missed Concert.

One Night Only!

“KrisDayanti Live at the Esplanade!” is world class entertainment at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 9 May.

Sistic Link

Grasshopper RIGHT NOW Concert 2009 (9 May 2009)

9 May 2009 Sat, 8:00PM

Approx 2 Hrs 15 Mins

Singapore Indoor Stadium
Standard – S$148, S$128, S$98, S$68

Only VISA, MasterCard, JCB Card, DINERS Card, Cash and NETS are accepted for this event.

Standard – S$148, S$128, S$98, S$68

LANGUAGE: Cantonese & Mandarin

JACK DANIEL’S
Presents
SUPER POP ACT
GRASSHOPPER
WANTS YOU TO DANCE OFF WORRIES
RIGHT NOW!

Following the highly acclaimed Forever Grasshopper Concert 2007 which left the audience on their feet asking for more, fans of the Hong Kong superstar pop group have every reason to DANCE again come 9 MAY 2009 as the ever-popular iconic trio will be back with more surprises at their explosive and visually alluring full-fledged music concert at the Singapore Indoor Stadium!

Two years ago, the pop act brought the Indoor Stadium down with overwhelming encores for the dancing crowd through their extravagant music party. After a much anticipated wait, the trio will finally return to give Singapore fans a special de-stressing treat with more surprises, music and dance at this flashiest dance party to date!

Most well-loved for their energetic dance moves and exhilarating showmanship, Grasshopper dominated the Mandarin and Canto music scene since emerging on the scene. First spotted for their dynamic dancing talents by renowned diva Anita Mui, the trios were engaged as her exclusive dancers in major performances. Calvin Choy, Remus Choy and Edmond So moved on to form the pop group Grasshopper in 1987. Their amazing stage presence and charisma took Asia by storm and attracted fans from all over Asia.

With more than forty Canto and Mandarin albums and a series of full-house concerts to their names throughout their career, the trio has garnered countless success and accolades across the world and remains among the top entertainer in the music industry!

Fans have all the best reasons to catch the superstars swing in full action as they showcases their cutting-edge dance choreography, visually enticing sound and stage effects, refreshing new sounds and remarkable golden hits at the highly enticing Grasshopper Right Now in Concert 2009. The famous trio is bound to keep you on your feet all night with their nifty showmanship and familiar tunes such as “愛不怕”, “失戀陣線聯盟”, “暗戀的代價”, “寶貝,對不起”, “又愛又恨”, “忘情森巴舞”, “為何天生不是女人”, “Forever”, “Lonely” and much more at this vibrant music extravaganza!

Click Here For Chinese Synopsis

Sistic Link

Vocal Traditions of India by Pt Ulhas Kashalkar Presented by SIFAS in collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay (10 May 2009)

10 May 2009
Sun, 7.30pm

Approx 1 hrs 30 mins

Esplanade Recital Studio

Standard – S$28

Package – $50 for 2 shows ( The other show is Vocal Traditions of India by Kaushiki Chakraborty on 9 May)
(Only through Sistic Hotline & Authorised Agents)

LANGUAGE: Hindi

A torchbearer of the pristine tradition of Hindustani classical music, Ulhas Kashalkar was initiated by his father, N D Kashalkar and then trained under gurus Ram Marathe and Gajananbua Joshi. As one of the most formidable vocalists in India, Ulhas Kashalkar, is gifted with the ability to blend the gayakees or singing styles of three distinct gharanas (schools of music), namely Gwalior, Agra and Jaipur.

Accompanying artists
Sudhir Nayak on harmonium
Rohit Mujumdar on tabla

Sistic Link

CACHÉ (Hidden) – French Movies (12 May 2009)

12 May 2009
Tue, 8pm

Approx 114 mins

Alliance Francaise Theatre

Standard – S$7.20
LANGUAGE: In French with English Subtitles

Director: Michael Haneke
Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice Bénichou, Annie Girardot

Synopsis: George, host of a television show focusing on literature, receives videos shot on the sly that feature his family, along with disturbing drawings that are difficult to interpret. He has no idea who has made and sent him the videos. Progressively, the contents of the videos become more personal, indicating that the sender has known George for a long time. George feels that he and his family are being threatened, but because the threat is not explicitly stated, the police refuse to get involved. Clues gradually begin to accumulate indicating that the videos come from a person upon whom George clearly inflicted a terrible injustice during his childhood. What happened back then? Just what does the person behind the videos want? As George confronts his own past, his tidy, cosy life comes into question.
Sistic Link

con brio… with I-sis Trio in concert (13 May 2009)

13 May 2009

Wed, 7:30PM

Approx 1 Hr

Esplanade Recital Studio

Standard – S$30

I-Sis Trio’s music has been described as the new wave of classical chamber music. The unique collaboration – between members Cindy Yan (violin), Natasha Liu (cello) and Katryna Tan (harp) – has resulted in an exciting synergy apparent with every performance they give.

The trio delivered successful full house performances in Singapore and Hong Kong in 2008, and has engagements and tours lined up in China and other Asian countries in 2009.

In this concert, explore the 21st century definition of new chamber music with the trio. The trio combines traditional art forms with different musical styles, creating contemporary sounds “with vigour” (“con brio” in Italian).

This energised combination of 55 strings and three voices will present and reinterpret works by major composers like Ibert, Piazolla and Bach, and favourites like Take Five, Malaguena, Skylife and more in a style of their own!

PROOF By DAVID AUBURN (13-16 May 2009)

13-16 May 2009

Wed – Sat, 8pm

Approx 2 hrs 20 mins

1 Interval
approx 15 mins

DBS Arts Centre – Home of SRT

Standard – S$40

MDA Advisory
Please note coarse language will be used in the play.

Synopsis

Proof(2001), a play by David Auburn, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2001.
Catherine, a depressed college dropout who has stayed at home and cared for her father Robert, a mathematical genius who suffered from mental illness, forms a tentative friendship with Hal, a former student of her fathers. The plot moves into high gear when Hal discovers in one of Robert’s notebooks a proof of a theorem that mathematicians had thought impossible. It is a sensational discovery, but Catherine stuns Hal by claiming she wrote the proof. But did she?

Sistic Link

Beneath The Sheets An Intimate Concert with James & Friends (14-15 May 2009)

14-15 May 2009

Thu – Fri, 8:00PM

Approx 2 Hrs.

Esplanade Recital Studio
Standard – S$45

BY DAY James makes dreams come true for many within Asia’s media, advertising and creative sectors as a corporate talent scout. By night (well for at least two nights anyway) James will be showcasing his true passion – his voice – singing songs from Barry Manilow, Steven Bishop, Jamiroquai, MIKA, Jason Mraz, Burt Bacharach and others. Enjoy an intimate night Beneath the Sheets with James & Friends at 8:00pm on Thursday May 14th and Friday May 15th 2009 at The Esplanade Recital Studios. James will be joined by his good friends Hossan Leong, Zheng Zhanlun, Gimz, Eli T and Angela Ngui who will team up to bring you a show that promises to be an intimate night of great music for one and all. So come along and join James and his friends Beneath the Sheets – it will definitely be a night to remember.

Sistic Link

Verner Panton Exhibition Programmes Objects and Spaces:

The Design of Verner Panton (15 May 2009)

15 May 2009
Fri, 02:00PM

Approx 60 mins

National Museum Gallery Theatre
Basement

Free Admission
Verner Panton (1926 – 1998), internationally known for his famous Panton Chair, is counted amongst the most innovative designers in the second half of 20th century. This talk will give a general introduction and overview of Panton as a designer, with focus on his furniture, lighting and textile design. It will also highlight Panton’s legendary interior designs, where he integrated items from all fields of his activity to create a kind of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art).

About the Speaker

Mathias Remmele is Lecturer for the History of Design, Architecture and Culture at the University of Art and Design Basel since 2000. A freelance journalist writing for wide circulation newspapers (mainly the Neue Zürcher Zeitung) and for trade journals such as Bauwelt, Archithese and Design Report, Mathias Remmele was the guest curator at the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein from 1999/2000 and 2001-2003, where he curated and organised travelling exhibitions as Verner Panton and Marcel Breuer. He is author and editor of many catalogues accompanying exhibitions on Design and Architecture, as well as, a collaborator in collective projects and publications.

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2 Comments (+add yours?)

moiz ayaz
Nov 13, 2009 @ 09:41:09

dear sir
fareed ayaz qawwal going to sufi music concert 2009 perfom at sindapore
others information . http://www.qawwal.com
moiz ayaz

Reply
- blucat
  Nov 13, 2009 @ 13:47:12
  
  Hi Moiz, the website does not have any plans for performances in Singapore.. and its already November, perhaps its in 2010 and do you have a link? Would be glad to put this up here.
  
  Thanks!
  
  Reply