Singapore Symphony Orchestra on the Silver Screen for the first time at Shaw Theatres

The film will be shown at Shaw Theatres Lido 4 in Orchard, on Friday 27 November, followed by a screening at Shaw Theatres Jewel 1 on Monday 30 November. The screening features the orchestra’s concert “Chorus of the Planets” filmed live at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 8 November 2019. The concert included Gustav Holst’s epic masterpiece The Planets alongside Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy, conducted by the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor, Andrew Litton.

Beethoven's Choral Fantasy is a pre-cursor to the composer's famous Ninth Symphony and is a poetic tribute to the divine power of music. Joining the orchestra for this epic work are the Singapore Symphony Chorus and Youth Choir, Malaysian pianist Tengku Irfan, award-winning Chinese tenor Long Long, and five Singaporean singers: sopranos Ee Ping and Jessica Chen, mezzo-soprano Rebecca Chellappah, tenor Jonathan Tay and baritone William Lim.

Holst's seven-movement suite The Planets is one of the best-known pieces of music ever written. Each section is inspired by the astrological character of the planets in the solar system: from Mars, the Bringer of War (which inspired John Williams' music for Star Wars) to Neptune, the Mystic.

Mark Shaw, Director of Shaw Organisation, said: “The pandemic may have affected the cinema business this year, but it has not stopped Shaw Theatres from finding new and high quality content to bring different cinematic experiences to our movie-going audience. We are thrilled to partner with our national orchestra to bring one of their most powerful and meaningful concerts to the big screen in our cinemas.”

Singapore Symphony Group Chief Executive Officer, Chng Hak-Peng, said, “The SSO is proud to have been partners with Shaw Organisation over the decades to spread the love of symphonic music to the people of Singapore, from the Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage, and now to Shaw Theatres. With live audiences allowed only for small chamber groups, we hope this new innovation will allow classical music audiences to feel the sonic power of the symphony orchestra and chorus in a Shaw cinema.”

Tickets for the special screenings will be $18 and will go on sale at 3pm on 19 November at www.shaw.sg. A discount is available for SSO Friends Season Pass holders.

Singapore Symphony in Chorus of the Planets
Date & Time
27 November (Fri), Shaw Theatres Lido 4, 6.50pm
30 November (Mon), Shaw Theatres Jewel 1, 3.30pm

Venue
Shaw Theatres Lido, 350 Orchard Road, 5th/6th Floor Shaw House, Singapore 238868
Shaw Theatres Jewel, 78 Airport Boulevard, Jewel Changi Airport, B2-237, Singapore 819666

Performers
Andrew Litton, conductor
Tengku Irfan, piano
Ee Ping, soprano
Jessica Chen, soprano
Rebecca Chellappah, mezzo-soprano
Long Long, tenor
Jonathan Tay, tenor
William Lim, baritone
Singapore Symphony Chorus & Youth Choir
Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Jens Braun, Video Director/Audio Producer, Take5 Music Production
Hans Kipfer, Audio Engineer

Programme
Beethoven: Choral Fantasy for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra, Op. 80
Holst: The Planets, Op. 32

Tickets
$18 ($16.50 for SSO Friends Season Pass holders. Discounted tickets must be purchased in person from Shaw Theatres Box Offices)