Dont eat the Cardboard

Kransky Sisters.doc
Kransky Sisters review written as an accredited Fringe Media member –2006 after interviewing The Kransky Sisters and then watching the performance — a great show !
a feast for the intellect and the ‘humoury’ senses —- I just loved it —-it’s what the Fringe should be all about — they certainly ‘dont-eat-the-cardboard’ Dennis Coleman

Article by Dennis Coleman on major designers and trends in Retro furniture design–Adelaide,South Australia context

[500kB] Retro Furniture and hip designs –PDF

‘Retro’ goes beyond the seventies, back to the founders of Modernism. Local designers and manufacturers played a major role in producing ‘modern’ furniture.

Reflect for a moment upon how
you purchase or display objects
or furnishings for your own dÈcor.
Most of us, whether as frenetic
collectors or minimalists, seek
harmony and balance ñ perhaps our
own particular brand of feng shui.
We seek a balance of form and
function, perhaps a hint of opulence
yet simplicity of lifestyle.
A magnificent Murano glass vase
will flaunt its riot of colour on a
window ledge, yet cringe in despair
in a darkened boxed-in shelf. A
grand sculpture will be ill at ease co-
existing with lesser contenders or
will only tolerate, at best, those
objets díart which complement its
form. Smaller collectables, yearning
for detailed study, will feel cast adrift
in a wide-open space, seeking a
cluster of others of their ilk.
So, where does the concept of
Retro fit in with this? Is it just a
passing phase or a serious force to
be reckoned with? Until recently,
when most of us thought of Retro, it
was images of 70s plywood, stapled
furniture and handkerchief-shaped
coloured glass vases that sprang to
mind, along with orange ceramics,
macrame, rice-paper light shades
and purple walls.

As seen in Saigon City Life Magazine, Feb/March 2008.

[1MB] PDF article about Istanbul – Where East meets West.

NB : The PDF was the final draft before adding captions.

- As seen in Limelight magazine, April 2007-

Far from their family in Adelaide, twins Pei Jee and Pei Sian share a flat with fellow students at Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music ( RNCM). In the midst of this bustling international city, just across from the famous curry mile, mingling with budding musical celebrities from all over the globe, it seems like an idyllic existence, the stuff of dreams. And yet, the Ng brothers, while thoroughly enjoying their life-style, are not there in the pursuit of adventure. Theirs is a serious venture, to listen to the instrument of their heart, the cello, to listen intently to all its nuances, moods, and textures. Under the tutelage of the renowned Ralph Kirshbaum,they have set about converting their passion into a discipline, a quest to bring out the best in their prized instruments by striving to perfect a balance of technical skill while having the freedom to give soul to their music. At only 22 years of age, their achievements to date are already legendary. Having had their formative years at Marryatville High and Adelaide University’s Elder Conservatorium, they have independently won a string of prizes and scholarships while also maintaining the closeness to perform as a duo in recitals. In a series of interviews, Dennis Coleman explored that unique blend.

 

 

Ng Pei Jee : Cellist / RNCM student

 

DC :You are both only 22 years of age and have come so far already. What brought you on this journey of discovery with the cello?

 

Pei Jee: Well, I had an aunt who was a piano teacher and my father had played the violin in Malaysia. My parents really wanted us to learn the violin but as the local class was full, we learnt the cello instead and have never looked back since. I really began to love the instrument when I began tackling the greater works like the Schumann at age 11 and Shostakovich( age 15) concertos. Those years were very important for my development. I guess Shostakovich was the most influential in my decision to pursue music. It was at a time when I was getting around the cello more easily in a technical sense and finding out all sorts of new things that I could do with it.

 

DC : I guess your parents were the major original instigators ?

 

PJ :Yes, that’s right but they hadn’t really ever thought of us pursuing music as a career as such. They just loved music and thought the idea of playing in youth orchestras was a fun,social thing. They didn’t know much about the professional side of music. It was all about appreciation of music. My parents were extremely supportive when we both decided to develop our careers but they warned of the difficulties of establishing a career, getting auditions and attaining financial security but I didn’t care about those things. ALL I wanted was to be with the cello at all times. A great part of that dream was to play the great cello works as a soloist with an orchestra.

 

DC : That brings me to your twin brother Pei Sian with whom you have worked closely in duo recitals. Did he have the same aspirations at the time? And what about healthy sibling rivalry?

 

 

 

 

PJ : Remembering back, I would say yes to both, and in a way, his successes at that time in our lives gave me more desire to do well on the cello because he had been getting better results in competitions. That is what I wanted too, so it drove me to work harder.( Pei Sian won the Simmers Strings Prize in 2001, 2002 Beta Phi Music Prize and 2003 Geelong Advertiser Music Scholarship while Pei Jee was named Symphony Australia Young Performer of the Year in 2001 after performing Saint Saens’ Cello Concert No.1 with the Sydney Symphony.)

 

 

DC : Speaking of being driven to play harder, what are your main motivational strategies, particularly on those days when inspiration just doesn’t come easily ? I imagine it’s more grind than glamour at times studying at such a prestigious music institution and with such great expectations of you?

 

 

PJ : Definitely more “grind”. Life as a musician is mostly spent indoors practicing but I guess there is balance in life, the concerts, meeting other musicians in rehearsals. The grind for me is positive though since it is essentially what we do every day of our lives. I guess getting started is always the most difficult but some days you don’t need an incentive to start working. You just WANT to. On the days when I don’t have great enthusiasm, when feeling a bit low, I start by getting comfortable. … and for people in the UK that means having a nice hot ‘cuppa’, he says with a laugh. Actually, what really helps to get started is to tell oneself not about the 4 hours practice ahead but just to get the cello straight out, tune it and listen to it. I think I mainly get inspired by the instrument itself. Once you’ve tuned up, you immediately remind yourself why you love the cello and it goes from there.

 

DC –Now, let’s turn to the instrument itself. I recently heard a cellist named Richard Harwood in a Margaret Throsby interview saying how much he loved the cello as perhaps it was the instrument closest to the human voice. Can you elaborate further on this?

 

PJ. Yes, Richard is a friend of mine. He also studied with Ralph Kirshbaum a few years ago. I would tend to agree with him but nothing really comes close to the human voice — although the cello is extremely capable of a huge range of expressions. The cello has, in the right hands, great expression, which I believe is due to the range of vibratos possible and the sensitivity of nuance which can be created by the use of the bow. The bow is able to create many types of articulations which may not be possible on say, a wind instrument. And as far as stringed instruments are concerned, the sheer size and the length of the strings on the cello allows the player to manipulate the sound more than on a violin, while the double bass would need double the movement to create the same effect as the cello, so in a sense the cello ‘fits’ the human body well. This is not to say it is superior. They all have their own unique qualities.

 

DC : In earlier conversation with your brother, he told me that you have a great passion for instruments per se and that he has learnt a lot through your influence .What can you tell us about the different types of cellos ?

 

 

PJ : Well, essentially, there are 2 main types. Each is constructed differently and it is quite clear which performers are partial to which type. For instance, when choosing my own cello, I immediately went for a bright toned one from which the sound went straight into my ear ( almost pierced my brain !) and I knew straight away that it was my sound. Mine is a Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume,1844 Paris. Sian plays a Joannes Antonio Marchi,1764 Bologna. There is currently a trend towards the darker bass type cellos made by Montagnana as opposed to the tenor like variety by Stradivari. I believe Sian prefers a dark sound with enough brilliance. At the moment I appreciate both! My teacher, Ralph, plays a Montagnana which is to die for !Sian’s is a unique cello built on very different lines—- it produces what they call a ‘boxy’ sound—meaning quite textured with darkness and a brilliance overlaying this, but perhaps without the volume potential.

 

——————————————————————————————————

Ng Pei Sian : Cellist / RNCM student

 

DC : Your brother has spoken a little about the formative years in your musical journey. Could you expand further on the scholarships, trusts and early breaks that moved you both along so rapidly ?

 

Pei Sian : Well, I guess they are too numerous to mention all of them but in Adelaide I was fortunate to be awarded the Victoria League and Elder Overseas scholarships along with assistance from the Helpmann Academy and Arts SA. The last two named also supported Pei Jee as well as the Tait Memorial Trust and Australian Music Foundation, among others. I also won the RNCM’s Major Entrance Award. We’ve both performed with symphony orchestras in a number of Australian capital cities.

 

DC : Yes, both of you have a plethora of awards both in Australia and overseas. It’s most impressive. Perhaps you can tell us a little about working with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) in your home town of Adelaide.

 

PS : I always love working with the ASO. I think ‘cos a lot of the musicians in the orchestra have known us for so long now and really support us. They are very warm and friendly. Also the fact that our former teacher, Janis Laurs, is principal cellist, is a very cool thing-performing with your old teacher is hopefully making him feel proud.

 

DC : Speaking of teachers, can you enlighten us a little more about a typical lesson with Ralph Kirshbaum or any other teacher for that matter ?

 

PS : Yes, although over the last couple of years I have come to understand a lot more about what my teacher is thinking and what he wants from me, it alwys surprises me when he can point out something completely new or present a new perspective regarding music or the cello. I guess he has a plan for my development and as the years progress I can really understand it. During my first year, the main focus was on sound and cleaning up technique while learning to interpret music with intelligence. Now, however, good intonation,clean playing and intellect is expected and my main focus is to explore the whole world of colours and emotions that music has to offer and listening to my instinct —to really develop myself not just as a cellist but as a musician.

 

 

DC : Do you listen to music recordings in the lessons? Is there an expectation to read particular texts?

 

PS : Ralph doesn’t usually bring his cello to the lesson but will demonstrate on mine which gives me a good opportunity to hear what my cello is capable of in the hands of another. He doesn’t prescribe books or literature but encourages me to find out more about the composers or musicians that relate to the music I’m studying for myself. This is a bit like the great composer, Rostropovich who recommends that his students read books by Dostoyevski to understand more about Russia and its people. I have just finished Crime and Punishment. Rostro is a great inspiration for composers. He has a formidable technique and was always a great interpreter.

 

DC: Are there any other composers or performers who have had an impact on you ?

 

PS : I also love listening to Du Pre and the great French cellists such as Fournier. Nowadays I enjoy Steven Isserlis.I think Yoyo Ma is a great musician but what I love about him most is his ability to express emotion. He has a very big colour palette.

 

DC : We’ve touched on the aspect of culture. Both of you have performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and with Sinfonia VIVA in the UK. Pei Jee performed with Tan Dun’s Crouching Tiger Concerto while you performed his Intercourse of Fire and Water. Any comments about how having a Malaysian Australian background may have contributed to your interpretation of these works?

 

PS : Thinking about Chinese Opera, the way Chinese Opera is sung really helped me to find the sound and spirit of the work. I needed to find a different way of playing to make it sound eastern and it helped a lot to have a background in Chinese.

 

DC : In a recent radio interview, Tan Dun related how he spent a great deal of time in old style ‘tea houses’ in China listening to old men singing to gain insights into a fast disappearing culture and how this helped shape the works we just spoke of. Do you imagine yourself undertaking similar research at some stage ?

 

PS : Well, I can’t discuss that in depth as yet. I mainly know him for his amazing scores to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ( Yoyo Ma) and Hero ( Itzhak Perlman)

 

DC : Back to Adelaide then. Last year I was privileged to witness your incredibly brilliant performance as a duo with Pei Jee last August of Kalevi Aho’s double concerto with the ASO at Adelaide Town Hall. Judging by the audience reaction, you have great delights in store for Australian audiences in your forthcoming Australian Recital Program tour. But first to working with ArvoVolmer who conducted at the Adelaide Town Hall that night and who has a four year appointment as Music Director of ASO. What is it you admire about his style and what plans are afoot in Finland before the Australian tour ?

–  Twin Cellists website

This is a story about Adelaide, South Australia. Written in both Vietnamese and English by Dennis Coleman

[332kB]

-1st Paragraph-

The Festival City, Wine Capital, City of Parklands, City of Churches:
these are just some of the distinguishing badges that Adelaide
wears as a city. Being a 5th generation descendant of pioneers who
arrived shortly after the “The Buffalo” with Governor Hindmarsh
and the city founders in 1836, it is hard not to be biased about this
city of both heritage and progressive ideals. Living and working in
Saigon, Vietnam for almost 4 years gave me time for reflection about
what I missed most about my mother city.

This is a story about the collectables, markets, and colonial heritage of Port Adelaide, written by Dennis Coleman.

[304Kb]

-1st Paragraph-
For lovers of collectables,
paraphernalia and trinkets
which tempt and tantalise the
collector, Port Adelaide just has to be
on the national ‘sniffing out of curios’
trail. Sitting astride the banks of the
dolphin-jumping Port River, replete
with historic ketches and various
sailing ships, the Fisherman’s Wharf
Markets are literally bursting out of
the big old warehouse.