ACCLAIMED pianist and conductor Tengku Irfan returns to the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) to conduct the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) on Sept 21 at 8.30 pm.
Themed 'One Night In KL', his concert will open with Debussy's gentle and soothing 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun' and close with Tchaikovsky's 'Symphony No. 4', a melody with blazing colours, premiered in Moscow in 1878.
The MPO will also perform a rare Tuba Concerto composed by renowned film score master John Williams.
GLOBAL
Since his debut with the MPO at age 11, Irfan has performed with orchestras worldwide with conductors Claus Peter Flor, Neeme Jarvi and Jeffrey Milarsky.
His compositions have been premiered by orchestras and ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, and have won international awards including three ASCAP Morton Gould Awards.
As a conductor, Irfan made his conducting debut with the MusicaNova Orchestra in 2015. A few years later, he conducted the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra.
MPYO
At the MPO 20th Anniversary Gala Concert in August 2018, he made his MPO debut as a conductor and was appointed as the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra Youth Ambassador.
In 2021, he was the runner-up and audience prize winner of the Los Angeles Conducting Competition.
Recently, Irfan was chosen to become the Assistant Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA and toured with them in July 2023 while working alongside eminent conductor Sir Andrew Davis.
DOUBLE MAJOR
Previously, Irfan was a double major in piano and composition at the Juilliard School.
Currently, he is studying orchestral conducting with David Robertson at Juilliard. He is a proud recipient of the Juilliard School Kovner Fellowship Award.
PROUD PARENT
In a recent interview he said that it would be his first Malaysian concert after the birth of his son, Tengku Sulaiman, on Aug 2 in New York City.
He said: "My wife Cheng Jin and I were married in 2022 and we felt that it is natural for us to have a child at this juncture of our lives."
Tengku Irfan added that as a musician, the flexibility to adapt to different situations was the most important life lesson he had learnt.
"This is especially important for a conductor, where one must have a clear plan before every rehearsal, yet one must also be ready to improvise and do different things because unexpected things can happen in a rehearsal.
"Even if the conductor's job seems to be over at the end of the last rehearsal, the concert is the platform where musicians are hoping to expect something new and fresh that is different from the previous rehearsals, we all are looking for inspiration!"
NATURAL
Initially, he did not plan to become a conductor but as the years went by, he realised that his experiences as a pianist and composer naturally led to it.
"In my earlier years as a pianist, I relished the experience of looking at the orchestra when playing concertos.
"Conducting is more than just waving the stick, it is to harness sounds using gestures, channelling the energy and musical intent to the orchestra and the audience, and finding the best form of communication and collaboration during the rehearsal process."
BEETHOVEN
Tengku Irfan's most memorable concert has been the RondoFest in Penang last June.
"In particular, it was my first time conducting the Finale of Beethoven's '9th Symphony'.
"What makes this experience more special is that the soloists were wonderful Malaysian singers."
MENTOR
Tengku Irfan is fortunate to have Robertson as his conducting mentor and "wonderful collaborator".
"Recently, I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to conduct a piece in Carnegie Hall and he conducted the rest of the programme.
"Not only is he a musician of the highest calibre and has such immense knowledge but also a wonderful human being."
COLLABORATORS
Tengku Irfan said that he was blessed to work with wonderful Malaysians pursuing classical music and he was glad to see that there are more Malaysians in that field today.
"Before this, I have worked with bass baritone Nazrin Alyman, pianists Joanne Chang, Foo Mei Yi and Bobby Chen. I had a great time working with them and definitely hope to collaborate with more in the future."
SUBWAY
He is equally at home in Kuala Lumpur and New York City.
"Malaysia has the most amazing food in the world. Also, the distinctive contrast of air-conditioning in malls versus the heat of being outside is unique.
"In New York, the bustling classical and concert music scene is not to be taken for granted, there are always performances every day.
"A unique aspect of New York City is subway-commuting without the need of a car."
FILM
Tengku Irfan would love to do a film score someday.
"The closest extent of working with film was many years ago where I helped to create music for a silent short film that my sister created herself.
"It would certainly be an honour to write a film score someday."
He will have a couple of concerts soon but most importantly, he will launch his own ensemble and have its inaugural concert in New York at the end of the year.
Tickets: RM198 to RM427. Call 03-23317007.