REVIEWS
Music for Everyone
The Asian Music Concert was a really wonderful experience for performers and audience alike. MFE ensembles Grace Notes (recorder), String Swing (violins) and Tarantella (guitar) gave great performances of the very beautiful works commissioned from composer Nicholas Ng. There were other fascinating performances of Asian music from flute and recorder players, plus several guest performers including Riley Lee’s shakuhachi students. Then as a grand finale, Nicholas Ng and friends provided the music and LION for a most spectacular Lion Dance.
Music for Everyone, Newsletter | June 2005Poppies and Spice
A touching piece indeed. Manages to be sentimental whilst remaining harmonically interesting: something very difficult to achieve. I look forward to seeing more from this series…
James Humberstone, Sibelius Music | 9 February, 2001Nicholas Ng’s Poppies and Spice for tenor and guitar is the most appealing of these works. It is inspired by the history of the Chinese community in Darwin (Northern Territory), which is described in the edition’s preface. Ng’s melodic idiom is European-rooted, but with many turns of both phrase and ornamentation that take their inspiration from Chinese and Japanese models. There are occasional references, as well, to the droning sound of the didgeridoo – sometimes described as the Australian aboriginal trumpet. Both parts are meticulously written. Visually they may appear to be simple, but when heard together they reveal an amazing sophistication. The end result is quite beautiful.
Pete Rose, American Recorder | March 2003New Media Art
China by William Yang
According to the programme, China is William Yang’s ninth “monologue with image projection.” For this performance, Yang has decided to be accompanied live on stage by a musician, the talented Nicholas Ng. Ng plays a variety of traditional Chinese instruments, enhancing the images and the stories with haunting melodies, scratchy sound effects and mournful music. The emotion inherent in the instruments, and in the playing itself, is in perfect balance to the emotion in the stories and images.
Tessa Needham, Australian Stage | 22 March, 2007His photographs, displayed on two giant screens, have a lyrical quality to their composition and the live Chinese music backing…is beautiful delivered by Nicholas Ng.
Simon Ferguson, The Daily Telegraph| 23 March, 2007Taiwan-Australia New Media Art Screening and Performance
[Taiwan-Australia New Media Art Screening and Performance, Wednesday 19 July 2006] One of the highlights was the next performance from Christopher Fulham and Nicholas Ng, where the two works complimented each other perfectly. Nicholas' live erhu performance to Chris' Cloud Studies added beautiful dynamics to each others pieces.
Beau Matson | 24 July, 2006Eternity - Quantum Leap
[Eternity, Quantum Leap Youth Choreographic Ensemble, Canberra Theatre Playhouse, July 28-31, 7 pm] Jodie Farrugia’s Separation and Hope also worked well, as did the music of Nicholas Ng. And director Ruth Osbourne’s Joy was just that. Recorded sound was given a short but beautiful pause when a solo erhu player (Nicholas Ng) appeared during Passion [Devotion].
Larry Ruffell, The Canberra Times, p. 24 | 30 July 2004What people say…
Nicholas has shown amazing skill in interpreting the ideas and requirements of the choreographer, connecting to the overarching theme yet still creating individual pieces that are hauntingly beautiful, delicately intricate, powerful or profound in impact. His sections always reflet the theme perfectly.
Nicholas is also very accomplished in playing a beautiful Chinese instrument all an erhu. In 2004 he played the erhu live on stage, which created a stunning mood as the dancers worked around him in a piece called Devotion.
Ruth Osborne, The Australian Choreographic Ensemble| 3 March, 2006All works composed by Nicholas for our various groups were imaginative, effective in performance and made excellent use of the players involved…Nicholas is an outstanding young composer, whose works demonstrate well-developed technique, originality and intelligence.
Vivienne Wither, Music for Everyone | 5 March, 2006