“Rachmaninov's mighty Third Piano Concerto was next, with 18- year-old former child prodigy Tengku Irfan, previously described in these pages as the ‘Malaysian Mozart’, as soloist. To say that the Juilliard undergraduate conquered and vanquished the ‘Everest of piano concertos’ would be mere understatement.
Beginning quietly and steadily, the performance grew in character and stature over its rapturous journey of 40-plus minutes. Without any hint of narcissism or self- indulgence, his apparent coolness while generating white heat in playing must be the most enviable trait in this profession.
The massive first movement cadenza, the Adagio's climax and skittish waltz, and the finale's mercurial free-wheeling were among moments to savour.
A standing ovation greeted this outing, which stands proudly alongside the work's best performances by the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (with pianists Sergio Tiempo and Alexei Volodin) in recent years.”
The Straits Times