Monday, February 20, 2006
DMAT Concert 2006: "Crossroads"
At press time, I am unable to get the concert photos for display here. I will be displaying some of them on my main blog when I get them.
Our first-ever concert really ROCKED man! Combining different genres of music all in one concert was certainly the surest way to provide the audience a well-rounded opportunity to appreciate and experience the many facades of music. And to think that we only had a day of rehearsal on the day immediately before the concert!
I was involved in the performances of 2 original pieces and 2 arranged pieces. I did not use scores for all the pieces but took notes which I referred to so that I could be reminded of the performance points to take note while performing.
The 2 original pieces, Trash by Lydia Ang and Deng Dai by Ng Tian Hwee, were performed by the Fajar group. These pieces were a total contrast in nature; Trash being full of angst but Deng Dai being hopeful. As such, my playing style on the piano had to transit from one to the other quickly through these songs (there was no break in-between these two songs). I had to note the tempo of Trash by hard as I determined the tempo by starting the song. As for Deng Dai, my running ascending and descending D arpeggio had to be timed perfectly if I were to keep to the tempo of the song.
I was also in the only acoustic instrumental group, the Silver Chocobos. Boyuan arranged 3 movements from the animation "Inuyasha", out of which I performed in 2 (one on the piano, the other on the Alesis keyboard). The second movement where I was on piano challenged me to keep my playing style simple. I however spiced it up occasionally with glissandos. The third movement was a culmination of musical climax, where all ten members of the group performed in a piece we had only rehearsed together several times before! It was a shocking positive response from the audience with the enthusiastic applause that we received.
Overall, the concert was a great success! I would like to express my thanks to everyone in the course for their involvement in the concert as part of the planning committees, stage crew, light crew, sound crew, ushers, emcees and the rest as well! Thank you all!
1:50 pm *
Burt Bacharach CD review
Burt Bacharach is, quite simply, one of the most accomplished composers of the 20th Century. In the '60s and '70s, Bacharach was a dominant figure in popular music, writing a remarkable 52 Top 40 hits. In terms of musical sophistication, Bacharach's compositions differed from much of the pop music of the era. I got to know Bacharach and his music at a rather young age, when I was introduced to his songs like "Close To You" (The Carpenters) and "That's What Friends Are For" (Dionne Warwick and friends). I never failed to get amused at his unique and amazing ability to compose pieces and construct catchy musical hooks.
"Close To You" (The Carpenters) is one of my personal favourites. Starting out nicely with several piano chords, the love ballad develops and brings me into a world where love surrounds and dominates. The choir adds to this effect, giving a touch of magic to the piece.
"That's What Friends Are For" (Dionne Warwick and friends) is a piece that has what I think is just the perfect tune for a song with the theme of friendship. This song was originally written for the movie Night Shift and performed on the soundtrack by Rod Stewart. In 1986, a cover version by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John became an enormous hit, raising millions for AIDS charities. The song also won the Grammy for Song of the Year and was a Grammy nominee for Record of the Year. Every time I listen to this song, I feel thankful for all the friends I have known in my life and how they have helped me get through it.
Burt Bacharach's musically extraordinary pieces continues to intrigue listeners...
1:30 pm *
Concert: T'ang Quartet with The Conservatory Orchestra
Thursday, 16 Feb 2006, 7.30pm, Victoria Concert Hall
Yip Wing-sie, Music Director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, makes her conducting debut in Singapore with the Conservatory Orchestra. A highly respected and influential figure in Asia’s orchestral music scene, Yip Wing-sie is the Ong Teng Cheong Distinguished Visiting Professor in Music for 2005/2006. The orchestra celebrates the anniversaries of Mozart (b. 1756) and Shostakovich (b. 1906) with works by the two great masters and performs with the T’ang Quartet, the Conservatory’s Quartet-in-residence, in Vaughan Williams' awe-inspiring masterpiece, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.
This was my first concert I had attended that was conducted by a female conductor, Yip Wing-Sie. She was renowned worldwide and had conducted orchestras in Hong Kong and China before. The orchestra, as usual, came in full force for a brilliant night of musicality and performance.
I particularly liked the piece "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) because it is famed for intriguing people as to whether the music is of the new or old. Indeed, the sheer beauty and passion of the piece awed me and gave me a new insight as to how queer classical music can be. I definitely enjoyed this concert and look forward to the various concerts I will be attending during the upcoming vacation.
12:38 pm *
Monday, February 20, 2006
DMAT Concert 2006: "Crossroads"
At press time, I am unable to get the concert photos for display here. I will be displaying some of them on my main blog when I get them.
Our first-ever concert really ROCKED man! Combining different genres of music all in one concert was certainly the surest way to provide the audience a well-rounded opportunity to appreciate and experience the many facades of music. And to think that we only had a day of rehearsal on the day immediately before the concert!
I was involved in the performances of 2 original pieces and 2 arranged pieces. I did not use scores for all the pieces but took notes which I referred to so that I could be reminded of the performance points to take note while performing.
The 2 original pieces, Trash by Lydia Ang and Deng Dai by Ng Tian Hwee, were performed by the Fajar group. These pieces were a total contrast in nature; Trash being full of angst but Deng Dai being hopeful. As such, my playing style on the piano had to transit from one to the other quickly through these songs (there was no break in-between these two songs). I had to note the tempo of Trash by hard as I determined the tempo by starting the song. As for Deng Dai, my running ascending and descending D arpeggio had to be timed perfectly if I were to keep to the tempo of the song.
I was also in the only acoustic instrumental group, the Silver Chocobos. Boyuan arranged 3 movements from the animation "Inuyasha", out of which I performed in 2 (one on the piano, the other on the Alesis keyboard). The second movement where I was on piano challenged me to keep my playing style simple. I however spiced it up occasionally with glissandos. The third movement was a culmination of musical climax, where all ten members of the group performed in a piece we had only rehearsed together several times before! It was a shocking positive response from the audience with the enthusiastic applause that we received.
Overall, the concert was a great success! I would like to express my thanks to everyone in the course for their involvement in the concert as part of the planning committees, stage crew, light crew, sound crew, ushers, emcees and the rest as well! Thank you all!
1:50 pm *
Burt Bacharach CD review
Burt Bacharach is, quite simply, one of the most accomplished composers of the 20th Century. In the '60s and '70s, Bacharach was a dominant figure in popular music, writing a remarkable 52 Top 40 hits. In terms of musical sophistication, Bacharach's compositions differed from much of the pop music of the era. I got to know Bacharach and his music at a rather young age, when I was introduced to his songs like "Close To You" (The Carpenters) and "That's What Friends Are For" (Dionne Warwick and friends). I never failed to get amused at his unique and amazing ability to compose pieces and construct catchy musical hooks.
"Close To You" (The Carpenters) is one of my personal favourites. Starting out nicely with several piano chords, the love ballad develops and brings me into a world where love surrounds and dominates. The choir adds to this effect, giving a touch of magic to the piece.
"That's What Friends Are For" (Dionne Warwick and friends) is a piece that has what I think is just the perfect tune for a song with the theme of friendship. This song was originally written for the movie Night Shift and performed on the soundtrack by Rod Stewart. In 1986, a cover version by Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, and Elton John became an enormous hit, raising millions for AIDS charities. The song also won the Grammy for Song of the Year and was a Grammy nominee for Record of the Year. Every time I listen to this song, I feel thankful for all the friends I have known in my life and how they have helped me get through it.
Burt Bacharach's musically extraordinary pieces continues to intrigue listeners...
1:30 pm *
Concert: T'ang Quartet with The Conservatory Orchestra
Thursday, 16 Feb 2006, 7.30pm, Victoria Concert Hall
Yip Wing-sie, Music Director of the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, makes her conducting debut in Singapore with the Conservatory Orchestra. A highly respected and influential figure in Asia’s orchestral music scene, Yip Wing-sie is the Ong Teng Cheong Distinguished Visiting Professor in Music for 2005/2006. The orchestra celebrates the anniversaries of Mozart (b. 1756) and Shostakovich (b. 1906) with works by the two great masters and performs with the T’ang Quartet, the Conservatory’s Quartet-in-residence, in Vaughan Williams' awe-inspiring masterpiece, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.
This was my first concert I had attended that was conducted by a female conductor, Yip Wing-Sie. She was renowned worldwide and had conducted orchestras in Hong Kong and China before. The orchestra, as usual, came in full force for a brilliant night of musicality and performance.
I particularly liked the piece "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis" by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958) because it is famed for intriguing people as to whether the music is of the new or old. Indeed, the sheer beauty and passion of the piece awed me and gave me a new insight as to how queer classical music can be. I definitely enjoyed this concert and look forward to the various concerts I will be attending during the upcoming vacation.
12:38 pm *
