A Replacement to Writing? 2005/2006

Lunchtime concert

Before I start writing anything, I must first state that my sense of musicality and hearing, on all aspects, have deteoriated much first after I joined band, and then joined band again in AJ. I regret letting myself drift in terms of listening. So my comments on how they played might not exactly be accurate.

I watched a lunch-time concert at 1pm at NUS University Cultural Centre (UCC). I'm telling you, I'm in love with that place. I love the smell of concert halls.

Anyway, it was a free performance at the Dome at UCC (FYI, the Dome is like a cafe, something like starbucks, only more expensive, and nicer ambience) by the Presbyterian Ladies College's (Melbourne) Music School. They are touring Shanhai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore as part of their 130th anniversary celebrations .

I am jealous.

They are all either younger than us or are our age, and I tell you, they play beautifully. (Please remember my first paragraph) They were very much in tune, most of the time, except for when they ( I think) started squeaking twice in the first piece and maybe once more in the cello later on. They played very soulfully, very nice. The piano, flute and cello trio raised goosebumps on my arms and my legs and my head. Luckily my hair is long and heavy enough. Never stand up.

So they started off with a wind quintet consisting of a flute, oboe, horn, bassoon and clarinet. Played "Wind Quintet in B flat major. Op 56 No. 1 - 1st movement. by Franz Danzi"and "La Fille aux Cheveux de Lin - from Suite No. 1 by Debussy. Arr. by Prohasky".I hope I got them right. The timbres of the different instruments made it very difficult for me to judge how they played, but to me they played very nicely. The different timbres just kind of blend together when one left off and another picked up the melody. I loved the way the horn and bassoon complimented each other, neither one surpassing the other. The clarinetist was good! So was the oboist! The sounds were mature and controlled. Can see that they are all listening to each other. The beginning of the first (or second) piece was really beautiful, the way they just kind of blend into each other and the way they would back off and the melody of that phrase would come out for that bit, and then fade away and another would come in again. However in the middle somewhere there was some kind of confusion, a bit messy and the tones somehow did not . . . I don't know. But the 1st (or 2nd, I can't remember) piece left me happy and contented. I wanted to sit there for a long long time.

Of course I won't go through all the pieces they played. The whole mini concert was only about 45 min.

So they did a flute quartet, then the piano, flute and cello trio and then the full string orchestra (with a dance which I thought was very interesting, and somehow has an exotic feel to it) before ending off with the SAME MUSICIANS SINGING!

I have to say this, they sing beautifully. They sang the harmonies! The harmonies!!! A mere ah, maybe 14 of them on that platform 3 metres in front of me. I can't remember the title of what they sang. One was something like something-rose by Bette Midler. I don't even know if I got the name right. Another by The Carpenter's. The last I simply cannot remember.

So, who says band members cannot sing? So all my bandmates, next time if there is a need to sing, we must sing loudly ok!

I also noticed that there are quite a bit of asians in that group. Quite a large number, in fact. And some of them are singaporeans, I heard. Must be nice for them, coming back to their homeland. And they all have nice skin . . . Aside from freckles, they have relatively nice skin compared to the majority of us here in tropical Singapore.

I am jealous.

Oh, there was this female flautist who is about maybe secondary 2 in age? So 15 years old? Or perhaps younger. She was so shy! After the pieces she would just look at the carpet and bow and never looked at the audience. Although in the middle of the pieces I caught her glimpsing out at the audience. She caught my eye because the others were just so comfortable with performing and always looked at the audience.

And I finally understand what is meant by a "red-head". I finally saw one today.

posted by tstar @ 11:27 PM