Allegro String Ensemble

Last Friday (Nov 20), I attended a free concert organised by the Italian embassy in Malaysia, at Istana Budaya. It featured the Allegro String Ensemble, which played a selection of music from Italian composers like Verdi, Rossini, Scarlatti and others. The ensemble is conducted by Maestro John Allan and its leader is Maestro Antonella Aloigi Hayes.

What pleasantly surprised me is the orchestra is made up mainly of young Malaysians, most of whom seem to be in their teens. There was even a young girl of ten, I believe!Seeing such youthful performers is very delightful. Their passion and commitment to their art is something truly admirable. You can see the fire shining in their eyes. I did hear some of the remark after the concert that the hall was too cold though, ha ha.

They were supposed to start with the Intermezzo from Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, but decided to give the show a rousing start with the Overture from Rossini's William Tell instead. It was a good decision! Nothing like giving a show a bang right from the start. The Overture was pretty good! It would have sounded better with brass and percussion, but for a strings ensemble, they did very well. Since then I have seen excellent performances of this piece by the Berlin Philharmoniker (under Herbert Von Karajan) and the Halle Symphony Orchestra (under Mark Elder, at the Royal Albert Hall) on Youtube.

There were several pieces and composers that I was hearing for the first time, like Sonata-La Follia by Arcangelo Corelli, and Sonata for pianoforte K. 491 in D major by Domenico Scarlatti, and Tarantella, which is actually based on a Neapolitan folk tune, composer unknown.

The young ensemble was really amazing, and they really enjoyed themselves. The crowd loved them too. We asked for an encore, and they obliged us with Getaran Jiwa. I was silently mouthing the lyrics when they played it.A lot of wonderful thoughts formed in my mind during the concert.

That was my first live performance in a long time, and my first time at Istana Budaya, and what a way to make it back to the concert halls! There is nothing like watching a live performance, letting your heart sway to the movements and melody of the intruments. I was very moved. The performance was at the Lambang Sari hall, a smaller venue, which gave the event so much intimacy. The music, directly from the instruments, without going though any devices, unprocessed, makes it way straight to your ears and heart. Music at its purest, at its most sublime.

I look forward to more of such performances!

Rivers of Babylon by Boney M.

Rivers of Babylon is Boney M's most successful single in the UK, Europe and the US. It is actually based on verses from the Book of Psalm. You might know some of the words:

By the rivers of Babylon where we sat down
Yeah, we wept when we remembered Zion
By the rivers of Babylon where we sat down
Yeah, we wept when we remembered Zion

However, guards at prisons such as Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo found 
different uses for the song:

First, the prisoner is strapped in a chair, as shown below 
(ok, maybe minus the nails and screws). 

Then the music is turned on real loud. REAL LOUD. For hours on end.
And there is no end in sight. 

I learnt about this during the Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO) 
anti-war exhibition.

You learn something new everyday...

Deaf man's music

During the Chinese New Year Holidays, I purchased a copy of Beethoven’s music through a friendly neighbourhood pirated CD vendor (what would we do without them?). On that one disc, you can find ALL nine of Beethoven’s symphonies, and some other works (in mp3 format)

Like many classical music maestros, Beethoven excelled at various forms of music. But he is most well-known for his symphonies, among which includes the Fifth Symphony and the Ninth Symphony (where Ode To Joy is found).

It was my first time listening to Beethoven’s complete symphonies. After listening to them (again and again), I often wandered how could a person who is completely deaf compose AND conduct music like that? Music that is powerful and uplifting. Music that is like a powerful storm wind, uprooting a tree which has deep roots. Music that shakes your very being to the core. Music like I have never heard before and will never be made again.

When he first found out he was going deaf, Beethoven contemplated suicide. But he was determined not to be defeated. “I shall seize Fate by the throat”, he declared. When describing the opening four notes of the Fifth, he said, “This is how Fate knocks at the door.”

He did not surrender to Fate. He chose not to be defeated. He chose to win.