Joie de Vivre

With a last minute decision to attend Meridian Junior College’s symphonic band concert, I was remind what I loved and loathed about school concerts.

Love? The cheap tickets. Where-when else can I listen to a music for a goodly part of a night, for just ten dollars?

And loathe. Just about everything else.

Well, an exaggeration. Almost just about everything else. Two nearly absolutes, instead of just one.

The audience streaming in late, as in, still coming in after half the repertoire was over-late. The screaming of names (of musicians) by friend (in the audience, between pieces). The “Aiyo sit here how to see one change place lah hurry up”-s. The talking and yawning in between movements. The talking and yawning during movements. Chair-kicking. Chair-kicking (yes, mentioned twice). Hosts’ attempts at being humorous and engaging. Hosts mispronouncing (including the event name, for shame). Hosts, period. Audience members running around wildly with cameras and flowers during the intermission, and getting annoyed by the bell that rings after fifteen minutes: “how come got bell one ah, fire alarm ah”

..and I guess my ranting-ness is over.

All that aside though, I thoroughly enjoyed the music (as surprising as it may seem). Though I may be biased, seeing has how I’m partial toward members (or member) of the band, and seeing as how the repertoire included some of my favourite pieces and contemporary composer (Johan de Meij).

It was a very light repertoire, very pop-ish, and palatable to the uninitiated:

  1. Slavonic Dances – Eliot Del Borgo (I liked it, but maybe not the best to begin with?)
  2. A Carmen Fantasy – Georges Bizet, arr. Eiji Suzuki (I love love love this)
  3. Jericho – Bert Appermont (the only piece of the night that sounded a little off to me, but I’m no judge)
  4. Selections from The Phantom Of The Opera – Andrew Lloyd Webber, arr Joahn de Meij (love love love this too, obviously. And of course, half the audience only cottoned on towards the end. Not enough people know the marvels “The Music of the Night” and “Think of me”)
  5. Mononoke Hime Medley – Jo Hisashi (coincidentally, the movie is in my syllabus for film crit)
  6. Noah’s Ark – Bert Appermont (this Appermont sounded better)
  7. John Williams: The Four Symphonic Themes – John Williams, arr. Paul Lavender
  8. Backdraft – Hans Zimmer, arr. Masato Myokoin
  9. Les Mis̩rables РClaude Michel Sch̦nberg, arr. Marcel Peeters (love love love)

Of course, I could have sworn that the Carmen bit was there just to make me guilty for not touching the clarinet: I used to try my hand at a simplified “Carmen”, for the b-flat.

Posted on 20 May 2006,

Add Your Comment

You may use textile in your comment.

Remember to click Submit after you preview your comment!

« | »