SYF 2007 - JC category.

Well it's slightly more than 12 hours to our performance at the SYF 2007 central judging. Safari, by Adam Gorb, and La Mer, by Debussy, are on our repertoire.

So, after close to 5 months of working on the 2 songs, we're finally here. It's been a long time, and I started out pretty much hating La Mer, after coming out of a Coda II and Prometheum XI filled with more conventional songs. I've grown to like the song though, and while I can't claim I love it as much as pieces such as The White Tree or Vox Stellarum, I do enjoy the song, especially its climaxs. Might even miss playing it when all this is over.

So tomorrow would be the climax of all our work. Will we get the Gold with Honours that has eluded Mr Oura thus far, or will we obtain Gold, or even silver or below? Part of me does have this apprehension, yes.

But in the end, what does it matter? It doesn't matter to me what we get. What would matter to me would be how we play, what message we can send to ourselves and our audience. Cliched, I know, but true. I think in the end, the award means nothing. Music is meant to be enjoyed, not judged. What I want is to be able to see what the songs describe, especially La Mer, a very evocative piece. I hope to actually be able to see images through the music. Admittedly Safari isn't much, but of course it would be good to convey the feel of the jungle in this rather wild piece. La Mer of course, is about the wind and the sea, at least this movement of it is. I can almost imagine the sea as we play, the howling wind, crashing waves and yet moments of calm interspersed. This is the image I hope we can send.

As Mr Oura said, be possessed by the music. On the basic level of course, stuff like tone and all needs to fit the piece. In that respect, I hope to be able to play the bari sax for Safari, then turn it into the cello and double bass it's subbing in La Mer. La Mer was composed for an orchestra, so if we sound like one, the music comes across well. Then there's, as I mentioned, the message and images to be sent. I think as long as we put in our emotion into the piece, and we do know ourselves what kind of a message we want to send, our performance should come across beautifully. I can see that Mr Oura already has devoted himself to tomorrow, La Mer especially. Hopefully I can live up to his expectations, and by extension, the rest of the band.

I suppose the final message I want to send myself is that tomorrow, enjoy the music, enjoy the stage. Play your heart out. For me, the main aim is to really make our music beautiful and enjoyable. Even if you are just out for the GWH, if you do this, it should come naturally.

Tomorrow, we will make history. As the ocean glowed for RIMB, let it rise again in its power and might in La Mer.

To all RJCSB members out there, all the best for tomorrow.