Coda 5

Another year, another Coda.

I'm a positive person, so let's get all the negative stuff about the concert out of the way first:

1. Music
Personally I think our second half needed much improvement. Persis especially was a letdown, considering it was our final piece. We rushed, messed it up, and paid for it. Other than that, the second half suffered from blasting, rushing and improper balance.

2. Non-music
I would have appreciated if more of my batch came back to RI to help load and unload. I know that a batch supper or something was in the works, but as a responsible player, the least we should do is go back and help out. What if everyone decided not to go back to RI?

Also, the amount of people who agreed to go and later backed out was quite astronomical compared to usual concerts. I think people should generally not back out from commitments, but I guess sometimes this can't be helped, can it?

Alright, with those out of the way, let's go to the day itself.

I did go back to RI before the concert this time, as I had to handle the original scores for the performance. After a quick lunch with Shuotian at J8 MFM, we headed for school, where we loaded up in record time and were soon on our way to Victoria Concert Hall for the last time.

At the concert hall, we proceeded for a soundcheck, which was not exceptionally good. Our ensemble then had the hall for a while, following which I had to help Calvin set up and write notes, the result being that dinner was almost gone by the time I got there. Thanks to Shirlene for helping me find some food!

Pre-concert was pretty usual, so I shall not elaborate much, so let's go on to the bread and butter of the concert.

We opened with A Yorkshire Overture, a lush, yet light, overture. I think we did this well, as Quanhui said, better than any on Youtube. Giant bionic rabbits aside, this piece was done with vigor, lightness and flow that I don't recall hearing during rehearsals. Images of New Zealand flashed through my mind throughout the piece, having just returned from there, I could identify with the Yorkshire countryside feeling.

Yanlong took Shirim next, definitely one of our best pieces this time round. Jewish in nature, this piece featured some traditional melodies and a very Yiddish feeling, which we managed to convey I think. Having been to Israel before, this piece definitely brought back further memories of my travels.

Probably a first for a Singaporean band, we had Wintersturme from Die Walkure next, conducted by my dear friend Jinjun featuring Quanhui as a soloist. I can't comment much on this, given my position it was hard to hear well. However, the recording sounds good, and I know Quanhui was happy with it.

After Wintersturme, we proceeded on to what for me would be the defining moment of the concert. Now, the next segment may be considerably long, because of all the experiences I've had playing in a band, this has been the best, the most meaningful for me. I can honestly say that I have never and will never feel this way again.

Grief, the feeling of sadness, dejectedness after leaving RI, failure of the Japan Trip, abysmal ending to an RJC band career

We launched into Saga Maligna well, playing softly, darkly and almost evilly. I think our control of dynamics in this part was pretty good, and our climax was emotional, leading to a quiet finish that brought us to...

Laughter, fun times spent in the Varese, during chalet and during band practices with Mr Oura

The Village Fool opened with a bassoon solo, then proceeded to introduce the rest of the band. Again, nothing wrong here, we played it lightly, in contrast to the previous movement, and followed Quanhui's interpretation well.

Pain, loneliness of an outcast, loss of everything I held dear, failure to achieve my aspirations

Pain's opening was slightly... painful given the early entries, but other than that it was alright, I think, although this is a movement of the piece I'm not too partial too.

Indifference, the feeling of time flying by as the one and a half years passed faster and faster, and not realising until it was too late

At this stage I was growing more and more confident of our playing and our musicality for this piece, and Time Flies did not disappoint, I could really feel happy playing it. The band was energetic and lively, minor balance issues aside. Around the end I started feeling a rush of adrenaline, anticipating what was to come.

Remorse, that perhaps band life in RJC could have been much better if only I'd tried harder, the feeling of regret and longing, remembering good and bad times and wishing I'd made the most of them.

No audience applause this time, thankfully, as we began God in Heaven. Playing the first note, emotions started building up in me, behind a dam that was growing ever weaker as the flugelhorn (played by David Zhao) and trombone (played by Lee Jinjun) soared in a beautiful solo in which I could find no fault. Shirlene's euphonium resonated with the sounds of Thomas's feelings and passion, with the band steadily but slowly building up beneath her.

The chorus opened up for the first time, and I was finding it increasingly difficult to prevent myself from losing control. The band wasn't helping either, playing the piece with power, passion and emotion, yet following Quanhui brilliantly. As the bridge started, tears started to well up in my eyes, which was not a good thing as my view of Quanhui began to blur. Unfortunately I was unable to wipe them away, due to the nature of the segment. My embrochure was giving way too, but fortunately it held.

The second chorus opened up after a glorious build-up and at this point, the dam burst. I poured everything I had into my playing, remembering what this piece meant to my batch and what it meant to me. Words really cannot describe how I felt, and tears flowed freely.

Mercifully I had a break after the chorus ended and the outro began, which allowed me to compose myself and clear my eyes, only to prepare myself for another emotional rollercoaster in...

Hope and Despair, intertwined throughout my life in RJCSB. Despair was often, but more often, hope prevailed, and for me, the piece will forever end with a D major rather than a D minor chord.

Finally, a band plays this movement the way it's supposed to be played (ie not slow and draggy, but energetic and slightly fast). The emotions I felt in God in Heaven came back to me, and I think I may have overdone some bits, but the recording just sounds brilliant. 4 before W, as the buildup began, I couldn't help but shed another tear. As the ending progressed, the band grew ever more powerful, leading to a climactic finish.

This performance of Saga Maligna has to be the best piece I've ever played in, and quite frankly, given how much the piece means to me, I doubt this experience can ever be repeated.

Ok that was long. Intermission time.








Now, we shall have the Raffles Winds Saxophone Quintet (with 4 players) to present some musical interludes.

Considering the lack of practice, we did La Paloma well, and I played it much better than I expected myself too. Still room for improvement, nevertheless, it was a good start.

The Teddy Bear's Picnic was the first piece we practiced as an ensemble. I could have played better, although this piece did prove challenging due to lack of convenient places to breathe. Still, we did better than usual, in my opinion.

My Neighbour Totoro, another special piece for me. We did this one exceedingly better than Laputa two years ago, definitely. I was inspired by the baritone saxophonist of the Amigos saxophone quartet; while i didn't make it there, at least I moved closer.

The main band was back for The Incredibles. We did this one pretty roughly, there's definitely room for improvement, in the sense of volume control and dynamics. At least it wasn't too messy though.

Beauty and the Beast could have been great, but like most of the second half, it suffered from balance and speed problems. Not that bad, but enough to prevent a good performance from being great. Also, I hereby confer a citation to this piece, the first that I have played in all 3 Raffles bands that I have performed in.

Hymn to the Infinite VCH Ode to VCH was next, our best piece of the second half. I don't know why Jinjun doesn't like it that much, personally I like it quite a lot. I was conscious of the fact that we were performing this in VCH, and allowed myself to remember some of the fonder times there.

Delibrately skipping the next song is in my best interests because I... whatever. Having said that though, it wasn't all bad, the opening and slow movement were both quite decent. It's just a pity we turned what should have been the picture above into the picture below.



Can't say much about the encore, it was decent as encores go, but I think our morale was at a low after lukewarm audience response and a horrible ending to Persis. At least it was decent though.

Post concert there was a mad rush of scores, photos and instrument to handle, and as a result I didn't have all that much time to socialise. I met who I needed to meet though, but left my batch behind as duty called. It did feel kind of lonely on the bus back, though the flash war was fun.

Back in school, I panicked as I thought I'd lost my video camera's charger, and with it the important recordings. Fortunately Calvin kindly agreed to bring it over to school. While waiting I shed another silent tear, feeling rather down and lonely.

Supper was a quick one at Macs, followed by a rush home to process the recordings, as I was sure many were waiting for them. I managed to complete and push out all the recordings in good time. After that, I listened to Saga Maligna, and for a third time that night, I wept, this time tears of relief, satisfaction, joy and yet longing and sadness that the concert was over.

Did this concert outdo Coda IV? For me, yes, but not to the extent that Coda IV was better than Coda III. The second half was ok, but not so good. The first half was pretty good, but there was really one big reason for why this concert meant so much to me.

Saga Maligna.

To RWinds, thanks for everything, especially that piece. To the comm, thanks too for all your dedication and hard work. Let's work to make Coda VI even better!