Of Quanhui and the rest of us.

Slightly overdue comes my post about last Friday's recital. However if you were expecting my usual detailed review of the concert, you'll probably be disappointed because I have not much to say, having only performed for 15 minutes.

The day started in RI, where the sax ensemble had some last minute practice. We then headed over to YMS, courtesy of Choo Wee's car, and had a bit more prac in the tight spot before the concert began, together with an almost nonexistent soundcheck.

For those of you who thought VCH's backstage design was bad, YMS's will come as a slight letdown. There's no way of accessing the backstage except either via the stage (obviously impossible during a performance) or a door that leads outside to some random backalley. Also, the floor creaks, making unwanted noise during a performance. Ah well, it's not a full-fledged hall anyway, and I guess it's standard for an auditorium.

Quanhui's song cycle went first, though I can't comment much because I was too busy going through my own pieces. It was definitely the heaviest piece of the evening though.

The saxophone ensemble then took the stage, opening with Close Your Eyes and Listen, by Astor Piazzolla of Libertango fame. I think we did this piece quite well, considering our previous expectations, and I'm pretty happy with it, despite some minor screwups.

I shall not elaborate on our performance of Berceuse, except to highlight to the composer, my old friend Jinjun, both the recent developments in MIDI technology as well as the advantages of engineering as a university degree.

Yakety Sax was pretty fun, though I was feeling pretty nervous before my solo. Still, this has to be my best runthrough of the solo, as my rehearsal ones were definitely more tense and rushed.

After the intermission, we had more songs by Quanhui, including Wintersturme, solo items by Jinjun and Luke, and finally the brass quintet. I'm quite impressed by their performance, their items weren't easy, and it's been great to see the younger musicians improve over these few months.

Post-concert was relatively standard, loaded my bari sax up onto Quanhui's car, then headed for dinner with some of the performers as well as my batchmates who came down.

Personally this concert is probably not one that will go down etched into my memory. Besides the short performance time, our ensemble could definitely have done better. Granted, we were plagued with many problems and external commitments, and a tough repertoire. Next time we try something like this, it will have to be executed with greater care and more practice.

Another point that I find annoyed at was the relatively large number of people who backed out at the last minute. On hindsight, considering our performance, this may or may not have been a bad thing, but it's still one of my pet peeves, especially as all reservations for this concert were paid for, and considering recent events.

Still, I suppose that overall the concert was a success, and it did achieve its aims, with a relatively full hall. I look forward to redeeming our ensemble and having an even better performance should we have an event like this again.

Anthem

No man, no madness
Though their sad power may prevail
Can possess, conquer, my country's heart
They rise to fail
She is eternal
Long before nations' lines were drawn
When no flags flew, when no armies stood
My land was born

And you ask me why I love her
Through wars, death and despair
She is the constant, we who don't care
And you wonder will I leave her - but how?
I cross over borders but I'm still there now

How can I leave her?
Where would I start?
Let man's petty nations tear themselves apart
My land's only borders lie around my heart


Happy 45th, Singapore.

Shot in the back over a matter of $80

Quote above from Back to the Future III, really quite a nice movie.

貴重な私には私たちの友情は、あなたにもない価値が80ドルですか？