This concert marks my 5th with RWinds, and so far the previous four have been really fun, though some more than others. Personally, though, this has to be the best one so far. Sure, the run-up was a lot shorter and a lot more hectic than the previous ones, but to me, the gains in both musical standard and friendship were much greater than before. Sure, I was dying of exhaustion by the time it ended, but it was well worth it.
Conductors
I have to give special mention to Quanhui this year, we have improved tremendously musically and it's probably thanks to him and his increasing standards for the band. To keep at it the way he does is really impressive.
Special mention also goes to the assistant conductor, Yunsong, as well as Jinjun for his brass sectionals. Especially leading up to the concert, they played a huge role in pushing the band up to where it was.
Committee
Well as a librarian this year, I'm quite happy that most things went according to plan. Still room for improvement in the way we do things though.
About the concert
As with most nights the previous week, the saxophones were out until early in the morning either folding Totoros or getting drunk, the details of which I shall not go into here. As a result, I slept pretty late, at about 2 or 3. Woke up the next morning and drove out to J8, as usual, to do some ultra-last minute concert note writing, which I took a bit more literally this time around.
Went back to school for the usual instrument moving fest, which was done in good time, before setting off on the bus. Instead of VCH though, we ended up getting sent to SCH... Still, setting up of the stage went real smooth and we actually managed to start rehearsal on time. Rehearsal went pretty well, I think, and soundchecks aside the saxes definitely had some good photos taken of ourselves.
Dinner was (again) spicy, but at least this time there was chocolate (courtesy of the boss). This year, I found I had more time to give out concert notes, at least it didn't feel rushed. Pity I didn't really have time to find gifts, other than our signature drink.
At around 7:15, we walked on stage and the concert began. An annoyance of mine during the concert was that my glasses kept sliding off. Minor, I guess.
Intermission was spent mingling, then prepping for ensembles. We walked on stage, did our thing, walked off, and walked on again for the full band's second half.
After the concert ended, with the usual photos and all, we wasted no time in packing up, collecting scores and engaging in a bit more mingling befo re taking the bus back to RI. Supper was spent at McDonalds in nearby Ang Mo Kio, listening to the recordings along the way. I then dragged myself home and got ready to work a few hours later, feeling extremely tired, but satisfied.
Visions of Flight was quite possibly our best piece that evening. Listening to the recording feels extremely inspiring, and I'm quite happy with it. I've grown to really love this song, about as much as the mainstay pieces of the repertoire.
Oregon wasn't as good as Visions of Flight, could have been better, but overall OK. Enjoyable piece to play, I suppose.
Romance for Band caused a lot of worry running up to the concert, but I'm glad we didn't have to highlight the advancements made recently in MIDI technology the way we did for Berceuse. Decently played, I think.
I always think Enka Medley wasn't really worth 11 minutes of time, but overall it was decent. My friend really likes it, for some reason.
Ensuring that every concert I play in has at least one repeated piece, El Camino Real hails from the honour band days of JCBF 2007. I think we did better here than then, although we were a bit less energetic than then. Overall was pretty happy with this one though.
Can't say much about Four Hits for Five, by George, because I didn't play for it, it being a brass quintet item. Apparently it was better than at OVW, so kudos to the brass quintet.
For a last minute addition to the repertoire, we did this one pretty well. I was pretty satisfied with my playing here, but always room for improvement of course.
Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea, cute song, played decently, but we really slowed it down near the end. Actually one of the main issues with our ensemble overall was tempo control, something that we can work on in future.
My Neighbour Totoro is fast becoming our signature tune. I hope the audience appreciated the hard work we put in to make the Totoros, as well as the amount of Calpis consumed as a result.
Japanese Graffiti XII, featuring GE999 and of course, Space Battleship Yamato, wasn't that well played I think, in fact I'd say there's a long way to go with this one. Amusingly, while playing Yamato, I couldn't help but hear "Uchuu Senkan.... TO-MA-TO" in my mind.
Riverdance was pretty good, I think. Quite enjoyable to play, and even my friend who knows nothing of band music finds it fun. Choo Wee's solos were good, as was most of the rest of the piece.
Well for 2 practices, I think it sounded really good. Quite fun, I think, marches usually are. We ought to do more marches, really.
Nice Easter Egg at the end by the trumpets. Rather fail ending though.Acknowledgements
Well I think this has to be the best Coda ever. Although of course, the performances could be improved a bit more, we definitely outshone last year's performance. The disappointing thing I suppose is that we definitely could have done better too. Hopefully next year, we can execute what we've learnt this time and make Coda VII the best Coda ever.
However, standard aside, I really enjoyed playing this repertoire. Most of the pieces either started out having great meaning to me, or developed it as we went by. Of course, I don't really need to identify my two favourites here, and to play them really made my year, along with Perseus last Tuesday.
Personally I think this cycle was really too short, or at least it felt so. It's definitely been much more enjoyable than any before, in no small part due to the fact that we are now mobile. The saxophone section has been really crazy, practically living with each other the week before the concert, and enjoying good food and Calpis in the process. I'm really happy to have worked with this section, and gotten to know Joanne and Yixian. Really hope they hang around.
I certainly look forward to performing with the section again in OVW2, and the rest of the band in future. Definitely one of the main things I want to take away now are increased bonds with the rest of the band, getting to know each other better. Of course, I'd love to see the music we make soar to new heights too, especially as it's our anniversary. If we work as hard for the whole cycle as we did for the last two weeks for this one, then I am really looking forward to hearing ourselves at our 10th anniversary concert.
Player List
To close off, I would like to thank a number of people who really made this concert what it was, I have to say probably the best concert in my life to date.
Quanhui and Yunsong: Thanks for pushing the band up, never accepting anything less than perfection in the drive to improve, and yet having patience, especially under such trying circumstances. We couldn't have done it without you.
Audience Members: There would be no performance without someone to perform too, so I have to thank all friends and family members (eg 2^7) for coming down to support and watch. I hope you enjoyed the concert as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you.
Committee: Thanks for the hard work, as usual, in making sure this concert went smoothly. Look forward to working with you all again for Coda VII.
Calvin: Thanks for the help filming the concert, hopefully we take less than 3 years to do the video. Good to see your close-ups on the right track this time :)
Batchmates who performed i.e. Jinjun, Jeremy, Paul, Shuotian and Yuhyiing: For most of you guys this will have been our last performance in a concert together, hopefully not for all. It's been fun, and I hope we keep the batch spirit alive in future.
Shelley Chan: Special mention since I received a note from you and failed to reciprocate, for which I feel quite bad. Thanks for that, and for being so outgoing and friendly!
Finally, my section, especially the ensemble. Amir, Joseph, Yixian, Choo Wee, Joanne and Jeremy (again): You guys really made this concert for me, especially the last couple of weeks. I felt like dying, but somehow the drive to do well for ensemble and full band kept me awake and alive. OVW2 and Coda VII beckon, let's carry on the good name of the saxophone section!
See you next year!
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