Mezoforte.
I love orchestras. I really really do. Many of you may not know this, but I was a music geek back in secondary school. I was in the Music Elective Programme, and that was what really fuelled my love for classical music. The blend of the strings with the winds with the brasses with the percussions just melts my heart. During the rehearsal with the SSO and Moscow choir tonight, I daresay I almost teared during one particularly beautiful moment when Tatiana (solo violinist, wife of the composer) was 'singing' with her violin, to the accompaniment of the SSO strings.
Music really uplifts. You can't possibly say life is utterly shitty once you listen to a beautiful piece of music. And that's how I felt today during rehearsal, sort of enraptured and hopeful and fulfilled.
I'm excited about tomorrow's performance. Today's rehearsal made it seem real. We were given backstage passes, and wandered through the hallways that looked like those of hospitals (linoleum floors, wooden handrails at the side, white walls, fluorescent lights!), to locate the Recital Studio. I expected something flat-level and functional, but no. The rehearsal studio was lovely and big, with two tiers. The chorus stood on the raised platform, while the SSO was already setting up below.
All these instruments and their players - there's a big blaring tuba, and next to him the trombones; then there's the lunging deep voice of the double bass, the saccharine soprano of the violin and the warm-dark-honey melancholic cello; there's also the pipping flute and the twinkling percussionists, on xylophones most of the time.
And the conductor, Lim Yau, perched atop his flock, with the thin baton of authority waving about in his hand. He speaks in a stately manner, with some accent we all can't place. We all understand we're supposed to listen to him with absolute attention when he speaks, and watch his every move. The Russian translators try their best to translate important instructions delivered from him.
Then there are the Russian choristers who stand with us. They titter about playfully in Russian whenever they have a break, and (very politically uncorrectly) make jokes about various things, but manage to follow the piece throughout, some without scores at all, always on pitch. Every note crooned purely. Just beautiful to listen to. They suffered under our air-conditioning - it gave many of them runny noses and dry itchy throats, and were all wrapped up in their scarves and parkas and hats (!), while the rest of us were perfectly fine in our tees and tank tops and slippers.
The 'celebrities' joined our rehearsal this time round (Top Orders, it must be), and Sheikh Haikel especially was such a hoot. The rest mostly kept to themselves. But I've made fast friends with several if not all the SMU singers, so we generally have a good time.
Ooh, and after everyone left, Aaron and I and some others stayed behind to tinkle about on the Steinway (grand piano) that sat majestically in the studio. It was so niceeee. :) I had silly fantasies about me wearing a longish red cheongsam, with red satin gloves and red lipstick, lounging on the cover of the piano, like all those movies. Har har har.
So that's my rehearsal tonight.
Music really uplifts. You can't possibly say life is utterly shitty once you listen to a beautiful piece of music. And that's how I felt today during rehearsal, sort of enraptured and hopeful and fulfilled.
I'm excited about tomorrow's performance. Today's rehearsal made it seem real. We were given backstage passes, and wandered through the hallways that looked like those of hospitals (linoleum floors, wooden handrails at the side, white walls, fluorescent lights!), to locate the Recital Studio. I expected something flat-level and functional, but no. The rehearsal studio was lovely and big, with two tiers. The chorus stood on the raised platform, while the SSO was already setting up below.
All these instruments and their players - there's a big blaring tuba, and next to him the trombones; then there's the lunging deep voice of the double bass, the saccharine soprano of the violin and the warm-dark-honey melancholic cello; there's also the pipping flute and the twinkling percussionists, on xylophones most of the time.
And the conductor, Lim Yau, perched atop his flock, with the thin baton of authority waving about in his hand. He speaks in a stately manner, with some accent we all can't place. We all understand we're supposed to listen to him with absolute attention when he speaks, and watch his every move. The Russian translators try their best to translate important instructions delivered from him.
Then there are the Russian choristers who stand with us. They titter about playfully in Russian whenever they have a break, and (very politically uncorrectly) make jokes about various things, but manage to follow the piece throughout, some without scores at all, always on pitch. Every note crooned purely. Just beautiful to listen to. They suffered under our air-conditioning - it gave many of them runny noses and dry itchy throats, and were all wrapped up in their scarves and parkas and hats (!), while the rest of us were perfectly fine in our tees and tank tops and slippers.
The 'celebrities' joined our rehearsal this time round (Top Orders, it must be), and Sheikh Haikel especially was such a hoot. The rest mostly kept to themselves. But I've made fast friends with several if not all the SMU singers, so we generally have a good time.
Ooh, and after everyone left, Aaron and I and some others stayed behind to tinkle about on the Steinway (grand piano) that sat majestically in the studio. It was so niceeee. :) I had silly fantasies about me wearing a longish red cheongsam, with red satin gloves and red lipstick, lounging on the cover of the piano, like all those movies. Har har har.
So that's my rehearsal tonight.
posted by the zee at 10:24 PM
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