Page 12 - 2019 SEM 2

3 3 0 0
A MUSICAL JOURNEY OF KUEN CHENG CHINESE ORCHESTRA
n this wonderful evening of 13 July 2019, Kuen Cheng Chinese
OOrchestra held their highly anticipated 30th anniversary
concert, entitled 卅 (sà), which means ‘thirty’ in English. As every
note of the night filled the air, it struck the hearts of the audiences
with passion and hard work, evident of the sacrifices made by the
team of performers and helpers alike.
Since its founding, the Chinese Orchestra has held eight major concerts.
The talented orchestra took part in many national competitions and
did performances for various festive events nationwide. The current
coaches cum advisors, Mr. Steven Goh and Mr. Chong Koi Min first
got involved with the Chinese Orchestra two years ago, in 2017 and
have since contributed tremendously in maintaining the standard of
the orchestra.
The night was unveiled with Train Toccata, composed by Liu Yuan
and arranged by Giang Yin, the performance was presented under the
masterful hand of junior coach Mr Chong Koi Min. Throughout the
piece, echoes of a train chugging along its tracks could be heard. The
distinct sound and tone quality of oriental instruments were cleverly
arranged and layered to paint a lively picture of a real, moving train. A
whistle was used to imitate the horns of a traditional train which left
the audience with a fresh experience.
Next, the GEM medley was introduced, under the baton of a student
conductor. GEM is a renowned artist from Hong Kong who became
an even bigger sensation after having covered various pop songs
on hit reality show, ‘I Am A Singer’. This carefully arranged medley
consisted of Tornado, You Are Not Truly Happy, I Like You, Being
and Intoxicated.
Following the earworm of a medley was a Suona Concerto with club
alumni Tang Yi Qwan on solo suona. Visuals of a blue sky and greener
fields were floating above the minds of the listeners, with the suona
in all its glory. Although the wind instrument is always dubbed as
being too noisy or annoying like its western counterpart, the trumpet,
Yi Qwan had successfully executed the piece of challenging music to
bring out the true beauty of suona.
The elegant side of the suona was met with the colourful Guandong
Overture, under the baton of senior coach, Mr. Steven Goh.
Reminiscent of lively streets filled with stalls selling exotic products
and floating lanterns, this piece of music depicted the interesting scene
in a northern Chinese city. The different sections in the orchestra
were given solos and took turns replying to musical phrases which
10
formed a dialog in a musical context. The beauty and diversity of the
oriental instruments shone through in the buildup of the musical
climax which resolved into a grand and spectacular ending.
After an intermission, the Chinese Orchestra once again showcased
their versatility by playing an arrangement of Rolling In The Deep
by English singer, Adele as well as a medley entitled E Generation
Fever. The latter formed a string of old school songs Odyssey, I’m Still
Young, I Do and Blue and White Porcelain.
Strolling down memory lane, the orchestra took a stop at one of the
most important chapters of the Chinese film industry. The impactful
theme from the movie Our Times, A Little Happiness was introduced.
This movie and its music took the world by storm for its light and easy
beat as well as its touching lyrics. The sweet music complimented by a
clip of the movie successfully evoked tears from some of the listeners
across different generations.
The concert wrapped up with the first movement of Ode To The Sun-
The River Crossing. This piece was taken from the modern symphony
Ode To The Sun which comprises four movements composed for a
Chinese Orchestra. This tense and anticipating piece had certainly
kept the audience at the edge of the seat as the different tones meshed
together to imitate the sounds of wind and a gushing current.
Unknowingly, the concert came to an end. The audience surely enjoyed
themselves but they wished for more, soon the crowd started a chant
for an encore to fill their desire. Indeed, dessert was served in the
form of a whimsical composition, The Typerwriter, which is a piece
originally written for a philharmonic orchestra by Leroy Anderson
and later arranged for Chinese Orchestra. It started with the players’
roleplaying as office workers who then started throwing paper planes
as work ended. A rubber chicken was smartly used to provide a
comedic effect in the midst of the musical passages revolving around
love, constancy, joy and perseverance.
The concert was a heart-winning success and it captivated the attention
of the audience who gave their loudest applause in return. This concert
was evidence of the constant hard work, effort and burning passion Jointly reported by:
put into making beautiful music which had touched the hearts of Isabel Goh Ern Zi Sr1ScB
many that night. The orchestra boldly broke free of the stereotypes Tan Yi Khai Sr1ScD
placed upon them and oriental music, perfectly showcasing their Thow Myra Jr3M
young and talented musicians, capable student conductors, versatility
and creativity on that special night which had only left the audience
longing for more.
11