Orchestras and the days that were

Too fast. It was too fast a tune for me to enjoy. The violins are fantastic, the cellos following well behind, but it was way too fast. I felt like I was in a horse chase in England during the medieval times. I am referring to the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, a neo-classical orchestra group which plays classical tunes in a 'new' way sort of. This group is an Associate Orchestra for the Royal Festival Hall in London (nearest tube: Embankment). They are having a series of performances in the hall during the whole of autumn. They will perform Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Mendelssohn and more. So, there I was, in a medieval suit, drifting away as the music played. I 'succumbed to oblivion' not less than twice in the hall.

The worst sin they committed was to downplay the violin. It was not crying as it should be, rather it was making this fast screeching sounds. It was playing well but the harmony with the other period instruments were not there. The bassett clarinet was good, although it played at intervals when all others were silent. I thought the soprano scene was good, the lady had a marvellous voice but unfortunately, it did not go too well with the background tune. Overall, it was not quite what I expected.

But looking at the orchestra players, their smiles, their preparations on stage, their tunings reminded me so much when I was a koto performer back in KL. It was a great feeling to play together in a group. The applause you get, the satisfaction after playing the tunes, the chilling out after performances.....such sweet memories. I really want to continue playing but there isn't any Koto music society that I know of in London. Maybe, after my masters, I'll probably further my studies in Japan and continue there. My Koto teacher and Prof. Leong told me the chances of getting a scholarship given my situation (the Japanese language and koto experience), is very high. The Japanese are peculiarly excited about people learning their language and culture to such an extent. Anyway, it's a probability. We'll see.