My Favourite Violinist

Do you like Classical Music?

Yes? No?

When I first learn to play the piano at the age of 8, I was trained in classical music. I learnt about the music of Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy and many more. Since then, I have always loved classical music.

Surprised? Me, a huge fan of Mariah Carey, love classical music? Well, why not? In fact, I love all types of music except heavy metal.

Midway, during my teenage years, I started to become interested in modern music or what you call popular music which include all kinds of music ranging from pop to jazz to hip hop. I got interested in playing the electone. That was the time I learnt about modern pop chords. It was really a good thing because I could then relate what I learnt in classical music and applied it to modern music.

The only problem was I was so fond of the electone I started to neglect my piano practice. That was something I really regret because I found that I could not play the piano as well ever since.

Later, in my late teens, I decided to take up violin. However, I found playing the violin one of the toughest things in the world! Maybe I did not practise enough, or probably I did not have a flair for it, but somehow I just could not play the violin very well. Because of that, I did not enjoy playing it although I love listening to songs performed by good violinists. To me, violin is such a tough instrument to master I really admire anyone who can play it well.

I'm sure you have heard of the name Vanessa-Mae, who became famous playing mostly pop songs on her violin. However, she is not my favourite violinist.


Vanessa-Mae

Instead, I am a fan of a classical violinist by the name of Sarah Chang. Ever heard of her?


Sarah Chang

Last month, I went to Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (Petronas Philharmonic Hall) in KLCC to watch Sarah Chang perform with our Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). She played Bruch's Violin Concerto No.1 in G minor (Op.26).

For those of you not well versed in classical music, a violin concerto generally means a work or performance by a solo violinist and the orchestra. In this case, the solo violinist is Sarah Chang and the orchestra is our very own MPO.

I was blown away by her performance! She was really good! The concerto by Bruch was no easy feat, yet she played so effortlessly. The audiences loved her so much she was cheered back on stage at least four times to take her bows!

Born to Korean-American parents, Sarah was recognised as a child prodigy early on. She made her first record at the age of nine, possibly the youngest violinist ever to do that!

I searched YouTube for her performances and found this. She may have put on a little weight here (compared to the photo above) but what matters is she did a very good rendition of Jules Massenet's piece called "Meditation" from his opera Thais. Enjoy!!

Dewan Filharmonik Petronas

If you are a classical music fan, chances are you would have visited one of the world's best concert hall right here in Malaysia. Yes, I'm talking about our very own Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) or Petronas Philharmonic Hall in English. Located at KLCC, it was officially opened in 1998 and had since hosted some of the world's leading artists and orchestras.



This magnificent concert hall which links the two 88-storey Petronas Towers, can seat up to 864 people. The acoustic volume of the hall can be changed by a unique reflective ceiling which can be moved to accommodate a varied range of musical activities. Besides that, it also contains state-of-the-art audio-visual and broadcast systems.

However, it was reported in The Star in May 2008 that Petronas actually spent RM3.5 million a month to maintain the DFP and to pay the mostly foreign members of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), which includes RM130,000 paid to its conductor. Wouldn't it be wiser to spend such huge amounts of money on other more important things?

Well, I don't know but will the RM3.5 million really make such a huge difference? Are people in Malaysia so poor they need that kind of monetary aid? If yes, then forget about the MPO! It all depends on our priorities. It's like if we can't even earn enough to feed ourselves, do we need that Mercedes car?

Furthermore, Kuala Lumpur (KL) is considered a world-class city. And we know every world-class city has its own world-class orchestra. If we only use local musicians, we certainly will not have a world-class orchestra.

Also, don't forget these foreign musicians and conductors are some of the best in the world and they are therefore entitled to these kind of pay. From what I know, the musicians are paid RM16,000 and RM28,000 which is equivalent to about USD4,800 and USD8,500 respectively. That's not even the market rate which our neighbour Singapore pays their Singapore Symphony Orchestra! These world-class musicians playing in the MPO are actually underpaid!

The good thing is, Petronas is also spending on nurturing our local talents as can be seen from efforts to rope in young aspiring Malaysians to be placed under the guidance of the MPO conductor. In time, hopefully, there will be more Malaysians in the MPO unlike now where Malaysians only make up 5% of the musicians in the MPO.

Well, I do hope the Government will be more long sighted and not scrap the MPO. But you just never know, so if you have not been to the DFP before, it's time you visit it! Of course you can't enter the hall unless you've purchased a ticket to attend a concert there. And what better time to go than this coming weekend when you can get to watch The Lord of The Rings Symphony! Details below.

The Lord of the Rings Symphony:
Six Movements for Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists
Canadian composer Howard Shore has turned his music for the three Lord of the Rings movies into a two-hour symphony which has already taken concert audiences in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by storm. Hear this dazzling score for the first time in Malaysia and relive the drama of the greatest cinematic epic of the 21st century.

Ticket Prices
Fri 19 & Sat 20 Dec 08, 8.30pm
RM180 | RM150 | RM110 | RM60

Sun 21 Dec 08, 3.00pm
RM140 | RM100 | RM60 | RM40

Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
Markus Huber conductor
The Young KL Singers
The KL Children's Choir

You can purchase the tickets online here.

For first timers, do take note that DFP has amazingly strict rules you must adhere to. They include the following...

1. Dress Code - Long sleeve batik or lounge suit for evening concerts, smart casual for Sunday matinees. No jeans, shorts, T-shirts, sneakers, and slippers allowed at any time. If inappropriately dressed, ticket holders shall be denied admission and no refunds will be given.

Wow! Do they mean business or what! Personally, I find this ruling rather too strict! From what I know, concert goers in European and Western countries don't even follow this kind of ruling! Wonder why they have such rules here!

2. Late Comers - All concerts will begin promptly at the advertised time. No latecomers will be admitted until the interval or a suitable break in the program. Members of the audience who leave the hall before or during a piece of music will not be re-admitted until the next suitable break.

Talking about Malaysian time, if you have the habit of being late, you must really take note of this rule, because they are dead serious about this. You will not be allowed in even if you are one minute late! Now if only Istana Budaya implement this rule, I will expect their concerts to start on time, which of course they do not - all the time! The last time I went there to watch P.Ramlee The Musical, it started like, half an hour late! Probably waiting for some VIPs who are well known for their lack of punctuality.

3. Mobile Communications - All concert goers are required to switch off their mobile phones, pagers, watch alarms and PDAs before entering the auditorium.

I can tell you they are so ridiculously serious about this ruling I just don't know what to say! There was one time I used my mobile phone to check if anyone sent me an sms during the interval break. Believe it or not, I was told to switch off my phone immediately. I reasoned with them that it was interval time and there was no performance going on, so surely I could use my handphone just to check on my messages. I was not even making any calls or anything. But no, a rule is a rule and it must be followed to a T!

4. Recording Devices - All forms of recording equipment and photography is strictly prohibited in the concert hall.

Well, I can understand this one, but I just wonder if they allow me to bring in my binoculars. I tend to buy the cheapest tickets, which is of course for seats furthest from the stage and then use my binoculars to watch the performers. I did that in Istana Budaya and they allowed it. Well, some binoculars have camera functions, so I guess not!

5. No Smoking allowed in the concert hall.

No complaints on this one!

P.S: Oops! Just found out that the tickets for the Lord Of The Rings Symphony were all sold out! And I thought I could have a great time this weekend!! Too bad I cannot afford the Mamma Mia musical showing this week at Istana Budaya!