blog




  • Essay / A concert review from Maximus Musicus visits the orchestra

    Over the past few months I have attended two concerts for my music report. The first concert was Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra which took place on 3 June 2018 at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO). The second concert I attended was Harder Than This, the musical which took place on 8 July 2018 at KuAsh Theatre, TTDI KL. These two concerts were very contrasting. In terms of entertainment value, one was fun and the other was serious. Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra is fun and entertaining, while the second musical, Harder Than This, takes on a more serious and darker tone. Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra (MMVTO) serves as a first introduction to the orchestra for small children. It's a fun way for kids to explore the different musical instruments in the orchestra, just like Maximus the Mouse. Most of the adults in the audience also seemed to have a great time performing a few musical moves with their kids. In contrast, the musical Harder Than This is made up primarily of teenagers and young adults performing on stage and in the audience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay. What makes this musical unique is that the performers themselves actually acted out their life stories, so it felt truly personal and authentic. The musical is actually very disturbing and haunting as it tackles the subject of depression and suicide in depth. I understand that people who suffer from depression need a way to express themselves and art is one of them. Art serves as an outlet for them to release their “demons” within them. It makes me realize how important it is to be able to reach out to people suffering from depression. We can only help them if they have the will to overcome their depression. People should be more aware of the seriousness of this medical problem. That’s why we have organizers like Befrienders KL. Befrienders KL has collaborated with the musical Harder Than This to show the dark side of what depression really is in the hope of raising awareness of the issue. The classical concert I attended was Maximus Musicus Visits the Orchestra. The conductor was directed by Gene Chang and the storyline was narrated by Datuk Yasmin Yusuff. Datuk Yasmin Yusuf did a great job telling the story of Maximus the Mouse. She is able to engage and captivate the mostly young audience with her amusing expressions. It was really great to see the young kids in the audience enjoying it as much as I did. I felt like I had been transported back in time. The story begins on a cold winter night and Maximus Musicus, or Maxi for short, is looking for a warm place to spend the night. Maxi, the mouse ends up sleeping inside a large building, without knowing what he was going to come across. His peaceful sleep was soon interrupted by a loud noise. He would soon discover that the loud noise was actually the sound of musical instruments; Maxi found himself in a concert hall! Here, Maxi's adventure begins when he discovers the different instruments being played while the orchestra was practicing for their performance. I had gone to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra several times with my family when I was a child, but after a while we stopped going. I forgot the reason we stopped going there. As a child, I remembered the huge concert hall. Everything then seems enormous to me. Many years later, I was surprised when I saw the concert hall. I got myselfsaid it wasn't as huge as I imagine. It seems like everything has shrunk. When I arrived inside the concert hall, there was excited chatter in the air. Everyone was impatiently waiting for the concert to start, especially the children. Everyone was in their best outfits. They were dressed in smart and casual clothes, something in between; not too casual yet not too formal. The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra is very strict with its dress code. The dress code insisted on no shorts, collarless t-shirts, singlets, sneakers, sportswear and slippers. However, school uniforms are permitted for students. The artists, on the other hand, looked handsome in their attire. They had a black color theme. They looked simply dashing. Once the concert started, the chatter died down. Everyone was respectful towards the musician during his performance. People understand that it was basic etiquette not to speak during the concert so as not to distract other people watching the concert as well as the artists on stage. This is my first time watching a musical. I can say it wasn't a bad experience at all for my first time. The concert hall was significantly smaller than that of the Malaysian Grand Philharmonic Orchestra. Even though it was small, it was more personal because the seats were so close to the stage. I sat in the second row, so it was very close to the artists performing on stage. The room was dark because it was surrounded by long, high curtains. There was no dress code for this concert. People were free to dress however they wanted. The performers changed clothes from time to time to match the different scenes. Another comparison between the two concerts is that the audience is much smaller for the musical than for the orchestra. In the classical concert, they played a total of eight pieces during the entire concert. The program included, among others, pieces such as Mozart's energetic Abduction from the Seraglio, Beethoven's iconic Fifth Symphony and Rossini's Finale from William Tell, probably best known as the Lone Ranger theme. Other pieces included Ravel's Boléro, Stravinsky's L'Oiseau de feu: Danse infernale, Olafsdottir's Chanson de Maxi, Peer Gynt's Suite No. 1, Op. 46:1. Morning Mood written by Grieg, and last but not least, Strauss’s Radetzky March. Live Concert Review: Chamber Music at the CathedralThe best thing in life is the experiences we have. There are extravagant experiences that we can brag about to others, and then there are worthwhile experiences, small but personal experiences that are deeply meaningful to us and that others may not appreciate. -not be the same way as us. Interesting experiences allow us to connect with people we know and don't know. For me, these experiences should be shared with others and not taken for granted. I was never able to attend a music concert, let alone a classical concert, until I took up music in college. I was lucky because some people have never had this experience and it is well worth it. On Thursday, October 10, 2019, at 7:00 p.m., I had the opportunity to attend my first chamber music concert at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock, Arkansas. The concert was led by Kiril Laskarov (violin), Stephanie Smittle (vocals) and Carl Anthony (piano) with different types of music..