Analysis Of Bradll Heights Chinese Orchestra
What better way to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year than immersing yourself in an afternoon of festive music? In their one-hour concert here at the lavish Esplanade Concert Hall, Braddell Heights Chinese Orchestra lived up to expectations with a captivating repertoire of New Year’s classics.
Established in 1985, Braddell Heights Chinese Orchestra is one of Singapore’s leading community-based orchestras with members ranging from young amateur to semi-retired musicians. Known for their musical versatility, the orchestra experiments with traditional and contemporary elements by integrating various Eastern and Western instruments into compositions.
As part of Esplanade’s Beautiful Sunday series, the orchestra collaborated with three guest …show more content…
The use of pentatonic scale, intriguing harmonies and sudden changes in volume made the arrangement sound like a background track for Kung Fu Panda. Interestingly, despite differences in timbre, the combination of erhu and cello turned out well and produced a multilayered melody.
In stark contrast to other songs on the setlist, “Song of the Homeland” had an air of melancholy surrounding its melodic lines. Performed by dizi soloist Ong Jie Ying, audiences were surprised when she appeared in a Chinese swordswoman outfit.
A master’s degree holder from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Ong shared great chemistry with the orchestra and pulled off the performance without any audible mistakes. What was mesmerizing about her solo was the way she played those complicated phrases confidently by adjusting her breathing pattern to match the song’s rhythm. Although this reviewer has not seen alternative live versions of “Song of the Homeland”, Ong’s rendition clearly demonstrated her proficiency with dizi through skilled fingering …show more content…
Seven minutes was all it took for a promising talent like Ng to make a lasting impression.
That is not to say that everything about the concert was perfect. Chinese suona soloist Yao Xing’s rendition of “Welcoming Spring” fell far short of what one would expect from a professional suona instructor. On a few occasions, Yao’s suona was strident to the point of disturbing. Her lack of enthusiasm and poor coordination with the orchestra not only caused an unbalanced mix but also failed to embrace the liveliness of the song.
Putting aside the quality of performers, Rhythms of Spring had other problems. While Esplanade had good intentions of wanting to create an inclusive concert, it was an appalling decision to allow toddlers into an indoor concert. With children crying in between acts, it diminished the experience of other concertgoers. Moreover, having an introduction speech at the beginning of each composition serve little purpose as it instantly detaches audiences from the
Established in 1985, Braddell Heights Chinese Orchestra is one of Singapore’s leading community-based orchestras with members ranging from young amateur to semi-retired musicians. Known for their musical versatility, the orchestra experiments with traditional and contemporary elements by integrating various Eastern and Western instruments into compositions.
As part of Esplanade’s Beautiful Sunday series, the orchestra collaborated with three guest …show more content…
The use of pentatonic scale, intriguing harmonies and sudden changes in volume made the arrangement sound like a background track for Kung Fu Panda. Interestingly, despite differences in timbre, the combination of erhu and cello turned out well and produced a multilayered melody.
In stark contrast to other songs on the setlist, “Song of the Homeland” had an air of melancholy surrounding its melodic lines. Performed by dizi soloist Ong Jie Ying, audiences were surprised when she appeared in a Chinese swordswoman outfit.
A master’s degree holder from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, Ong shared great chemistry with the orchestra and pulled off the performance without any audible mistakes. What was mesmerizing about her solo was the way she played those complicated phrases confidently by adjusting her breathing pattern to match the song’s rhythm. Although this reviewer has not seen alternative live versions of “Song of the Homeland”, Ong’s rendition clearly demonstrated her proficiency with dizi through skilled fingering …show more content…
Seven minutes was all it took for a promising talent like Ng to make a lasting impression.
That is not to say that everything about the concert was perfect. Chinese suona soloist Yao Xing’s rendition of “Welcoming Spring” fell far short of what one would expect from a professional suona instructor. On a few occasions, Yao’s suona was strident to the point of disturbing. Her lack of enthusiasm and poor coordination with the orchestra not only caused an unbalanced mix but also failed to embrace the liveliness of the song.
Putting aside the quality of performers, Rhythms of Spring had other problems. While Esplanade had good intentions of wanting to create an inclusive concert, it was an appalling decision to allow toddlers into an indoor concert. With children crying in between acts, it diminished the experience of other concertgoers. Moreover, having an introduction speech at the beginning of each composition serve little purpose as it instantly detaches audiences from the