By Dara Tan (27A01A) and Sophie Sim (27S05A)
All photos courtesy of Ma Qihang Jackie (27S03H)
“May tonight’s performance leave us all in the glow of music and shared wonder,” Principle Aaron Loh mentioned in his foreword. And indeed, the band enthralled us, completely immersing us in their world for a short 2 hours and leaving us in awe.
10 minutes before the concert, the audience was slowly filing in and there was a low buzzing hum of chatter and anticipation. As the band stepped neatly into the SOTA concert hall, exuberant cheers and shouting erupted, with friends and family gathered in full support of the members.
Concert A Tempo is the band’s annual concert, a particularly momentous one for the seniors as their last performance with Raffles Symphonic Band. The concert was themed “Alpenglow”, illustrating an arduous journey up the Alpine peaks. This reflected (many of) the senior batch’s six long years of dedication to the band, and the “glow” signalled the bright new era for the juniors as they stepped up in the band.
The concert began with an introduction by the emcees, Nethan and Sedharshan, who quickly set the tone and the mood for the rest of the concert, mixing in jokes with explanations of the concert’s themes and messages.
The Base of The Mountain: Piccolo Concertino by Samuel Pascoal
The spotlight for their opening piece is on piccolo soloist Alby Foo (26S03A). Beginning her musical studies in Secondary 1, the talented musician has won many awards at top band competitions, and is the student conductor for RSB. And tonight, we learn that her accolades are well-deserved. With strong band support, her clear and confident tone on the piccolo rings throughout the hall, allowing her to showcase her brilliance and technical range. The piece starts off grand, then gives way to playful melodic figures, and finally drives towards a thrilling finale. Drawn from Iberian musical traditions, the piece managed to capture the spirit of its inspiration and all expressive possibilities of the piccolo, and Alby brought all its virtuosic writing to life in the most splendid way, giving rise to loud, endless applause from an awestruck audience.
The Journey Upwards: El Bosque Magico Mvt. 2 “Las Hadas” by Ferrer Ferran
The next piece featured yet another woodwind, the oboe. Cho Dongmin (26S06I) likewise began his oboe journey in Secondary 1, and furthered his experience with Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO). The oboe is widely known as one of the hardest instruments to learn, yet Dongmin progressed incredibly fast and was quickly recognised as a young talent, participating in concerts around the world.
Tonight’s piece Las Hadas (translation: The Fairies) was inspired by a movie where a mechanical being achieves great emotional senses. Dongmin utilised the oboe’s warm timbre and executed the waltz with care and confidence, painting a vivid musical portrait of the beauty and lightness of fairies in El Bosque Magico (translation: The Magic Forest) for the audience.
As the band echoed his melodic lines, the music expands, and for a moment becomes something more than the players themselves. As a testament to Dongmin and the band fully playing their hearts out, the piece captivated the audience and, as the MCs put it, brought them “deep into the forest, away from all their problems”.
Climax: Poema Alpestre by Franco Cesarini
With great effort comes great reward. After a long buildup, journeying through mysterious veils of mountain mist and the intensity of blistering snowstorms, the music reached its climax with Poema Alpestre, which means “Alpine Poem”. As the music culminated in a triumphant ascent to the summit, the audience was stunned by the sheer skill and stamina displayed by the band in pulling off this 23 minute-long piece.
To the band, it was also a reflection of the hard work and years of dedication the Y6s have invested in music, and a new challenge for the Y5 juniors and Y4 guest performers alike.
When we asked the Y4 guest performers from Raffles Institution Military band what their favourite piece was, they all unanimously exclaimed “Poema!”, citing that even though it was the hardest and most tiring, they love it because it “sounds good”.
To the English Horn soloist Desmond Kwong Wei Liang (26S06O), Poema was the “pinnacle of my 10+ years in band”, leaving him proud and satisfied with this performance as his final performance in RSB.
Vice-Chairperson Yang Wangyi (26S06D) also expressed that her personal favourite piece of the night was also Poema. “The melodic motif is repeated multiple times, with each repeat gaining warmth and emotion. It reminds me of my own time in RSB, growing closer and closer to my CCAmates before ending our journey off with splendour just like the horns in our final bars of this piece.”
Although the piece was so difficult that it requires every player’s absolute focus on every movement, the splendour of the ending might have been the only fitting visualisation of each band member’s unique relationship with the band, keeping the piece a band-favourite As a member of the audience, we can only appreciate the band’s dedication to showing us such a thoughtful display of the beauty of music despite the hardship.
The Climb Back Down
Sin Fronteras by Rick Dior
Typically playing a less visible role in ensemble concerts, Sin Fronteras (meaning “without limits”) placed the spotlight firmly on the percussion section, allowing its members to demonstrate both technical virtuosity and ensemble sensitivity, showcasing the true talent and capability of RSB’s percussionists. Due to the rhythmic intricacies of the piece, the ensemble’s success rested entirely on tight coordination and precision, with odd time signatures keeping the audience slightly off balance, generating a sense of anticipation that propelled the piece forward.
微醉双罎竭 濫觴僲䰬謳 (or Horoyoi) by Methas Tan (26S03A)
This concert was especially special because it incorporated a piece composed by saxophone soloist Methas Tan. The piece proved especially challenging for many players as it utilised the full range of the instruments’ capabilities, and demanded perfect coordination between different band sections. In the piece, two saxophone solos stood out especially, one by the student composer himself, and one by the band chairperson, Koh Jing Shan (26S06H). He shared, “knowing that my part in the piece was written just for me specifically made it so much more special due to the massive amount of trust he had in me to pull it off. It was an absolute honour and definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
For Methas, it was a very important opportunity for his personal growth, and the product of his experience and development in music. He shares that he was very happy that he managed to do many of the things he wanted to do, and that his only reservation was that the piece’s esoteric jazz style might not resonate with the audience. From the piece, he hopes that the message he wanted to convey to the audience rings true: To be unrestrained, and live authentically and freely.
Siciliano by J.S. Bach, rearranged by Eiji Suzuki
This piece was a different take on a very Baroque piece. It was uplifting and refreshing, with jazzy drums in the background. The performance also featured several solo moments, with various members of the band standing up during various moments of the piece. This was a definite crowd pleaser, and a very fun performance overall.
Viva Bunkyo Civic by Masamich Amano
This piece was bright, celebratory and cheery. It had a very upbeat and energetic mood, with solo saxophonist and vibraphone moments. The musicians would come to the front of the stage for their solos, and the performance felt relaxed and comfortable. Plus, there were (rock) band instruments like a drum set and electronic bass being played along with the more traditional symphonic band instruments. The blend of two generally very different types of instruments lent a dynamic and more intriguing performance overall.
Mambo Medley by Masamich Amano
Written by the same composer, Mambo Medley was similarly lively and high-energy, sounding incredibly festive and spirited. It was groovy and rhythmical, almost as if encouraging listeners to sway side to side and bop along to it. This performance was interspersed with several solo moments by the clarinets and flutes, once again incorporating rock band instruments like an electronic bass and drumset. The best moments of this piece were certainly the loud chanting by the band members, who, at specific intervals, would shout, “WOO!” and count in Spanish aloud.
Behind the scenes
The fruits of their efforts were clearly shown, but the preparation of the concert was not easy, requiring massive amounts of coordination and tireless practice. The band would practice 4 times a week, coming in even during the weekends to practice.
Chairperson Jing Shan mentioned, “The repertoire for the concert was especially demanding, much more so compared to previous batches. Therefore, one of the largest challenges I faced was trying to motivate the band to amp their preparation up so that we would all be up to standard.”
Given that all band members had different priorities and external commitments, this was no easy task. Yet, they persevered and each member gave their all. EXCO member Wangyi echoed his sentiment, noting that the pieces they had chosen this year were not easy to play, requiring each member to spend large amounts of time practicing even beyond CCA.
“I think the hardest part of this concert was the amount of coordination that had to be done behind the scenes, both musically and from the admin side,” she noted.
Ticket sales were a concern as well. As Jing Shan explained, “A week before our concert the sales were barely half of the full capacity of the concert hall, which left us extremely worried and demotivated as we questioned the worth of our efforts.”
Fortunately, there was a sudden uptick in purchases during the week before the concert, and the concert was sold out two days before the big day. This was a huge change compared to previous years, and became a source of motivation and encouragement to the EXCO and players. The band is immensely grateful and hopes to continue to see strong support for future concerts.
“Like the warm glow that crowns mountain peaks at dusk, tonight’s programme captures moments of wonder, vitality and triumph.” Principle Aaron Low mentioned in his opening address. Behind the scenes is an arduous struggle each band member goes through, one that the audience will never know. But to the band members, know that your efforts were seen by your Exco heads.
“I can confidently say that every single of our members gave their all to the band, and I am so grateful for the passion and enthusiasm they demonstrated throughout this concert season. Each and every one of them played a huge part in making our concert a success!” Wangyi told us. Jing Shan echoed the same sentiment, “Being able to witness the growth of each individual player was a blessing, and I am touched that they put in as much effort as they have.”
As one batch makes their journey down the mountain after a long climb, a new batch begins again at the base, hoping to reach even higher peaks. To all the talented young musicians, trust that your seniors, conductors and fellow bandmates will support you along the way, and that you can tackle whatever challenges you meet together. And for the Y6s graduating band, a message from Wangyi: RSB will always welcome our past, present and future players home.
Performers involved in A Tempo XXXIII: Alpenglow
Flutes
Lisha Annika Jaya Shankar (26S03N)
Alby Foo Yu Young^ (26S03A)
Pearly Aluna Sutopo (26S07A)
Luo Tianyi (27S06M)
Leong Zuyao (27S06G)
Chi Junxiang*
Oboes
Cho Dongmin^ (26S06I)
Kaelyn Ho Xinyi (26S03D)
Desmond Kwong Wei Liang (26S06O)
Bassoons
Wu Yanjun^ (26S06P)
Leong Chun Kai Travis
Clarinets
Ailsa Zhu Jia^ ( 26S02B)
Yang Wangyi (26S06D)
Deng Wenyuan (27S06I)
Yeo Hong Ze, Fernandez (27S06A)
Ang Chun Rui, Lucas (27A01D)
Joshua Kyle Lam*
Loh Yu Chen*
Anzawa Makoto Rey Kwan*
Saga Salim*
Renee Chong Rui En*
Daniel Ong*
Saxophones
Koh Jing Shan ( 26S06H)
Tan Wen Yuan Methas^ (26S03A)
David Pua Ven Wu (27S06P)
Elena Wu Kexin (27S06P)
Kevin Guan*
Double Bass
Tor Yu-Herng^ (26S06A)
Xing Enhao (27S06L)
Trumpets
Nguyen My Anh Mina (26S07A)
Yeo Xuan Hui (Yang Xuan Hui)^ (26S06D)
Jayden Quek Yong Rui (27S03B)
Kim En Bi*
Chan Hao Wei*
Quek Yu Chern*
Trombones
Owen Xu Yi Chen (26S06J)
Sin Wang Seng^ (26S06S)
Li Hanrui, Harel (27S06L)
Ling Keng-Hwee Carissa*
Horns
Muhammad Danish Akmal Bin Muhammad Riduan^ (26S06O)
Jaslyn Ngu Yong En (27S06P)
Goh Kah Xuan Chloe (27A01B)
Okkar Aung*
Manikanda Durairaj Aadarsh Saran*
Tubas
Wu Jiakai^ (26S06R)
Aw Jun Hong Dylan (27S06D)
Euphoniums
Lim Zhi Xuan Zenith^ (26S06R)
Raegan Keon Ang (27A01D)
Percussion
Evan Seow Qiao Wen (26S06L)
Danny Peh Cheng Zhe (26A01C)
Minamiura Sarah (26A01C)
Lai Qi Xuan^ (26A01D)
Han Xian Fei Ryan (27S03N)
Loh Lok Herng Elvin (27S03C)
Joshua Foo Zhong Kai (27S03F)
Jolynn Yeo Yi Xuan*
Zhuo Qian Pu*
Section Leader^
Guest Player*
