By Amy Ng (13A01E)
As the school term came to an end (thank goodness!), Guitar Ensemble welcomed the wearied souls of teachers and students alike to enjoy a night of fun and musical entertainment. Indeed, there were so many guests that a certain unfortunate reporter was reduced to being seated at the top level of the theatre. However, this definitely did not in any way diminish the wonderful performance that unfolded on the (far) stage below.
By Hu Fangda (12A03A)
Photos by Chew Siu Farn (13S03E)
Raffles Players put on two plays, More by Haresh Sharma, which was also their Gold with Honours SYF piece, and Block Sale by Eleanor Wong last weekend.
By Hu Fangda (12A03A)
“Well, we don’t mind you doing the coverage but won’t there will be a conflict of interest? You are a Player, after all.”
“I’m interested in doing the preview. Players are interested in doing the preview. Double jeopardy; I’ll be fine.”
“I don’t think that’s not how double jeopardy works, Fangda.”
“I think I’m a raccoon.”
Continue reading “Raffles Players’ College Play: An Insider’s Preview”
By Vanessa Chiam (12S03M)
Photo courtesy of Tan Zhi Ru (Harmonica Ensemble)
On the 11th of May, Harmonica Ensemble took to the stage for the last time to present their farewell concert, aptly christened The Final Blow. The diverse audience profile attests to their 15-year legacy under the tutelage of celebrated harmonica virtuoso Yew Hong Chow — CCA alumni, harmonica ensembles from other schools, and friends of the conductor turned up to witness this final performance.
The first part of the evening’s varied repertoire swept the audience into an exotic, international soundscape, starting with Béla Bartók’s Romanian Polka. Accompanied with Mr Yew’s jaunty conducting, its lightness and whimsicality set the stage for the subsequent group item La Cumparsita, a tango from Uruguay. Different harmonica types, including the bass and chord harmonicas, complemented each other to create a sultry, layered harmony that momentarily transformed LT2 into a milonga in Bueno Aires. Song of India, from the opera Sadko, led the audience eastwards to Asia in a wistful, meandering solo by Zhang Jingwen. Following that was 夜霧の馬, a Japanese composition brought to life with powerful execution. The recurring dramatic trills made for a majestic, Oriental flavour. Rounding off the ethnic theme was the expressive La Sevilla by Adrea Soh, originally a guitar work that translated well on the harmonica.
The iconic Flight of the Bumblebee on the other hand, in featuring non-stop lengths of chromatic notes, would be almost impossible to play in a single breath on a wind instrument like the harmonica. It was certainly a valiant effort — soloist Tan Zhiru’s fingers were a blur as they fluttered wildly to produce the distinctive urgent buzzing that left the audience positively breathless at the end. Humoresque was one of the evening’s most stellar items — fluidly rendered by the full ensemble, the euphonious quality of the harmonica and accordion successfully captured the depth of the lower notes. The end result was a fanciful spectrum of moods that closed the first half of the concert.
Post-intermission, Harmonica bared their souls with an elegiac selection of nostalgic pieces. The alumni ensemble donned their old uniforms and sat on desks, ankles crossed, to play the theme song from the 2011 Taiwanese flick ‘You are the Apple of my Eye’. Along with The Carpenters’ Yesterday Once More, the alumni impressed with a clean delivery that made for a plaintive and reminiscent mood. Bach’s Air and Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, performed by Wang Chen Yan and Natalie Yeo respectively, were mesmerising as well. The former, with its long, melancholic notes and a well-matched piano accompaniment was achingly serene while the latter exuded a seraphic joy. Both current and ex-harmonica players then came together to pour their hearts into a soulful rendition of Auld Lang Syne — evident from their bobbing along to the music and furrowing of brows.
As the evening drew to a close, Harmonica Ensemble whipped up a zesty arrangement of the contemporary Viva La Vida to accompany their video montage that chronicled 15 generations of harmonica players and their shared moments. But the audience was not content with letting the ensemble step off the stage just yet — rousing calls for an encore were answered with a festive rendition of Dance of the Comedians, which finished off the concert with a sensational flourish. This was no ordinary farewell — Harmonix XV was clearly intended to be striking swansong that encapsulated not only the poignancy of parting, but also the spirit of the ensemble and its members.
Their simple goal for the evening: “We hope that our final blow was inspiring, impressive, and impactful.” And indeed, what a final blow it was.
By Karen Gwee (12A01C)
Photos by Nandaru Annabil from Raffles Photographic Society
“Let There Be Rock”, Raffles Rock’s annual concert, brought the house (or rather, PAC) down on the night of 11 May. However, for a concert titled after a legendary AC/DC song, this reviewer was rather disappointed at the lack of rock classics its name had promised. Nevertheless, Raffles Rock was a night of earnest, energetic rock music that had the entire PAC on their feet whooping and cheering for their favourite Rafflesian bands.
Year 5 band The Fifth Degree kicked off the gig with rousing renditions of “Paralyser” (originally by Finger Eleven) and “Living On A Prayer” (Bon Jovi). The latter in particular got the crowd going with its singalong chorus, opening up a mosh pit. The mosh pit eased when The Fifth Degree started “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, popularised by the Carlsberg commercial. The famous “Da-da, da-da, da-da-da-da-da”s had everyone in the audience singing along, ending The Fifth Degree’s set on a high note.
The next band, After Indigo, started their set with “Cough Syrup” (Young The Giant). Perhaps “Cough Syrup” wasn’t such a good choice as an opener – energy levels noticeably waned, and the audience had returned to their seats. This induced vocalist Jonathan Lee to exhort the audience to get up and mosh with a cry of: “What kind of concert are you at?!” After Indigo also sang pop ditty “What Makes You Beautiful” (One Direction), which to this reviewer was positively sacrilege. However, the band wryly acknowledged this, making a marvellous segue by way of a gritty guitar solo into the rockier territory of “Arlandria” (Foo Fighters). Vocalist Jonathan Lee and lead guitarist Chia Yaim Chong were livewires throughout the set, constantly hyping up the audience.
The last Year 5 band Eclectic Theatrics were welcomed with applause and cheers. They performed a tight set with little banter, including the crowd-pleasers “I Don’t Care” (Fall Out Boy) and “Move Along” (All-American Rejects). Vocalist BJ was highly charismatic – pointing to and beckoning the audience to sing along, he had the audience chanting his name and eating out of his palm. The three Year 5 bands thoroughly impressed this reviewer with their confidence and stage presence, and they will no doubt fill the big shoes their seniors will leave.
Year 6 band The Painted Owls also performed a three-song set, which included perhaps the only truly classic rock song of the night – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, by grunge legends Nirvana, which saw the most intense mosh pit of the night, what with its angsty lyrics and sludgy riffs.
However, where the band truly shone was during their acoustic interlude early in the concert. The Owls performed beautiful renditions of “Safe and Sound” (Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars), of ‘The Hunger Games’ fame, and “Fake Plastic Trees” (Radiohead). With the songs stripped down to their essentials, vocalist Shermaine Chng had a much more expressive delivery. On the other hand, the guitars in the full band setup often drowned out her husky voice, which was a real pity.
Bucket of Six took to the stage to the screams and cheers of their fan following, waving signs as proof of their dedication. Dressed snappily in dress shirts and ties, Bucket of Six performed an energetic set, including standout track “Holiday” (Green Day). With the singalong choruses and constant “Hey!”s, the crowd went mad with moshing. Bucket of Six also saw bassist Beck Sung Hyun, the anointed “North Korean representative”, perform the bridge of the song, which was a pleasant surprise as the bridge, with its inflammatory and politically-charged lyrics, had been left out at Raffles Rock’s performance at Take 5 last year. (It was also during Bucket of Six’s set that glow sticks were thrown to the audience, which were immediately fired back onstage, or at the bands. So kudos to Raffles Rock for enduring a barrage of painful plastic projectiles throughout their sets.)
Vocalist Joshua Phang and guitarist Marcus Yeo also came back onstage for an acoustic performance of “Poor Man’s Son” (Noah Gundersen) and “You And I Both” (Jason Mraz), which saw Josh express his heartfelt thanks to the audience through the way he knew best – song.
“Let There Be Rock” ended with a selection of crowd favourites from previous gigs, namely “Yellow” (Coldplay), “Vertigo” (U2) and “Diary of Jane” (Breaking Benjamin). Unfortunately, everyone was getting tired – Josh’s fatigue was clearly showing as he struggled to yell out the lyrics to “Vertigo”, and had to get the audience to help him on a few occasions. Although a conga line consisting of Y5 Rock musicians and enthusiastic audience members upstaged Bucket of Six during their performance, the moshing also wasn’t as intense as it should have been, and it seemed “Let There Be Rock” would go out with a whimper. However, the audience refused to let that happen – there were calls for an encore and Rock good-naturedly obliged with a spontaneous rendition of “Dani California” (Red Hot Chilli Peppers).
“Let There Be Rock” was a night of beginnings and endings – it saw three Year 5 bands making their debut, and two Year 6 bands saying their goodbyes. Thus, for Rock, “Let There Be Rock” was indeed bittersweet. But for the audience, it was put simply, a hell of a rock concert.
For an insight into Raffles Rock’s “secret rehearsal”, see this video on Facebook (only available for viewing by friends of friends).
