This Mayday, the local petite chamber orchestra will be exploring the concept of "seasons" with Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons, Astor Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and additional compositions by four Singaporean composers: Kelly Tang, Chen Zhang Yi, Denise Lee, and Derek Lim.
The Twelve Seasons
While depicting the change of seasons, this concert will examine the meaning of life and the notion of change while delving into each season. Mr. Foo Say Ming, music director of re:mix, recently discussed the upcoming concerto with Dr. Chang Tou Liang.
"On a musical level, the pieces have a strong resonance with us performers," stated Foo in an article entitled "Concert of the Month," in the March 2011 issue of the Singapore Medical Association News. "While the melodies in the Vivaldi Seasons have become evergreens, they still evoke very universal emotions such as joy, love and fear nonetheless. Piazzolla's tangos are beloved because of the palpable beat and raunchy dance steps, but the music is laced with sorrow and frustration."
According to this same article, "Turn, Turn, Turn!" is based on a 1960s song by Pete Seeger. Some of Seeger's lyrics were taken from Chapter Three of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible, which includes the verse "to everything, there is a season."
re: mix & Foo Say Ming
Known for mixing popular music with classical, re: mix has been performing in Singapore since 2006. Last year, the orchestra based their performance on a 1917 adaptation of the love poem 'Transfigured Night' by composer Arnold Schoenberg. The string orchestra consists of a total of 19 violinists (including Foo), six viola players, five cellists, and one double bass player, according to their website.
As a well-known reputable violinist and musician in Singapore, Foo studied under Boris Belkin while a student at the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Sienna, Italy, and received a Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) scholarship to attend the Royal College of Music in London. Besides continuing to work with the SSO, he works with young musicians at the Singapore National Youth Orchestra (SNYO), the National University of Singapore Symphony Orchestra (NUSSO), the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and the LaSalle College of the Arts.
Ticket prices range from $20-$100 with special discounts available through SISTIC. There will be one performance only at 7:30 pm at the Esplanade Concert Hall on May 1st, 2011. There are plenty of great eating establishments at the Esplanade -- Theatres on the Bay to grab dinner before or after the show.
Julie Maggiacomo Carrera - Julie's writing career began back in college in the 1990s. However, she considers herself a new writer since she has put this profession ...
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