Singapore, 12 December 2015 (Saturday) –Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) performed in Kuala Lumpur’s Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS at the iconic Petronas Twin Towers for the first time on Tuesday, 8 December 2015, to a full-house of 700 audiences. The gala concert titled Titian Budaya Night: Crossing Cultures was a part of the Titian Budaya Singapore cultural season in Kuala Lumpur. Presented by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) and produced by CultureLink Singapore, Titian Budaya celebrates 50 years of Singapore-Malaysia friendship,
Titian Budaya Night: Crossing Cultures highlighted the diversity of two countries’ music heritage by uniting traditional Chinese, Malay and Indian music alongside contemporary jazz and pop, and featured composers and performers who are recognized in both countries. With a distinct energy and camaraderie among the performers, the audience was treated to a sumptuous and entertaining musical feast. This concert was graced by Ms Grace Fu, Singapore’s Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, together with special guest, YB’ Dato’ Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Tourism and Culture Malaysia. .
Executive Director of SCO Mr Terence Ho said, “We are proud to be part of the Titian Budaya – which celebrates 50 years of bilateral friendship between Singapore and Malaysia, and to perform at this iconic Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS in Kuala Lumpur. We hope that this tapestries of music would foster a closer friendship between Singapore and Malaysia, and to share SCO’s versatility and music to our Malaysian friends.”
Conducted by SCO Music Director Tsung Yeh, the concert started with Malaysian composer Simon Kong Su Leong’s Izpirazione II’s second movement Rambutan, followed by a tabla solo by Jatinder Singh Bedi, titled Dialogue for Solo Tabla & Chinese Orchestra, composed by Singaporean composer Eric Watson. Malaysian composer Yii Kah Hoe adapted and composed for a wayang kulit performance based on the famous work, The Silly Little Girl & The Funny Old Tree, by doyen of Singapore theatre Kuo Pao Kun. The piece was performed by Malaysian national puppeteer Tok Dalang Eyo Hock Seng with his Kelantanese wayang kulit troupe Kumpulan Sri Campuran.
Jeremy Monteiro, a recipient of Singapore’s Cultural Medallion, performed Montage: Three Movements for Jazz Piano & Chinese Orchestra written by Singapore composer Kelly Tang, supported by Tama Goh on percussion and Frankie Lee on bass. In the finale, the audience was brought down memory lane by Singapore Idol star and regional artiste Taufik Batisah, who sang a medley of three P Ramlee songs: Getaran Jiwa, Senjakala, Bila Mama Pakai Celana, re-arranged for Chinese orchestra. The concert ended with an encore that saw Jeremy Monteiro and Jatinder Singh joining Taufik Batisah and SCO in a joint reprise of P Ramlee’s Bila Mama Pakai Celangwhich brought a rousing close to the evening.
Said Goh Ching Lee, Executive & Artistic Director of Culture Link Singapore and the Creative Director of Titian Budaya, “The Singapore Chinese Orchestra has once again shown its mastery as an innovative music ensemble, repeating its successes on international stages that included concert halls and festivals in London, Edinburgh, Paris, Beijing and Shanghai. The orchestra’s performance and collaborations with diverse range of artists celebrated Singapore’s multi-cultural spirit and its unique capability in creating musical dialogues across genres and cultures.”
Photos from Titian Budaya Night: Crossing Cultures:
YB’ Dato Seri Mohamed Nazri bin Abdul Aziz (4th from Jatinder Singh Bedi on the tabla with SCO
left), Ms Grace Fu (center in red), with artists, composers
and guests
Wayang kulit and SCO: The Silly Little Girl and The Taufik Batisah with SCO
Funny Old Tree
A group picture with distinguished guests
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