Sunday, April 24, 2005

Singapore, May, and Musical Moments


I’m scheduled to be in Singapore from the 30th of May to the 2nd of June; just bought the tickets today. My parents will be there at the time, and I’m using an early birthday present from them to fly there and spend some family time… I'm thankful for the opportunity and also confident I’m still on the safe side of that little boundary line called financial independence. What with me selling off the car, anyway. Should be fun, meeting up old and new friends, and most importantly, getting at least one bow rehaired.

May looks pretty great actually, if I’m careful enough with expenditure to have some extra cash for Singapore. The masters isn’t due to start yet, I’ve got a couple of public holidays, there’s the Hilary Hahn concert (I always imagined there were two Ls in Hilary but apparently not), we’ll be performing the Brahms sextet and the Rolla viola duet, Lim Soon Lee might visit, and Amanda will be back from the States.

On the other train, there are many great musical moments, and here are some of my favorites, not in the least a complete list nor in any particular order. I’ve chosen these based on the composition itself, not because of the merits of particularly great performers:

1. All I Want is A Room Somewhere from My Fair Lady
2. The melody-counter melody section at the end of You Can Go But Be Back Soon from Oliver!
3. The soprano entrance in the Gloria from the Coronation Mass by Mozart
4. The Amen from Rossini’s Stabat Mater
5. The second theme from the Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture
6. The Polovetsian Dances by Borodin
7. The finale of Act 1, The Barber of Seville by Rossini
8. I Believe, by Blessed Union of Souls
9. Two Beds and A Coffee Machine by Savage Garden
10. Wacko’s World by the Animaniacs
11. One Day More from Les Miserables
12. The Animee from the Suite for Jazz Piano Trio and Chamber Ensemble by Claude Bolling
13. The entrance of the soloists in the Sinfonia Concertone for Two Violins, by Mozart
14. The opening theme of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3

15. The Bells of St Sebastian from Nine
16. Grandma’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Beer Jig

OK, I admit I made up that last one, but if there were such a song, I imagine it’d be there.

9 comments:

eg9 said...

Something tells me you'd love "Grandma got run over by a reindeer"

The chorus, It goes like this:

Grandma got run over by a reindeer
Walking home from our house Christmas Eve
You may say there's no such thing as Santa
But as for me and grampa we belive

The rest is equally outrageous. Something about having had several glasses of eggnog too many...

eg9 said...

When did you start listening to Savage Garden, Animaniacs, Blessed Union of Souls???

Hmm. Maybe you'd enjoy
http://www.hollowpointhalo.com/main.html

I'm so hooked. Especially on the first loop. And Sacred Ordinary.

You need broadband AND good speakers. But it's WORTH IT.

~tengman.k.~ said...

sneexe has contributed granny, i can contribute "the beer song" by weird al yankovic, which is sung to the tune of Carmen's toreador song.

one verse goes
"I can't remember how much I have had,
I drank a twelve pack with my dad.
Thaaat's my son, the drunken manly stud.
I'm proud to be his bud!"

AF said...

Hmm... I've edited a couple of early lines in the posting. Anyway, I think I have both the Reindeer piece and the Yankovic, stowed away somewhere with Ray Stevens and Rolf Harris stuff. "Gitarzan" and "Maximillian Mouse" worth mentioning too. Been meaning to buy Savage Garden's best-of CD for ages but something else always distracts me.

eg9 said...

....savage garden ROCKS!
(what can I say, powerful lyrics & irresistable vocals push my buttons- I'm a writer, not a musician...)

...a pity i can never figure out if the lead is gay or no. Sigh.

Anonymous said...

he is gay? oh no! I thought he was cute.. why are all cuties gays?

eeepsss... did i juz commit a major faux pas?

eg9 said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
AF said...

Really sorry to say this, but could we be careful about the language? Because I have students and their parents reading the blog occasionally too.

I more than welcome the liberal discussion though. Sorry again...

eg9 said...

...oh dear, i hadn't realised... apologies. Feel free to bleep out my inappropriate bits :)