BIG AND BRASSY– KLPAC Symphonic Band concert

BIG AND BRASSY celebrates the diversity of band music with an eclectic programme that will be brought to life by the 40-strong klpac Symphonic Band under the baton of Music Director & Resident Conductor, Bruce Lee, and Guest Conductor, Mitsuo Nonami.

Sit back and enjoy this wonderful journey that will take you from classical pieces like Mozart’s The Magic Flute rarely heard in band repertoire to almost forgotten band favourites ......like Incantation and Dance and to Broadway numbers like Seventy Six Trombones. In addition, the Tsun Jin Choir under the guidance of Wong Wai Quan will also be performing Cantate Dominum, Chinese folk song Alamuhan and I See You from the epic motion picture Avatar with the band.

Mentor and protégé will be reunited in this upcoming concert once again. BIG AND BRASSY promises to bring you on a fascinating musical journey. For more information, please visit www.klpac.org.

Presenter: KLPAC
Conductors: Bruce Lee & Mitsuo Nonami
Artistic Director: Joe Hasham OAM
Executive Producer: Dato’ Faridah Merican
Featuring: klpac Symphonic Band
Guest Choir: Tsun Jin High School Choir

Show Details
Date: 13 November(Sat) @ 8.30pm ; 14 November(Sun) @ 3.00pm
Venue: Pentas 1, The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC)
Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan, off Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (location map & directions available on www.klpac.org)
Ticket Price: RM35 / RM23 (students & the disabled)

Box Office
Call / Walk In: klpac @ Sentul Park (03 4047 9000) or The Actors Studio @ Lot 10 (03 2142 2009 / 2143 2009)
Walk In only: Axcess HQ (Jln. Semangat) & 1-Utama outlet

That Vintage Feel part 4: The Music Must Go On

Listening to a piece of hifi equipments inserted in a hifi system, is mostly about evaluation of sound reproduction, yes no? What then of listening to just music irrespective of whether one is listening in a car, in the office or at home? Many would call it 'just listen to the music' or 'just enjoy the music', never mind the hardware. So most of the time I would over the time I know Koo. Until much more recently, it's listening to the music mostly and some friendly chit chat thereafter the music sessions. Of course we do enjoy the music listening sessions as much as the chatting over a hot cup of tea or coffee. A brief account of the listening sessions will more or less make up for the remaining writing of this diary entry of visiting Koo's music room. Why didn't I call it 'hifi cave' (?) because to Koo and his regular visitors it's always about music. With the exception of those first and perhaps second time visitors who came in from the 'hifi jungle' out there to see and explore and to make comparative inferences, and only to find out that they may have forgotten about the music and the enjoyment of music!!!! Over the years, I have listened to a GRP's big band swing CD, from the time of the open baffles thru the single drivers to the now vintage pair of Isophon bookshelf speakers. It's only now that the enjoyment of listening to this cd that I felt myself immersed in the music much more than I first listen to it many many years ago! The changes in the setup has brought out more of the music enjoyments. One other CD that I particularly like is Nina Simone's "Forbidden fruit", and I especially like the track 'Golden earrings'! I wouldn't go thru the listening sessions without a listen to this track! I was introduced by Koo to Aretha Franklin's Gospel singing when I was mesmerised by the shouting and singing style from the recordings of her 'Amazing Grace' 2cd album. I certainly could sit thru & listen to the whole works if not for the limited time spend each time in front of Koo's music machine! So I have got to get this album to listen at my own time. This album portrays her gospel singing and much of the church venue ambience was captured pretty well on this album as it's a live recording. She would sing right to the top of her voice and shouting most of the way yet holding up well with the background singing, hand clappings and people murmuring and at times shouting phrases after phrases with praises for God. On the lighter side I have listen to Judy Collins, Neil Diamond, Neil Young and even the more sombre Leonard Cohen. I especially enjoyed listening to the Weavers and Harry Belafonte live at the Carnegie Hall. Even with rarity such as the Clancy Brothers, and the much popular Peter, Paul and Mary. If this aren't enough, Koo would even finished off the listening proper with some classical music from Reiner, Heifetz, Anne Sophie Mutter - Karajan and even more recently from works conducted by Ernest Ansermet. And occasionally Koo would obliged with my request of tracks from Bread, Eagles and even Jennifer Wearne! And much to my surprise recently he even entertain my request to replay track 6 from the "Dream of the Opera" which I perceived as quite listenable with good control of the bass contents though I felt not the best I have heard and I have heard even worst! I still felt he has done well with the setup though not really an expensive system. Isn't the meaning of expensive rather ambiguous to different people?

That Vintage Feel part 3: The Music Presentation

That's The Blogmaster at the emperor's throne..................

In part3 which is an extension of the earlier 2 parts article of the same topic, I will like to touch on the type of music that the owner like to listen to and what he may replay for his visitors to listen. Even at the time of writing of this part3 article, Koo has already decided on not keeping the QUAD 306, he has always surprised me with his choices of equipments. So I could only guess that he is working on some changes to his setup. Could he be getting an amplifier more powerful than the already very listenable QUAD 306? That I have to wait to see. So at the moment I get to listen to the diyed 0.75w darling amplifier a few more times before I decided to write this part3 article. What I listened now of the 0.75w darling amplifier is one of more tweaks being done to it in the last few months. If that is not enough there were more tweaks to the non oversampling dac, since it's undergoing listening tests I'm can only say the detail/nature of the tweaks is along the signal path. What I perceived is a change, depends who is listening so it may or may not be that person's idea of an improvement. Firstly I noticed the highs(I hear more of it) have improved over the period, this was also being reported by other visitors who came several times over that same period. And I perceived the bass presentation is more controlled,whereas others who listen often may only want to consider this insignificant and that only more bass weight as a significant improvement. So different listeners may give credits quite differently! Here I gave him points just for better bass control, not alot of bass sound, just enough to get by. How do I know this? I heard the replay of track 6 of the Dream of the Opera CD, as I said not a lot of heart thumping bass, nothing that shake the chair I sat on, nothing to move my stomach fat around the middle, just bass sound that I'm comfortable with.But hey, that's my poison I guess! Other tracks I heard replayed include the last track of the Manger Demonstration Disc, again just about enough to get by, nothing in the room vibrated in unison with the drums and bass sound. Perhaps it's not anybody's idea of bass sound, but I would give him some marks for trying at it rather than just talk to some 'armchair critics' at some forums and can't do any 'transfer of technology' to improve the sound of his setup even after much discussions! Do I have to repeat that the vocals come around very nicely, if not lustfully with female vocals and with enough details on the male vocals? Now, now don't get me wrong that is superlative, there are many other setups with even more mesmerising vocals than this setup, but I'm just looking at the price point of a few thousand ringgit to get me glued to the chair long enough to be 'seduced' by the sound and not want to get up and go! At least not yet after a mere hour of listening in front of the setup! Another thing I like about the setup is how the hue of the afternoon sun bath the room with that yellowish tint we know so well! A lovely feeling of sort. What a wonderful listening experience I thought with a wash of beautiful colour mix of yellow to orange hue to feast the eye too! Yes the room was not to be darken for those afternoon listening sessions. It's always being enjoyable listening sessions whenever I listen, whether in the daylight hours or at night.