A Philharmonic Tribute – Taste of Musical Goodness!

I was super excited to go to A Philharmonic Tribute staged by Orkestra Marsiling Melayu (OMM) (or Marsiling’s Malay Orchestra) because…

• We went to their rehearsal & liked the selection of nostalgic songs on their set list
• We wanted to see what else they brought to the stage since this is their FIRST full concert ever!
• We totally love the different kinds of musical instruments they play
• Since we have watched their rehearsal, we of course couldn’t wait to see the actual performance
• & the icing on the proverbial cake is that it’s going to be at The Arts House, Chamber

As we were walking in, we spotted plenty of other OMM supporters in purple. Purple dress, purple top, purple something – so synchronized!

And when we were led backstage to capture the moments before they perform, we realized why – OMM’s very smart performance attire had them in purple too!

& Oh, the energy back stage was quite thrilling!

There were so many performers decked out in different costumes, shiny instruments everywhere, accessories & shiny shoes, last minute tuning & of course, nervous but happy smiles on their faces.

BACKSTAGE! (Click on pictures to enlarge)

So many things happening at the same time that I didn’t even know where to look!

We left during all that organised chaos & headed to our seats – won’t want to miss the start of performance now would we?

Have I mentioned that I love The Arts House Chamber? No?

Well, I so love the Arts House Chamber! While we were waiting for the Guest Of Honour to arrive, we took in the sights of the Chamber and also stole glances to see the reactions of OMM as they see and spot their family in the seats.

GOH, Mr Hawazi Daipi, MP of Sembawang (and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Ministry of Health & Ministry of Manpower, in case you don’t know) came shortly after we were Oooh-ing & Aaah-ing at everything around us.

& then it finally starts!

Resident conductor, Muhammad Firdaus Mohd, came in like a pengantin (read: groom)! (Totally loved his purplish songket!)

We took plenty of pictures & eventually after being all excited & stuff (because hey, it’s so exciting when you hear familiar tunes & know the lyrics to the song & you start singing or try to), we finally sat back & just enjoyed the performance.

Again, there were plenty of things to look at – dancers, musicians (drums, cello, violins!). We even had “Kak” Sal Omah to perform for us (a tribute to oldschool popular artiste, Saloma).

She added the perfect comedic element to the whole performance! That and the connection she had with the emcee made everyone in the audience loosen up a bit (as they should!).

When they were playing… (Click on pictures to enlarge)

Upbeat songs & dancers also added an exciting twist to OMM’s performances! (Sometimes, we don’t know where to look at – musicians or dancers!)

I especially loved their rendition of P. Ramlee’s Getaran Jiwa! The tribute to Sudirman was really spot on too – it certainly touched my heart.

I may sound like I’m totally promoting A Philharmonic Tribute but in truth, I am just a music lover (with some bias towards violins) and I really enjoyed every song they played, even if I’ve never heard the song before.

There is just something about watching the conductor & his energy and because we were seated up front, we saw up close, the musicians intense faces & listening to live music that is just so uplifting.

And pairing dancers & comedic elements to the whole act was smart too – it pulls at everyone’s attention & certainly made the show colourful & balanced.

There is one thing that I disliked – the audience’s reactions during OMM’s performances!

I mean, come on, it is not wrong to smile or bob your head or show some enjoyment when watching the performances. I totally felt like we were the only two people that seemed excited to be there (minus Addy Cradle of course, because he was just as enthusiastic!).

It was only until the finale when the dancers & emcees pulled the audiences out unto the middle space that they showed their dance moves & gelek-ed along. A tad too late, but at least they reacted!

All in all, it was a good night. The best part? If I feel like listening to them again, I can just go HERE! Here’s them playing Getaran Jiwa!

(Sigh, I just love the sound of violins! Oh & spot us if you can! )

They’re having another concert somewhere in the middle of the year. If you want to find out when, join in their facebook page or bookmark their website!

In the meantime, enjoy snippets & snapshots of the concert & all its musical yummy goodness!