The Royal Performance: PSPA International Ensemble 2015
The who’s who of Ipoh were taken on a musical journey at the 2015 international ensemble by Perak Society of Performing Arts (PSPA) last Thursday evening.
This royal performance, which was exclusively for invited guests only and where the society’s royal patron, HRH Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah was the guest-of-honour, followed the success of an earlier, similar sold-out performance for the public a week ago.
The PSPA International Ensemble is the resident musical ensemble of the society which began in 2007. For the ninth year now, the ensemble has grown from strength to strength, gathering professional musicians from around the world to bring to our doorstep of Ipoh.
Besides putting up public performances in Ipoh, Penang and Kuala Lumpur, the musicians also conduct music outreach workshops in these communities to raise the level of musicianship locally.
The evening, titled A Night of Musical Kaleidoscope: From Bach to Yiruma, kicked off with Johann Sebastian Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3 in G major, BWV 1048, followed by Antonio Vivaldi’s Violin concerto Op. 8 “the Four Seasons” beginning with Spring, Summer, Autumn and lastly, Winter.
Guests were seen enjoying the “journey” which also took them to Yiruma’s River Flows Into You and Johanne Brahm’s Piano Quartet No 1 Op25 – Rondo alla zingarese (Gypsy Rondo).
The second part of the evening saw the musicians up the beat and pace, playing pieces from Felix Mendelssohn to Gioachino Rossini. It also saw Americans flautist Dr. Alina Windell and clarinet soloist Andrew Simon take to the stage, with acclaimed Ipoh-born conductor Eugene Pook at the conductor’s stand.
Throughout the almost two solid hours of entertainment, guests were seen mesmerised by the fluidity of the musicians who seemed to blend in so well together.
They even called for an encore, and the request was granted by Andrew Simon on his clarinet with George Gershwin’s Summertime, accompanied by Jeremy Samolesky on the piano. I do remember Jeremy from PSPA’s 2013 Ensemble, Mozart on Silk Road.
The evening wrapped up with a final piece, a contemporary medley of Taylor Swift’s Love Story and Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, to the delight of the audience.
Event: The Royal Performance: PSPA International Ensemble 2015
Venue: Syeun Hotel, Ipoh
Date: 20th August, 2015
Time: 8.30pm
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