Simfoni Filem Nusantara by Orkestra Melayu Singapura

You might find it strange that I actually went to watch a Malay concert. Well, I didn't actually intend to go in the beginning. But after telling my mentor about the show (he has a friend researching on Malay film music), he suggested that maybe I should go catch it. He was probably joking about it, but then again, after coming back to Singapore, I thought why not get a taste of it. After all, it's Malay film music and there would probably be 1 or 2 P. Ramlee songs (I caught the musical last time...not knowing it was in Malay) and maybe get some programmes that I can pass on later.

So I went.

It's actually part of the Pesta Raya Malay Festival of Arts at Esplanade and held at the Concert Hall. It was surprisingly quite entertaining despite the fact that I couldn't understand what they were singing or saying, especially the jokes, which everyone was laughing about. The subtitling was intermittent so wasn't much good.

Anyway, they actually gave a storyline about 2 servants of a sultan, 1 a genie, the other a clown who were ordered to search for new inspiration to entertain the sultan. Somehow, they travelled through time and experienced the songs from each decade of Malay film music.

The orchestra was interestingly rather western, with strings, winds and percussions, although there were some instruments that were not usually found in a western classical orchestra. So it was that songs sung were rather close to what we hear normally with bands but instead of the usually "stiffer" audience and type of music at western classical concerts, the songs were very lively and "dancey". In fact, I think I found some of the songs vaguely familiar.

However, there was also a small gamelan ensemble, which played only during the intervals when the 2 comic characters appeared to act/speak. Having gone through some experience and "education" in ethnomusicology and gamelan music, it appeared pretty normal as I knew that it would sound really "off" if both the gamelan and western orchestra were to play together. They can't harmonise.
Then something else struck me. Gamelan music is used to accompany wayang kulit and the 2 comic characters were actually supposed to be wayang kulit characters. Hence why the gamelan ensemble only played when they appeared.

Also because of what I've been taught, I also took note of the audience's behaviour/reactions. It is interesting to note that it felt like a social event, or like a family/community outing (yes, most of them were Malay with their family) as you see clusters of people who knew each other and how they cheered/responded to the performance.

Of course I need to mention that the singers who appeared seem pretty famous in the Malay music scene by the way the audience cheered when they appeared. Special mention would be this lady singer called Rossa and of course our very own Taufik, our 1st Singapore Idol.

gee...I realise I can't go into an ethnic music performance these days without analysing based on what I've learnt.