An Evening With Friends 2004

I am a philistine and a plebian, because I want my songs to actually sound good and have a tune (it doesn't even have to be catchy). Consequently, I did not really enjoy the ACJC choir concert last night, replete as it was with avant garde songs.

Perhaps such songs are a good way to show off the ability of a choir, for it isn't easy to keep to an untuneful melody, or attempt to replicate the mating calls of the cicada, given the limitations of human vocal cords. Nonetheless, though in moderation avant garde pieces might just possibly be refreshing, if they are performed all the time, it quickly gets boring, for though they are all different, they are essentially the same in the ways they try to pain the ear.

What made the concert more of a pain to sit through was the gross overuse of gimmicks. For example: the performers turning around, clapping, jumping, stamping or repeatedly turning around to face other performers as if they were talking to each other (while continuing to sing), the use of bird whistles, getting the sopranos to scream and making comical or funny noises (like "nyah nyah nyah"). The art of using gimmicks is that you must use them sparingly, so they stay novel and are able to stop the audience from falling asleep, especially when you are treating them to the darkest fantasies of post-modernistic composers made flesh.

Individually, both of the stickling points above would not matter that much, but the concert was both full of gimmicks and avant garde rubbish. The former are usually overused by below-par choirs seeking more to provide popular entertainment than to uplift artistic spirits. Thus, it was especially painful to see the two in horrific juxtaposition.

Worse still, there were no MCs at the concert, and no one communicated verbally with the audience. I am informed that this is standard AC practice. Probably they expect everyone to buy the program, but the many who didn't were flummoxed. Maybe they wanted to save all the words the MCs would waste speaking for use in their songs!

Various sources informed me that ACJC's standard had slipped, especially since this isn't a SYF year, but not having heard them perform before, I had nothing to compare last night's performance to. Suffice to say that they weren't as impressive as I'd been led to believe, especially in their rendition of Barber's Agnus Dei (see below). Perhaps this is partly due to their frequent changing of conductors.


I found the song selection of the Alumni Choir more tolerable than that of the main choir, as it had fewer avant garde pieces, even including songs by composers I had heard of (Busto and Palestrina) and one I hadn't (Morten Lauridsen) which actually were pleasing to the ear (how novel!). Though they were less technically proficient, they sounded more natural. Perhaps best of all - they did not resort to gimmicks.

The song that took the prize for "worst song that everyone had ever heard" was performed by the combined choir. During the song, wind chimes sounded from time to time, chants were murmured indistinctly, the choristers moaned and wailed like forlorn ghosts every now and then, and random notes were sounded out from time to time. The sum was a good approximation of a Balinese demon-summoning ritual. As one of my companions (who is hardly a dilettante like me), remarked: "this sort of songs should be banned from concerts". A reading of the program revealed that it was a song about "moonlight", and the performers were chanting the word "moonlight" in different languages. A source informs me that they won at SYF last year with this very piece. It just goes to show - de gustibus non est disputandum!

Barber's Agnus Dei was performed after that. I was looking forward to something melodious for a change but their rendition was disappointing (even if I hadn't been familiar with the Cambridge Singers'). I then had a moment of epiphany about why some good choirs like to perform the most atrocious pieces - people have nothing to benchmark them with since no one knows, likes or listens to said pieces. Better yet: since said pieces are almost always avant garde, they are *meant* to sound bad, so even if you go out of tune, off rhythm, miss your entrance or cough suddenly during the song, people will assume that you were meant to do that.

To end off the horrible concert, the traditional encore piece was performed, but with poor production values. At the end of the formal program, there was a lack of the usual subtle signals to let the audience know when to shout "encore" and continue clapping. Therefore, even after the conductor walked back out (after an immodestly short time interval) and the choir performed its encore piece (all done without communication with the audience to inform them that *that* was the encore piece), many people were confused and continued clapping even after the hall lights had been turned up - the universal and not-so-subtle signal telling people to scram.


The ushers in the Esplanade were very vigilant in their search for people who tried to take photographs. If this had been a commercial production, I would understand, but this was a school concert! Now, some poor choristers will not have pictures of themselves on stage, thanks to a fascist concert hall policy.

It can be quite hard to tell when avant garde pieces are finished, but people don't seem to grasp the idea that you can tell by looking at the conductor's hand.

The concept of "supporting" your friends or school mates by attending their performances has always puzzled me. It *is* a nice gesture to show up, but if you end up befuddled throughout the performance and thoroughly hating it, is it not pointless to have gone? Worse - people who actually appreciate such things will be robbed of the opportunity to attend. Furthermore, the performers and organisers then get a false picture of their popularity, and can claim (unjustly) that their concert was a "sellout", when 3/4 of the seats were filled by people who would have gone even if John Cage's 4'33 was being performed. Thus, it is a lose-lose situation which just makes everyone miserable.


"15 Aug (Sun): Nanyang Talent Night
by Nanyang Alumni & Choir, Nanyang Girls' High School Choir, Nanyang Primary School Choir, Nanyang Kindergarten Dancers

A concert featuring the talented alumni of Nanyang Schools, including violinist Tang Tee Khoon and pianist Lim Yan. Other programmes include a ballet dance choreographed by Nanyang Girls' High School teacher Chen Lili; a string ensemble by Nanyang Primary School students; choral singing by Alumni Choir, Nanyang Girls' High School Choir and Nanyang Primary School Choir; and a piano duet by Nanyang Girls' High School students. All music composed by Nanyang Primary School Head of Music *Chiew Keng Hoon* [Ed: Emphasis added]. This concert celebrates the Nanyang Schools' 87th Anniversary.

Concert Hall
7:30pm (150mins with intermission)
$15, $25, $35, $50

Brought to you by Nanyang Schools Alumni Association"

I can't stop my strong, though indeterminate and vague, emotional outburst!

"All music composed by Nanyang Primary School Head of Music Chiew Keng Hoon" - WAH. I would go just to listen to this.