Ge Yue Jie - PESTA MUZIK KL Ke-38

CM and I went to [Pesta Muzik Kuala Lumpur Ke-38]. Hehe, sounds like something you might be watching on RTM1? Dead wrong, [Pesta Muzik Kuala Lumpur Ke-38] or `Ge Yue Jie' was organised by, get ready for this: Pertubuhan Waitankung Dan Neitankung Malaysia (sorry, I too don't know what it is) and its co-organisers were SIXTEEN Chinese choirs in KL.

We got to know about the festival from two very established young divas (Sin Sim and Evelyn T), who performed at the festival. Lasted three days at the Thien Hou Temple in Seputeh, CM and I decided to attend both the Opening night where Evelyn would be singing and the closing ceremony where Sin Sim sang.

I guess it was an eye-opener for both CM and myself.

One thing you have to, you just have to, take your hat off to the Chinese art community is that they are VERY united, very the `community' and gotong-royong spirit. Just imagine putting close to twenty organisations together for an event like this.

The other things to expect at event like this is the appearance, and packaging of the event...all quite unpolished. BOTH the audience and performers aren't exactly the most graceful bunch (except for the guest of honour, the lady MC and of course, CM). The conductors herded the choir singers like cows on stage, the stage hands who took their time with setting up, mobile phones were going off during performances at every fifteen minutes, singers who took up the floor space and ruffled with their plastic bags, both audience and performers off stage talked loudly, audience peeling candy wrappers in the performance, conductors who waved to the audience instead of bowing...it's a very long list.

But the show had its moments and boy was I glad I went to a Chinese school...the opening night kicked off with the guest of honour's (Mdm Chen-something JSM) very well-written speech, followed by the signature sounding of the Chinese Gong.

You really have to be a real music lover to sit through this one. The hall was freezing, there was no intermission and the choral singing could get pretty horrendous sometimes, but you will love all the singers for their spirit (though it wasn't showing much in most of them). There were a handful of senior citizen choirs and CM just love singling out the cute ones (70-year-old grannies swinging their heads to the songs). The other were `youth choirs' where two-third of their members were grannies or grandpas.

Being the language purist, CM cringed through the whole of Friday performance, at the few songs performed in English, also how English titles were announced by the MCs...I couldn't make out the words myself.

The consolation has got to be watching Evelyn doing the Czech aria [Song to the Moon] from Rusalka AND the eating-out after the show. SS, CM, Evelyn and I trotted down to Jalan Alor for Taiwanese supper.

Again on Sunday night CM and I braved the stormy skies to Thien Hou Temple. We dressed for the closing ceremony (the organiser thought I was performing that night) and dutifully took the third row seats again.

The outstanding group that evening was this all male group who sang a dynamic piece entitled `Huan Le de Na Ta Mu' (The Happy Na-Ta-Mu). Having had too much bad experience with male co-singers, both CM and I were surprised by the talent in that group. They sounded good.

SS took the stage in her bony-ass later and shook the hall with her powerful rendition of Catalani's [Ebben? ne andro lontana]. Her nick name is Chilipadi, dun pray pray...

Of course not forgetting was the unforgettable performance of Ku-Zheng (breath-taking Chinese instrument) with accompliment of the grand piano and Chinese drums n percussions. The balance of instruments was simply, beautiful.

In a nutshell, it was fun and I'm glad I went. Thank you CM for the rides!

I can't believe I just bitch so much about the show....I have my own recital coming up in less than two weeks!!!!!!

It's about ten times smaller in scale, my recital. It's being organised in preparation for my exams in December...it will be at my coach's new singing centre (Taman Desa), the hall could seat about, thirty at the most?

If you hate my guts in the bitching department, you have to check out my guts (or balls) on stage.

So mark your diary, Nov 19, ME singing.

More details tomorrow.