happy memories of red, blue and gold.
just yesterday. i was walking in to alexandra hospital to collect some stuff for camp purposes. and i was kinda bored of the playlist i was listening to. wanted to select some other playlist with old songs that i missed. and i accidentally clicked into the playlist containing all the concert recordings of AC band that i had.
first thought was #*%$rr4#3$3 i didn’t feel like i was in a mood for band music at that time. boy was i wrong. the first song that came up was carmina burena – Victoria concert hall, MUSE, a night to remember 2006, opening piece. and it just brought a smile to my face and goosebumps as well. just hearing the fine chords that echoed through my ear piece and the memories of actually hearing the “organ sound” for the first time on that stage.
i was smiling to myself as i recalled those sweet memories.
then it was hunchback of notredame. i played timpani for that and i remembered struggling with that and wanting to bail out of playing the timpani part for that song cause i was a chicken. yes indeed. i was a chicken, i had zero confidence on that piece and especially with my technic. and i remembered going up to crystal after going through the pieces during combined the first few times. asking her to let me chicken out and switch parts. she said no. (thank god) cause that piece really helped in the confidence department on stage. haha. but what i remembered and what the piece invoked in the depths of my mind were the images of practicing that piece in LT4. and watching Dr lee conduct. and when we went into “god save the outcast” on that piece, i remembered looking around LT4 and seeing how all my seniors were so immersed into the music making and moving along with it in synch with dr lee and went WOW. i remembered looking at the eupho section(they were right in front of the timpani in LT4) and seeing them move and play so well with the music. it was really an experience that i didn’t know i cherished so much. i remembered on concert day, on stage when dr lee conducted that part of the piece, that i though getting nervous over the harder parts of the piece i had to tackle later in the piece. took a brief moment to look at everyone else on stage. in navy blue blazers and cream pants. some of them so immersed in the piece that the whole band felt like one. the emotions played out and portrayed were so evident that i felt kinda emotional(in a good way) even when i listened to the recording. it was no wonder why dr lee teared on stage that night. by the way, i think i kinda screwed up a bit at the solo(as in lagged a little hurrr hurr?)
the next two tracks were a movement for rosa and turandot. the two pieces the whole band worked their asses off and pulled of so well on stage in sydney(the competition). the triumphant feeling of screaming, ” COMMAND BAND!” ” WE OWN” at the the chinese restraunt when miss sng got the phone call from the organisers.
maybe i’m not making coherent sense about the whole thing here. given that i’m not really a gifted writer, plus with added effect of brain decay due to national service. i hope if any of you ac band alumni reads this, that you guys will in certain dark periods of your life think back to the good times spent with your friends and family members on stage. in a blue blazer and cream pants/skirt under the baton of dr lee and the music we made together. i just had to write this out today. cause i wanna be able to read this in a few years and should i be down at that point in time, i hope that this post would remind myself of the good times i had lived in in the past and the friends forged there and then. in the hope that it will just cheer me up a little and give that little boost to move on. i really miss those good times in LT4, viewing gallery, sydney, victoria concert hall, esplanade, sydney opera house, singapore conference hall.
in short, i really miss my days in AC Band.
