music reviewss

contents: justin (from HK), raffles chorale concert 2008

1. justin (侧田)

ok, it's really late to review his earlier albums - namely his self-titled debut justin and no protection. but it's rather good music so i'll still do it anyways haha.

his slow songs are really good. the power and grace of his voice, flowing smoothly between registers, are showcased in pieces like 好人 (hao ren) and 我不是好人 (wo bu shi hao ren). his cover of loving you (yes, the one sung by minnie riperton) is done laid-back style and it oozes like warm chocolate. i liked erica and 命硬 as well.

his 橙色暑假 (with miriam yeung 杨千桦) is an upbeat ending to a ballad-y second album.

overall, around 3.8/5 really nice vocals, though i'd like more exploration in an otherwise oversaturated music scene. more variety in the second album (a lot of ballads) would be great, too...

2. rjc choir concert 2008

actually their official name is raffles chorale, but i digress.

although mr toh felt that the 2nd half was better (quote-unquote: the roof was too high in the 1st half!), i thought the interpretation of the latin and other sacred pieces was way more marvellous than the 2nd half. exaggerated dynamics are nowhere to be found (unlike previous concerts), subtlety is apparent throughout the 1st half, which i appreciated very much. it could be the acoustics of the esplanade which softens dynamism more than vch, the preferred performing location of the chorale.

they could sound louder and closer to the audience, though. when the sound became fuller in the 2nd half, you wonder why the 1st half sounded distant, haha. maybe it's the esplanade acoustics that changed in the 2nd half.

their tone sounds more similar to other top jc choirs than in other years. less robust (as in like a western-sounding choir). however, it's still a wonderful sound to behold. i like the newfound purity of sound in the female parts.

i liked the way the following songs were sung:

1st half
parce domine (by nowowiejski)
ave maris stella (kverno)
ave maria (bruckner)
song of triumph (grotenhuis)
pokpok alimpako (feliciano) - although all my friends would like to add that it was out of tune

2nd half
it was a lover and his lass (rutter)
wade in the water (koepke)
i want two wings (parker)
if i can help somebody (liebau)

as you can see, it's hard repertoire, especially the 1st half. fantastic repertoire, it played to the choir's strengths very well.

i am trying to upload my (illegal) recording of the concert here, but the files are too large and i'm yawning away while typing.

till then next time...