Michael "Joseph" Jackson ~ Rest In Peace

Michael Jackson

Take Two, Part Nine, A Man with a loving heart, Michael Jackson.

I’ve just finished watching the whole “Living with Michael Jackson” series, both take one and take two. I was really curious about the way Martin Bashir interview Michael Jackson when I’m watching the take one.

I’ve always trusted Michael Jackson as a truly great man with an undoubtedly caring heart within his soul. After I watched the take two, finally I realize that this guy was setting Michael Jackson up to gain popularity and rating in the show.

It was really a shame to those who did that to Michael Jackson. As I’m writing this my heart is in pain and so I’ve decided to let all my friends and people who know Michael Jackson to have a glimpse into his loving soul.

He’ll always be a man who inspires us to live a life that we all share our love with each other. Michael Jackson, rest in peace.

Shino's Birthday / Nella Fantasia

It’s been a while since my last post. Last week on Saturday, 13^th June 2009, we celebrated Shino’s birthday in The Japan Club of Kuala Lumpur. Dennis, Me and Philip went to Mid valley and bought a cake for her from bread talk. It was the first time ever that we celebrated someone’s birthday there.

Those who were attending that day; Billy, Hock Doong, Mr. Tiong (president of MWA), Philip, Dennis, Zaid, Suzanne D’bel (her name quite unique so I write it out), Mr. Leong (Shino’s friend), Boon Ping (strongest Malaysia GO player) and two more (sorry that I can’t recall because too many names for me).

After that we headed to Venezia Italian Restaurant, nearby Leisure Mall, to have dinner. To all pizza lovers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, here’s the best place where you can eat the most delicious pizza(s) in town. It’s really good and it’s made by Italian chef.

This week, I’ve discovered something, that’s Beethoven virus. It’s not a virus anyway, but it does spread to the world as one of the most successful classical drama ever made, it’s by the Korean. I’ve used only four days to finish this 18 episodes drama, it’s fantastic. The actor Kim Myeong-Min who played the character Kang Maestro really did a good job in presenting the essence of music and the importance role of the conductor.

In Beethoven virus, one can learn the true meaning of music; it’s something to be enjoyed. There was a piece in the drama that I wanted to share with everyone who loves music. "Gabriel's Oboe" Nella Fantasia, by Ennio Morricone, was appeared in episode 5 of the drama. In the scenes, one can really feel the power of the conductor and the piece that was performed will touch and reach deep into your heart.

Here, I would like to present the video;

"Gabriel's Oboe" Nella Fantasia, by Ennio Morricone

Notes on the Music

The perpetuated verses of Liang and Zhu true love;

A rainbow shines and flowers flourish,
Amid the flowers butterflies flutter,
In pairs that never sever,
The spirits of Liang and Zhu ~ never perish.

Concerto for the violin Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, known outside China as the Butterfly Lovers, is programmatic music in one movement, based on the story of a young man and a young girl. The music draws on Shaoxing opera tunes. Its three sections recount three episodes characteristic of the story - love, protest and transfiguration:

• The exposition begins with a flute solo against a background of soft tremolo on the strings, followed by a beautiful melody on the oboe. With it unfolds a picture of a peaceful sunny spring day. Accompanied by the harp, the solo violin sings out a simple and graceful love theme and enters into a dialogue with the cello, which translates into music the first encounter of Liang Shanbo with the girl Zhu Yingtai in a boy's disguise at a wayside arbor and their avowal to become sworn brothers.
• A free cadenza leads to a lively rondo, in which the solo violin alternates with the orchestra. Three happy years of close affinity passed quickly and the two students had to return to their homes. An adagio utters their reluctance to part.
• The development opens with ominous foreshadows on the gong, cellos and bassoons. Brasses break in with a fierce and malicious theme, the theme of feudal forces. The violin pours out first the anxieties of Zhu Yingtai in free rhythm and then her protest in powerful syncopated chords.
• The two themes - the protest theme derived from the adagio and the feudal forces theme developed from the introduction - weave into a climax of conflict. Yingtai's protest against an undesired marriage. In the adagio that follows the violin and cello duet brings out a confession of Shanbo's and Yingtai's longings for each other when Shanbo visits Yingtai at her parlor.
• The music shift abruptly into san-ban (free rhythm) and kuai-ban (fast tempo). Yingtai pours out her grief to the heavens at Shanbo's tomb after his forlorn death. The device of jin-la-man-chang (singing freely upon a rushing accompaniment) borrowed from Shaoxing and Beijing operas ushers in another climax.
• After the violin finishes its last plaintive phrase, the whole orchestra bursts into a powerful tutti. The tomb opens and in plunges Yingtai. The music swells to the most important climax of the concerto.
• The flute and the harp imbue the recapitulation with a celestial bliss. The love theme reappears on the violin con sordino. Out of the tomb fly a pair of butterflies, which are believed to be the transfigurations of the deceased lovers.

Ref [of musical terms]: http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheorydefs.htm

Source: "The Butterfly Lovers" violin concerto by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, SMPH edition.

Notes: This is written out for all the lovers of this beautiful piece, to enhance the emotion, feeling and understanding of the storyline when listening to the recordings.

The Butterfly Lovers

Here’s a movie to recommend, Angels and Demons, a must-see movie in 2009.

It’s been weeks after I’ve listen to “The Butterfly Lovers" violin conerto by the composers He Zhanhao and Chen Gang, in Hock Doong’s house. It really touched my heart. After that I’ve been searching for the score and it was very expensive, USD 14 for it from the online ordering sites.

Luckily my friend, Rebecca, got a friend who was in Beijing and she managed to get me an original copy from China which only cost me RM 10. The pictures here were scanned by me and actually the quality is very good, just that my scanner problem that made it looks like a century old.

The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto

Now, the piece was a really hard one and it’s time to practice and memorize it, if possible. For those who are good in violin (at least Grade 8 distinction), please visit this website;

http://violin.ntdtv.com/en/, if you’re interested in joining a violin competition, in New York.

Audition & Movie

Today in the morning I went for an audition in University Malaya. I was playing 2 pieces of songs which were Adoration by Felix Borowski and Fruhlingswalzer by Dmitri Schostakowitsch. It was hard for me that when I started with Adoration, I played it out of tune on the second notes, I try to play calmly after that but I think it was useless since the examiners stopped me in the few next lines. The one which I regretted most was when I played the latter songs, I forget to erase the fingering marks in the score, which was done by the person that I lend the score. With the wrong fingering marks, I miss and can’t play that particular bar.When I went home, I thought for a while, “Is it my lack of practice?” so I started praticing with all I might, and I’m very happy that I manage to play it without any mistake. So it was just that I’m over-nervous and from now onwards I’ll need to rehearse before my friends or in the park forth before any auditions.

Women: are you the exception ... … or are you the rule? : Men

I’ve watch a movie with my sister today, it was “He’s Just Not that into you” based on a book written by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tucillo that was published in 2004. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long, Jennifer Connelly, Ginnifer Goodwin, Kevin Connolly, and Bradley Cooper. It was a great movie, many things that you can learn and adopt it to yourself.

Ben Affleck as Neil Jones was a perfect man there and Jennifer Aniston as Beth Bartlett was someone who really deserves him. The most touching parts of the movie comes from this perfect pair.

Ginnifer Goodwin as Gigi Haim was a woman full of drama-loving in her life, which made her quite unlucky with love but miracles do happen when Justin Long as Alex looks her as an exception. Believe in what you believe and although it was painful sometimes, happiness will be ahead.

Jennifer Connelly as Janine Gunders’ husband Bradley Cooper as Ben Gunders was having an affair with a yoga instructor and aspiring singer, Scarlett Johansson as Anna Taylor. Their relation was a total mess, and it was a good lesson to teach us not to chase after two rabbits at a same time. Must take note of a woman appearances in the movie, her experience was awesome. Not to act as a spoiler, better watch it yourself.

Kevin Conolly as Conor Barry and Drew Barrymore as Mary Harris have a naturally-bond relationship. If you have been trusted in faith, then their sparks will assure you more.

Well, to sum it up, it was a totally amazing movie for me as I love this kind of self-improvement type of movie. There were another two movies which I enjoyed it as much if not more than this: Definitely, Maybe(2008) and LOVE Actually (2003). Hope you’ll enjoy these three movies; it’s really heart-moving where at some point will make you tears.