Wicked Chronicles

I took the opportunity to attend an evening concert of baroque music yesterday. Performed by a group of musicians calling themselves Wicked Music People. Saw the programme advertised on facebook and since the missus was not around, I decided to buy myself some hour and a half of live music. Can't say that I didn't enjoy myself. On the contrary, it was a totally enjoyable time. Excellent ensemble of local musicians from Kuala Lumpur, but with some of them originally from Penang; two, especially, being Old Frees as well. Ahh, but that's beside the point.

Venue was the Jetty35 building in Weld Quay. Four small halls, one with a theatre setting, the second being used for exhibitions, another being run as a cafe, which leaves the fourth to be used for live performances such as this. Small hall, I said, which means a small audience but sitting closer to the musicians lends to a cozier, more intimate atmosphere. Bonus of this venue was that the acoustics were good. Not me that claims it but one of the leaders of the musicians himself. If the acoustics were good for his professional ears, it must be good for us in the audience, then. No artificial amplification of the sound through microphones or what-not. Just pure music from (mostly) period instruments and right in our faces. Mmm, except perhaps the sound of the harpsichord as played on the electronic keyboard.

It was a full-house performance. Audience comprised local residents as well as foreigners. U-En Ng, Ibrahim Aziz and Andrew Filmer took great pains to describe their instruments to us and explain the nuances of the pieces they performed. Gave us good insights into the viola da gamba which Ng handled and the baroque cello which Ibrahim played. (I remember seeing Ibrahim play in a programme organised by Lim Chong Keat several years ago. The setting was a building in China Street. I tried to find the building today but horrors! it has been converted into a reflexology centre.) And telling us stories about Jean-Baptiste Lully, Domenico Gallo, Antonio Vivaldi, Joseph Bodin de Boismortier and Michel Corrette whose works they performed last night.

Andrew Filmer on the viola, Kenneth Lim on the baroque violin and Lee Hai Lin also on the baroque violin

Ibrahim Aziz on the baroque cello, Azizi Azman on the double bass and U-En Ng on the viola da gamba. Hidden behind Ng on the keyboard was Tina Vinson

This picture was "stolen" from their facebook (but I think they wouldn't mind)!