飞天

Went for NUSCO practice yesterday - it was really a long time since the last practice. Only 19 people turned up though, although at least the most consistent and regular alumni did attend too (I would be dismayed if even she did not turn up).

Practiced 飞天 today, one of the most symbolic pieces in my repertoire. And I still remember my score by heart. I remember first hearing it when I was in Sec 1 and liked the song at first hearing. Back then, I also did not know of the existence of this instrument called the 口笛 and thought that the musician was whistling into a microphone or something like that.

I may not know the true story behind why in HCCO we chose to play the song for our SYF in 1999, but one of the factors was that the whole group of us from TCHS wanted to play 飞天 but never had the chance to do so in TCHS.

Maybe it was more than just coincidence and good luck in the choice of repertoire, but back then I never thought about things like choosing a competition-worthy song. I just wanted to play 飞天 and SYF was my last chance (with NS, anything can happen and how was I to know then that I will still be in CO after HCCO?).

It was a perfect match. A competition-worthy song that matched the skill of the conductor. I wouldn't say our overall skill level was good enough for 飞天 (HCCO then was a fading society without much support). We could have played much better that day.

I guess we didn't really think about winning anything. After all, there were bigger fish out there who would certainly get the top awards. For me, I just went there for fun, my last concert.

飞天 is not an easy song. Its colours are subtle and yet vivid. A masterpiece combining musical tone with artistic colour. And it is not just about the dynamics or timbre, the pace is equally important. I have heard renditions of it that fell flat because their pace was too hurried - more like "冲天" than "飞天". 飞天 is very graceful, and thus must be approached with a graceful and subtle touch.

Well, NUSCO's version so far has the beginning and ending at too hurried a pace, a problem that seems to be quite common with anyone who attempts this piece. Too slow and it loses its magic. Too fast and you think of CJ1.

All in all, 10 years since I first played 飞天, 10 years since I discovered that life does go on after JC, I will be playing 飞天 and experiencing its magic firsthand again.

DreamCatcher