Two decades of music
> MPO and DFP mark their 20th anniversary with a special concert season which starts this Friday
THROUGHOUT its 20-year existence, the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) has provided the best in classical music in Malaysian’s own Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP).
Its upcoming special concert season, billed as the 20th Anniversary Special, will run from this Friday to Dec 16.
Kicking off the season is MPO’s inaugural performance of Rimsky-Korsakov and Smetana compositions led by Jac van Steen this Friday, which is open to the public, and a Gala concert on Saturday for invited guests only.
Gifted local pianist Tengku Irfan Tengku Ahmad Shahrizal – born the same year the MPO was formed – will also perform at this event, playing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
Other performances to look forward to are the debut performance at DFP of violinist Soyung Yoon, cellist Istvan Vardi, and conductor Roberto Gonzalez-Monjas.
Harpist Leonard Jacome, pianist Stephen Hough, and violin virtuosos Ray Chen and James Ehnes will also be making their return to DFP.
This season’s special themed concerts include: The Music of Billy Joel, performed by Joel’s protege Michael Cavanaugh; popular American band Pink Martini who likes to cross various musical genres; The Music of Hans Zimmer (MPO conducted by Gerard Salonga); National Geographic: Symphony for Our World (MPO and Malaysian Institute of Art’s Mixed Voice Choir); local rock stars Tomok vs Black; Upin & Ipin with the MPO (a family-themed concert); and Semalam Di Malaya (a tribute to icons P. Ramlee, Ahmad Jaafar, Saiful Bahri, Alfonso Soliano, Zubir Said, Jimmy Boyle, and Ahmad Merican). Semalam Di Malaya, especially seems like something long overdue.
MPO artistic administrator Khor Chin Yang explained: “When [people] think of yesteryear, P. Ramlee comes to mind. He was a great composer.
“Along the way you come across tunes that you have been listening to all the time, but are not aware of who the composers are.
“I would say half the focus of Semalam Di Malaya will be on the composers themselves.
“And now, they will know the composers ... and give them the credit that is long overdue.
“Over the years, we wanted the best, and we have been curating the programme for a number of years and finding out what is available.
“It has been a plan in the making for the past two or three years. Finally, we feel we are ready to present this programme to the audience.”
Meanwhile, Tengku Irfan has been made MPO Youth Brand ambassador.
The musical prodigy made his debut with the MPO at DFP in October 2009 when he was just 11, amazing audiences with his brilliant improvisation of cadenzas on Beethoven’s Piano Concerto.
He went on to perform with the MPO several times over the years, not only in Malaysia but also on tour.
He also performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) in 2015, and made his conducting debut at DFP with this young orchestra in 2017.
As the youth brand ambassador, Tengku Irfan will now be able to share his experience and journey with the MPO to the public, inspiring young musicians to hone their innate talents and reach a world-class standard.
Khor explained: “Whenever Tengku Irfan goes to perform in the US and Europe, he brings along the MPO brand to let people know we have a worldclass orchestra right here in Kuala Lumpur.”
Tengku Irfan, who said it was a great honour to be given this position, hopes that there will be more relationships cultivated locally, as well as internationally, with other musical organisations.
He also wants to introduce classical music to a wider audience by bringing the performances to less formal settings such as schools.
“The misconception is that classical music can only be understood by the elite,” Tengku Irfan said.
He plans to help not only dispel this misconception, but also to encourage more people to attend MPO concerts and immerse themselves in the splendour of music.
When asked if there was a special concert planned next year in conjunction with the 10th anniversary of his debut with MPO at DFP, he said nothing has been set up as yet.
For more, visit the MPO website.