Kuhinakan diriku sendiri untuk merengkuh cinta sejati
Cintamu bagai cahaya mentari yang membakar wajahku
Meski sekilas kurasakan, namun akan menjadi bejal hingga zaman ahkhir.
- Gusti Puteri Raden Adjeng Retno Dumilah, PGL The Musical Season III
How was I to keep away from this musical? The great news is that I don't have to. And the entire experience was surrealistically enhanced with the presence of my beloved. Nothing short would suffice to enjoy one of the greatest love epic ever to grace the stage. As this would probably be the last season, I felt truly lucky to be able to soak it all in, up front, and uninterrupted by the entire magic, the score, the solid cast and back-vocals, the classic dialogue and oh, the stage set-up. Stupendous.
It was promised to be bigger, better, and more captivating than the last three seasons (I, II and Singapore). I have to agree that after seeing it before, and being impressed previously that this season did not fail to impress beyond satisfaction. I would have loved to ask you to not to miss it, but all tickets were sold out before the show began. But check out the movie, although you girls would have to settle for a rather older version of that eye candy (thankfully he could sing, which was the saving grace!) in Stephen Rahman Hughes of the West Side Story fame... in M. Nasir. Can sing, but not as gula-lah!
Otherwise, it was a fantastic opportunity to see Adlin A. Ramlie, AC Mizal, the very adorable Raja Ahmad actors in action. All good things should come to an end, and in this case, I am glad that it is finally having its last curtain call, but in the grandest of what musicals deserve.
So we moved on to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra's show of the night: Symanowski Symphony No. 4 Sinfonia Concertante (Op. 60), conducted by Kevin Field. Now, I love all the pom of this event. It does have its quirkiness such as incessant clapping brings back the "faked" oh-you-shouldn't-have in the recipient when they are being presented with appreciation from the listening audience and ahem, the bouquet I heard you mentioned?
But we burst into the scene with a strong opening of Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 93 in D. It was audio silk, I was teased, and the two glasses of Sauvignon Blanc that I had earlier with my lamb and salad blended with the funny warm feeling that I got in my head. I swore that when I closed my eyes, I appreciated the melodies more but I was afraid that my beloved thought that I had gone to sleep (which I didn't!). Anyway, after 22 minutes, we moved on to Karol Szymanowski's Symphony No. 4 which was accompanied by a rather bellied up, famous pianist called Peter Jablonski. Now, he comes with a striking resume but I thought the conductor, Kevin did an excellent job in bringing up a cohesion in the notes and boy, the timing. A twitter here, a look there, and there you have it. The perfect conclusion before the intermission.
Of course we have to rub shoulders with the black tails, pay RM6 for a glass of Diet Coke (which wasn't even the whole can!) and bathroom trips. The finale for the night was Witold Lutoslawski's Symphony No. 3. It was a strange, almost Bjork-like classical journey back into the future. In between the vociferous slamming of the cello bows on their strings and the oboe bellows, I was taken to awe-inspiring level with just how some of the most mysterious compositions that I have ever heard.
Music is indeed, something we all need. I do. And I encourage you, go see it. At least the MPO is still playing!
