Aureus Experentia XIII

"When East Meets West"

Yup, those are dragons alright.

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Aureus Experientia XIII was held on 10 May 2008 at the Singapore Conference Hall.

The theme for this year is "When East meets West", and how apt it is for the Nanyang JC
Symphonic Band and Guzheng Ensemble to come together to bring to you this concert, playing
pieces from both Western and Eastern cultures. Where else can one find exotic Chinese
pieces together with soothing classics and upbeat rock ‘n roll music from Western culture?

The concert started off with the Guzheng Ensemble for the first half of the concert. The
versatility of the instrument was seen in their imitations of the sounds of thunder and
horses for songs such as Thunder in Drought. They also serenaded the audience with classics and popular favourites,
including The Butterfly Lovers and the reknowned theme song from popular Hong Kong martial arts movie Huang Fei Hong.

The Symphonic Band continued the concert with Peter and the Wolf - a play in which several
band members dramatised the characters of the story, accompanied by lilting music from the
band, allowing viewers to feel as if they were in the story itself.

For the piece Gemeinhardt Suite, Clement Lim, the vice-president of the band, captivated
the hearts of the audience with his flute solo and the piece ended off with a bang with
the juxtaposition of sounds by the world’s two oldest instruments: the flute and the drum.

The band rounded off their performance with the groovy Rock ‘n Roll Explosion. Ending the
concert with such a ‘high’ song would probably have left the audiences at the edge of
their seat, too excited to accept that the concert was over. Hence a slow, soothing piece
was chosen as the finale to calm the nerves of the audience. Shan Hu Hai, composed by
famous Chinese singer Jay Chou, was played by both the Guzheng Ensemble and Symphonic
Band, truly a unique collaboration. What better way to stay true to this year’s theme!

It was truly a night of great fun and good music. We hope to see you at Aureus Experentia
XIV!
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Picture of NYJC Symphonic Band and Guzheng Ensemble after the concert.

Gerard Loh
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