Last Friday, I was privileged to attend the concert named the Grandeur of Tang, performed by the Singapore Chinese Orchestra. This was held at the Esplanade concert hall and attracted a huge crowd. Before we entered the hall, we could feel the impact when we saw a number of Chinese dressed in traditional Chinese costumes for the formal occasion.
             The moment we entered the concert hall, we were excited to see the platform filled with many traditional Chinese instruments such as the "erhu" and "dizi" and they were all organized in a systematic and neat order. On the platform, there were also impressive instruments such as the two large drums on both sides of the stage, and more fascinating was the replica of the ancient bronze chime bells which was indeed an impressive backdrop.
             After the settling down, the much-anticipated performance began with the piece The Rainbow Skirt and The Feathered Coat composed by Gao Weijie, who was inspired by a piece from the Tang dynasty. As most of us know, the Tang dynasty in China was widely regarded as the golden era of Chinese arts and culture. However, the dynamic piece of music was disrupted when the enthusiastic audience clapped at one point before the music ended. Therefore, the orchestra had to stop under the maestro's order but they regained momentum shortly after.
             The performance was further enhanced by the recital of Tang poetry, which was accompanied by some music played by the orchestra to set the mood and tone. This benefited the audience greatly as it enabled them to relish the experience and helped them convey the appropriate mood of each poem.
             The poem was recited by two narrators, Yang Ou and Johnny Ng. Yang Ou recited the poem in a lively and clearer tone which made it full of expression and attracted the audience's attention. The recitation of poems by Johnny Ng was less attractive as it was accompanied by loud pieces of music which easily engulfed his monotonous voice. ...