Sunday, January 21, 2007

Children's Mozart Festival


About the Children's Mozart Festival
The Children’s Mozart Festival is a weekend of 3 different events full of musical fun and education for children of all ages. They’ll be introduced to the life and music of Mozart, one of the greatest classical music composers of all time. The programmes are interactive, combining engaging storytelling with live orchestral performances and even dancing!

The children will hear all about young Mozart, meet real musicians up close, dance the way Mozart’s friends danced and experience a real concert performance.

We encourage, laughter, crying, yelling, talking and running around…. After all, that is what Mozart would have done!

SYNOPSIS:
About :- "A Baroque Dance Party"
Mozart loved parties (just like the rest of us), and some say he was a great dancer! He composed many pieces of dance music for the many parties that were a hit in Vienna during his time. Find out what it must have been like in 18th Century Vienna at our Baroque Dance Party!

Learn a simple baroque dance especially choreographed for the Childrens' Mozart Festival based on Mozart's "6 Country Dances" for String Trio (performed 'live' by musicians from the New Festival Orchestra) and experience dance music the way Mozart’s friends would have 200 years ago! The children will experience for themselves the "rhythmic groove" of 18th Century dance music, and have lots and lots of fun - they will never listen to dance music the same way again!

About :- "A Symphony Concert for All"
What is a music festival without a great concert? The Children’s Mozart Festival presents A Symphony Concert for All, featuring the New Festival Orchestra and the very young Nicholas Ho on piano performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No.14! Learn about the difference between a concerto and a symphony, all about the instruments that make up a symphony orchestra and even about concert etiquette in this very special performance.

The program will include Mozart’s first symphony composed when he was 8 years old and songs from his first opera ‘ Bastiene et Bastinenne’ he wrote at age 12, as well as everyone's favourite "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"! Make this your child's FIRST EVER classical music concert!
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I was looking forward to this as I had missed the SSO. And thought might as well let her learn more about her "Daddy"- (we were in the streets when she saw a picture statue in Salzburg, and she started calling him daddy).

On 20th Jan (Sat)
Athena & myself went for the Baroque Dance Party at Substation. We learnt how they dance, and I think it's better if the dancers were to wear the 18th century costume to make us feel 'more in the mood'. We (parents with their children) partnered one another and dance in a circle.
A little disappointed but well.. we've got a new dance step. So now must find a minuet (3beat song) to dance.
When the thing ended, I wanted to take a photo of the String Quartet. I think they misunderstood my intention and started playing two songs. So I've got them on video instead.
Video 1
Video 2

Night time, at home, I was revising Athena her music lesson and let her listen to the different instruments of an orchestra so as to prep her up tomorrow. I've always loved classicals (I listen but most of the time don't really know the title - haha!) .. so I hope to instill this love to my children.

21st Jan (Sun)
It's a good thing that Athena & myself left the house much earlier coz' I was LOST! I mistook the Singapore Conference Hall for the NTUC Auditorium so happily drove past .. then I had to find parking space; there was no way for me to make a U-turn so I parked the opposite building and walked across it.
I explained to Athena the instruments, and showed her the piece of paper I drew of the Orchestra and asked her if they are sitting in the right place. However did explain that it's not the full Orchestra so the Timpani that she wants to see is not there.
Anyway the concert started, and Rosemarie did say "if the children wants..they can come and sit on the floor infront."
And you know kids are kids.. they will start running towards the stage to see. Then some will run back to their mommies/daddies. I know it's a little noisy and there's this F@#! angmoh woman sitting across me so F@#!-ing irritating. As it is, she was tsk tsk tsk-ing every children that walk past her even those that merely walked towards the stage & back. Hey! Kids are kids what. I've noticed some parents did try to tell their children to be quiet...but the children forgot and then....
By the way, it did say it's CHILDREN's Mozart Festival right, so let the child enjoy himself/herself. If she wanted to act that she's so damn cultured to go concerts, then go SSO concerts. Stupid angmoh think you what! Feel like telling her "yah our Singaporean children are all ill-bred. No use tsk tsk-ing."
She kept tsk-tsk-tsk-ing, it got on my nerves that I feel like taking Athena's water bottle and whacked her hard on her head. Or get the double bass and knock her out - then no more tsk tsk anymore.

During the intermission, children are allowed to go on stage to get close up close to the instruments.

One lucky girl was then given an opportunity to be a conductor. So lucky! Click here

Songs the Orchestra played
Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K525
Piano Concerto No 14 in E Flat Major, K.449
Bastiene et Bastinenne
Symphony No 1 in E Flat Major, KV16

Video of Leslie as Bastiene


More explanation in Athena's blog

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