The Macao Philharmonic Association’s (MPA) wind section performance gave the audience an exciting experience at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) on Monday.
As a band comprising professional, semi-professional and amateur musicians, the Macao Philharmonic Wind really outdid themselves with vivid playing and care for details. The wind section played three pieces from classic band compositions to an anime song to a modern dance suite and the band nailed all of them, displaying a versatility in different genres of music.
The brass players were phenomenal, with astounding dynamic control but at the same time truthful to the colour of the pieces. The single-reed family provided a solid backbone to the band, but at the same time stood out brilliantly when they played their solos. Unfortunately, the percussion section was the weak link of the band, off tempo at times and making the band less tidy. I think the band would benefit much more with the stronger involvement of the conductor.
Unfortunately, the Macao Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra afterwards was lacklustre. The strings were challenged by Vivaldi’s “Winter”, one of the most famous classical pieces ever. Excluding the tuning and the tidiness of the orchestra, the string playing was uninspiring with little care for the dynamics and melodic lines of the piece. The auditorium was also working against the strings more than the winds as they had a harder time to project their sound.
Overall, the concert was welcomed and provided a great variety of music styles for the audience. I definitely hope to see more MPA concerts in the future!
The Macao Philharmonic Winds performs at the Macau Cultural Centre on Monday. Photo: William Chan
