The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: 09 Sep 2011 03:19 AM PDT Get a taste of both modern and classical Korean music. FANS of Korean music now have something different to look forward to next week with a special concert combining K-pop, classical and contemporary Korean music, and culture. The Korea Music Festival – SBS Crossover Orchestra With K-pop Star Concert Live In Malaysia 2011 will take place at the Genting's Arena of Stars, Genting Highlands, on Sept 17 and 18. Bridging the world of classic, contemporary and pop music, the Crossover Orchestra is a renowned orchestra under the directorship of chief conductor Kim Jung-tech, who will introduce the splendour of the South Korean music scene and culture to Malaysian music lovers. Flying the K-pop flag is the bubbly four-girl group Jewelry, comprising Eun Jung, Se Mi, Ye Won and Baby J, who are set to add zing to the concert atmosphere with their hit songs such as Pass, Back It Up and One More Time. Set to mesmerise the audience with her jazz piano performances, jazz pianist Gene BoRa is a music prodigy who started to play the piano at the tender age of three and has been named the Honorary Ambassador of South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Sound artist Park Hee-won will entertain the audience with familiar Korean songs such as Arirang (a Korean Folk Song) and Onara (theme song for Dae Jang Geum). With a melodious voice that sets her apart, Park is the first prize winner of the Korean Traditional Music Contest at Chung Ang University in 2000. Other performers include musician Na Gi Sa, orchestra rapper R.P, soprano Lim Young-lim, saxophonist Seo Jeung-gun and New Classic ensemble In-cielo. The Korea Music Festival – SBS Crossover Orchestra With K-pop Star Concert Live In Malaysia 2011 is organised by Dream Plus Sdn Bhd and presented by Resorts World Genting. Tickets are priced at RM420 (VIP), RM300 (PS1), RM200 (PS2), RM140 (PS3) and RM90 (PS4). For concert details and ticket reservations, contact Resorts World Genting (603-2718 1118 / rwgenting.com). Winning ticketsYOU can now win tickets to watch the Korea Music Festival – SBS Crossover Orchestra With K-pop Star Concert Live In Malaysia 2011 on Sunday at 8pm by answering a question correctly and stating why you think Genting is a fun place to visit. Just answer one question and and complete the following sentence in less than 15 words. Question: Name one of the performers at the Korea Music Festival – SBS Crossover Orchestra With K-pop Star Concert Live In Malaysia 2011. Resorts World Genting is "Fun at The Peak" because ... (in less than 15 words). The prizes First Prize: One pair of VIP tickets Second Prize: Five pairs of PS1 tickets Third Prize: Five pairs of PS2 tickets Fourth Prize: Five pairs of PS3 tickets Participation is via e-mail only. Submit your entry to contest@rwgenting.com with the subject "Korea Music Festival". The closing date of the contest is Sept 13 at noon. Include your full name as per NRIC, NRIC number, mobile number and address. Winners will be contacted to pick up their tickets from the Arena of Stars ticket counter on the day of the concert from noon onwards. |
| Posted: 09 Sep 2011 02:07 AM PDT With her solo debut, Liyana Fizi has found her voice as she aims for the mainstream. Within the ever-crowded field of local independent singer-songwriters, Liyana Fizi must surely be one of the most beloved, judging from fans' enthusiastic reactions in both online and live performance situations. Liyana presents a real well-rounded artiste – with both a honeyed voice and a real facility with the acoustic guitar, having started playing since her early teens and honing her sound to what can be best described as indie-pop with a dash of bossa nova. And she's endeared herself to a sizeable population of listeners out there with a combination of talent and good old fashioned charm. Beyond obvious signifiers though, it's evident that the 28-year-old possesses an instinctive understanding of pop songwriting that goes far beyond her years. Suffice to say, gorgeous hooks that fit snugly within a listener's good sense of taste are never in short supply here. The road to where she is now has been a rather long one, as Liyana could already be considered an old hand on the scene having started out with acoustic trio Estrella in 2006, which eventually evolved into a full band line-up. A warmly received self-titled album followed in 2007 under Laguna Records, but Liyana eventually parted ways with both the label and the band to venture forth on her own. While homegrown female singer-songwriters like Zee Avi and Yuna (both based in the United States now) have hogged the headlines in recent years, it is important to note that Liyana predates them in the scene. Her experience will put her on solid ground as she embarks on her solo career. By quitting her PR day job (at a telco) over a year ago, Liyana has joined the full time musician ranks. However, she states that changes have only been minor and evolutionary between then and now. "I still perform in a full band set-up, or a duo setup for smaller-scaled shows. For the full band set-up, instead of playing with band mates, I am now supported by sessionists. My sessionist guitarist Izaad Amir and bassist Pito were previously involved with Estrella too. As for the songs, I'd like to think that there is an amount of maturity from my previous work with Estrella. For live performances, there will be a few additions in terms of instruments — namely violin and cello." Which makes a whole lot of sense for Liyana's solo outing as she was unarguably the heart and soul of that earlier endeavour. And now she's free from any label-related shenanigans to spread her wings. Liyana's radio singles (Light Writing and Jatuh) have helped establish her in the mainstream circles. But the big crowd that showed up for her showcase at the Urbanscapes 2011 festival in Petaling Jaya, Selangor in July proved that her grassroots appeal is still very strong. As far as popularity and credibility are concerned, Liyana has worked hard through the years to earn both. This newfound sense of freedom also extends across every facet of her career, as she's set to release her debut solo album Between The Lines under her own publishing entity (Liyana Fizi Music) with distribution by local label Soundscape Records. According to Liyana, "Releasing and publishing independently is not something new within our music scene. It's something that I want to try in order to have more control over my music, as opposed to my last effort with Estrella." She pulled out all the stops with Between The Lines, travelling as far as Bandung, Indonesia to record at Aru Studio in April, bringing along her full complement of sessionists (Izaad, Pitoand Ruvi) along with sound engineer Syafiq Yaacob. Indonesian talent was engaged in providing string sections for some songs, and within two short weeks, 10 tracks were recorded successfully. In discussing the album, Liyana explains: "You can say that the overall theme is to drive the point that some things are not tangible, and needs to be seen from different perspectives. (For) example, the tune of the song may be very happy, but the lyrics could be a bit dark and vice versa. It's up to the listener really, how they want to interpret the song. Each song tells a story, of separate experiences." As a ramp-up for the album, a very special event showcase and launch will be happening this Sunday at Bentley Music Auditorium, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, Selangor. On the cards for the event are performances of songs from the album, with guest collaborators and friends such as 4Peniti from Bandung, Indonesia; electro indiepop act Tenderfist and singer-songwriter Narmi. Her latest single Jatuh is already enjoying heavy rotation on local airwaves and is notable for being featured in Aziz M. Osman's remake of 1980s romantic-drama Azura, starring Jamal Abdillah and Fauziah Ahmad Daud. It was perhaps providence that brought about a chance meeting with an acquaintance at a Starbucks in Kuala Lumpur who was with an Ace Motion Productions representative (the company behind the remake) and one thing soon led to another. Aside from her overt musical activities, Liyana finds it critical to engage with her fans. "The most important element is to be yourself. Social networks are used to stay in touch with fans, and I believe that it's important to maintain your true voice when posting stuff up. So at the end of the day, you will know that the fans appreciate you for you. Aside from that, I also feel it's important to maintain a connection with fans. By asking questions, getting their opinions, sharing info, sharing events/ photos/ music, etc – it keeps them involved. And it helps me get to know them better. I'd be nowhere, without my fans." After the launch, Liyana will have her hands full with plans for a potential Malaysia tour (especially Sabah and Sarawak), as well as taking her music out of the country. A distribution deal has been secured with a Japanese record label with a proposed release date of November/December as well as plans for more excursions to the thriving Bandung scene. Which ever way things go, it looks like Liyana will be doing this for as long as there are eager listeners. In typical earnest fashion, she explains that the fans are her main foundation in striving to go all the way with her music. "Their encouragement and love, their continuous requests for my songs, is what helped me in making the decision to just go for it." Liyana Fizi's Between The Lines album launch showcase with opening acts Tenderfist and Narmi happens this Sunday at Bentley Music Auditorium, The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Doors open 8pm. Cover charge is RM35 (including a copy of the album). For more info, visit soundscape-records.com |
| U2 descends onto the Toronto film festival Posted: 08 Sep 2011 08:53 PM PDT TORONTO, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Rock icons U2 descended onto the Toronto International Film Festival's red carpet on Thursday for the premiere of new documentary "From the Sky Down," admitting to nervousness over letting fans into their private world of making music. The movie, which is the first documentary to open the Toronto film festival in its 36-year history, looks at the creative process of making their 1991 album "Achtung Baby," tensions back then in the band. Singer Bono and guitarist The Edge took to the festival's opening night stage and confessed that even superstars get nervous when entering a new arena - from music to film. "We are very protective of our privacy, particularly the creative process, not just because we are precious, which we are," Bono told a laughing audience, before confiding that the fear was in letting audiences see them struggle to make music. "If you knew what went into the sausage, you wouldn't eat it," Bono said. The Edge added that it was "shocking" to see a lot of the old film footage from 20 years ago and "to realize how close our band came to disintegrating at that particular moment." The appearance of Bono and The Edge made the opening night screening one of the hottest tickets in town at the 11-day festival where other rock documentaries about Pearl Jam and Neil Young are getting top billing. The festival, a widely-watched event often seen as a starting point in the movie industry's annual Oscar race, features a long list of Hollywood royalty, from Brad Pitt and George Clooney to Keira Knightley and Glenn Close. U2 MAKES TIFF HISTORY But the opening belonged to a nonfiction film for the first time in festival's history, and organizers noted both the event and U2 originated in 1976. The band soared to rock stardom in the 1980s, and "Achtung Baby" was seen as a daring reinvention following the huge success of 1987's "Joshua Tree" and 1988's somewhat less-well received "Rattle and Hum." "This film isn't just about the biggest band in the world," director Davis Guggenheim told the audience. "It's really just about four musicians trying to make music." "From the Sky Down" opens as U2 is about to play the Glastonbury Festival for the first time this year and is looking to rework older songs. As Bono says: "there comes a time when it is dysfunctional not to look into the past." It then looks back at the rise of U2 through early film footage and leads up to the making of "Achtung Baby," which was influenced by industrial and electronic music and featured the hits "One" and "Mysterious Ways." "I had goose pimples witnessing how they did it," said Guggenheim, whose 2006 global warming film 'An Inconvenient Truth' won the Academy Award for best feature documentary. "I don't think really it's a film about our band in as much as it's a film about the creative process. If you're interested in that, you're going to be interested in this film I think, but I find it excruciating," Bono said on the red carpet. "From the Sky Down" is just one of a number of high-profile documentaries at the festival. Others offer audiences a look into personalities like Sarah Palin, as well as a murderer on death row and comic book fanatics. There's also a 15-hour epic that chronicles the history of film. But documentaries will likely be overshadowed by stars such as George Clooney, who will turn out for "The Ides of March," that he directed and stars in, as well as "The Descendants," in which he portrays an indifferent husband and father forced to reexamine his life. Pitt stars in "Moneyball," based on the true story of Billy Beane, a professional baseball manager who reinvents his team, while David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method," starring Viggo Mortensen and Keira Knightley, will be tested for audience reaction after runs at other festivals. Eyes will also be watching Glenn Close in "Albert Nobbs," a drama the five-time Academy Award nominee co-wrote in which she plays a woman pretending to be a male butler set in 19th century Ireland. |
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