Author Archives: tyson fisher

On Friday, April 5th, my friends and I attended UBC Choir’s “One World” performance at the Chan Centre. After seeing them perform last semester, we made sure we attended their final performance. My attendance was that much more mandatory as it was the final grad conductor performance for my choir conductor, Steven Hamilton. Working with Steven this year was the best musical experience of my life as he (and Tiffany Chen) were the first music performance instructors I have had since elementary school. Steven was a pleasure to work with and his enthusiasm and passion for music is carried throughout the not only the choir, but the entire auditorium he is working in. I had to be there for his grad performance!

Perhaps one of the most interesting pieces he conducted was a part of Iain Grandage’s  “Three Australian Bush Songs” (i. Dawn ii. Birds iii. Sunset). The middle piece, “Birds” was so interesting because of the bird sounds the choirs made. They sounds the choir were able to make imitated those of wild birds, that at first I thought that there were actually bird calls being played! At one point, a flurry of birds seemingly fly out from the stage, signaling the migration of the birds home for bed at sunset.

The choir sang another song that imitated non-music sounds. In the Chinese folk song, “Diu Diu Deng”, the choir breathed the song chugging of a train, from standstill to constant pace. The chugging from the choir was so spot on, most likely not necessarily due to the sounds themselves, but the tempo at which the chugged, and the gradual transition imitating the sound of the train speeding up. They even included a part with the alto voices making a steam engine’s whistle! The rest of the song was a happy folk song, with contrasting male and female voices. Paired

with the train, it painted an image of a rice fields and happy farmers working their crops in peace and good will. It was a very happy-go-lucky song with very vivid imagery.

With that being said however, I don’t think the song would have had such an impact and as vivid imagery as it did if the conductor did not give an insight to what to expect beforehand. With that being said, I guess one could consider this piece to be considered as being program music. With this in mind after learning it in class, it really allowed me to reflect on just how impactful program music was for its time in having audiences know what to expect as opposed to hoping they’d just understand.

The last piece that stood out to me at this concert was not necessarily the choir itself surprisingly, but rather the cello accompaniment by Susie Yoo in Imant Raminsh’s “In the Night We Shall Go In”. There is just something about string instruments like the cello and viola that are able to strum at my heart chords. I found it interesting to see that the cellist was not playing all the time, but rather intermittently throughout. This honestly made her parts that much more impactful, as we were not bombarded with its sound and instead fed it bit by bit, as if it were pleasantly teasing us.

The whole concert was a great time, and I had a great time cheering on and supporting Steven Hamilton, the wonderful conductor of the show. I also had a great time doing these journal responses throughout the semester, as they allowed me to reflect upon the music I’ve seen and gave me greater insights into the class itself via the real life examples I’ve seen. I look forward to continuing to experience musical performances, and recommend all my colleagues push their music interests and check out shows such as choirs and K Pop. I promise you will not be disappointed!

On March 11, 2019 my same 2 friends and I went to another K Pop concert, although this time it was a solo artist named Sunmi. This was very interesting for me because I hadn’t heard any of her music before apart from a single song, as i found that the solo singers didn’t carry the weight and intensity that I enjoyed in the bigger groups music. I was more than impressed with the show.

One of her top hits is called “Gashina”, which had a great drum and synth accompaniment. Its tempo made your head bob, and was successful in muting instruments in order to change the mood and build up the song. What stood out about this song (and in retrospect, most of her songs) was the fact that the instrumental parts were what really made the song, and the singing is more or less just a guide to the drops and instrumentals. However, this song (also among others) included some notable lyrics about being powerful and unstoppable, and having a good time on the weekend. It honestly felt kind of empowering, and made you want to dance when the beat dropped.

Very similar to the above, although with a more passionate feeling was Sunmi’s “Heroine”. This song was categorized by 3 parts (A, B, C). A was a slower part, B was moderate tempo an C was the instrumental drop with adlibs. It repeated twice with slight modulations in the repetition, and was very dance inspiring. The stage dancers were doing crazy dancing on stage, choreographed to the music (as intense and passionate as it was!). It was truly a show stopping performance and was definitely one of my, and my friends, favourite performances.

To slow things down, Sunmi played her song “Siren”, which starts with her singing melismatically ooh-ing. Later on in the song she sings a “la-la-la” part. Both parts are very catchy and are repeated throughout the song. These parts are the siren in the title of the song – a constant wailing throughout the song. Whether it be in your face like “la-la-la” or in echos like the “ooh’s”, it is there sounding the alarm. They had laser lights and fog around the dance floor, as she sang “Get away out of my face…” as she tried to escape her lover. It was a very cool concept and was executed well! They even include a part where they half-time the song to make it sound as though she got caught, but then it breaks with her escape once more.

The concert was very disappointing short, lasting only 45 minutes at max. However, it was a great show to be sung by one woman. She ended her concert with her song “Black Pearl”, the only song I knew going into the concert. This song I always liked for its smooth jazz saxophone solo part way through the song. The whole song (Black Pearl) has a wavy feel to it, from the high reverb on the piano to her trailing off voice. It all made for a very intriguing song and when seen live, was more than captivating. It left me entranced and eager for more, which is probably why I am so sad that the show was so short. It’s okay though; I am just left hungry for more at this point. I am ready to see my third K Pop concert now!

On February 21st, 2019 my friends and I attended Red Velvet’s “REDMARE” concert at the PNE Forum. The REDMARE tour included the group’s first-ever North American shows, and coincidentally ended up being on one of the lead singers’ birthdays! Fate worked out in our favor and ensured that the show was one that would be remembered forever. Red Velvet is a K Pop band who is really popular – one of the top groups in the industry. My friend (who attended the concert with me) got me into K Pop music for it uppity vibes and beautiful orchestrations. I learned to love K Pop music because of how much work was put into the music. I am not sure if it is because I cannot understand the lyrics (they become just part of the overall “sounds” in the song, as opposed to words with meaning), but when I listen to the music it is always so well put together! You can really tell that there is more to the groups than just the singers. I can only imagine the production teams working behind the scenes, writing and producing everything. Crazy! I believe that K Pop groups and the labels working behind them are pushing the limits and expanding the breadth of human musicality. With all this in mind, I knew I was going to have a great time at this concert. It was especially exciting for my trio because it was the first K Pop concert we had been to.

They started the concert off with a bang – “Russian Roulette”.  It starts off with the singers singing “LA, LALALA” monophonically but then with a rising but chopped retro-pop instrumental accompaniement. The second verse has a chanting in the background giving a really cool build up, and then the beat drops making it feel as though you are in a rocket ship. The singers continue singing homophonically and repeat syllables musically to catch your listening, then switches to a single voice singing with accompaniment. These parts are cool because they chose to make some of the lyrics in English, saying things like “crazy” and “Russian Roulette”. The song continues to bang and is a great time. The proceed to close the first set with a song entitled “Power Up”. It has a steady “popping” beat that, when climaxes, begins to percolate – intensifying the mood of it. They close it, show a video, have a chat with us and commence the next song.

“Mosquito” is a song with what I think could be considered a lied. It is a beeping melody that keeps on repeating throughout the song, honestly somewhat annoyingly. I came to realize that this sound is imitating a mosquito. Very cool, and after realizing that, not annoying at all! I came to like the song so much that the performance ended up being a really great time.

They played a bunch of songs that I hadn’t heard before and I obviously enjoyed them all for different aspects. For instance, “Hit That Drum” was a cool take on a jungle-esque beat (performers were also on stage dressed as animals and rangers). It was cool because it had a heavy drum beat (see “Hit That Drum”), akin to what I imagine a basso continuo might be like. Although overwhelming, it was really cool to see.

Another interesting song was “Moonlight Melody”, a slow song that really changed up the vibe of the stadium. The violin-piano accompaniment was really quite lovely. This song was an aria as it was sung slowly and was very emotional.

To be honest, although I appreciated it for what it was, I was much more impressed with the pop music with its crazily orchestrated instruments and catchy sounding lyrics. Thankfully the rest of the show was full of mostly exactly that and it was an absolute blast to be there. I 100% recommend anybody to go and see a concert; it is a great time. Red Velvet – 사랑해!

On February 15th, after our MUSC 326a midterm, my friends and I attended UBC Choirs: Stories performance. I had recently attended the UBC Chamber Choir’s “Evening Soundscapes” last semester, and have been obsessed with choir music since. I heard of the upcoming show (UBC Choirs: Stories) and made sure to bring my friends in order to introduce them to fine music. We attended a great show and my friends had a great time!

At this show, we had the opportunity to watch three choirs perform, the UBC Singers, the UBC Choral Union and the UBC Chamber Choir. What an indulgence! The show opening with the UBC Singers performing a piece entitled “Hosanna, to the Son of David”, by Thomas Weelkes. This piece was an exciting performance and a great opening act to the show. Starting out slow and homophonically it drew the audience in, only to switch up to polyphony that kept the listener engaged throughout. This polyphony also gave a very “powerful” feeling to the whole piece – it was a statement that we were in for a good show!

The choir played five additional songs (in addition to that mentioned above) and all were lovely in their own ways. A piece that stuck with me was the conductor’s (Graeme Langager’s) very own piece entitled “I Will Lift Mine Eyes”. This piece was very slow moving, sung mostly homorythmically with instances of imitative polyphony. I found with this piece, as lovely and emotionally captivating as it was, that it was a little slow and at some points I felt my mind wander. However, just as it wandered, I’d be drawn back into the show as the choir sang harmoniously homophonically. The harmonious parts were beautiful!

The Choral Union proceeded the University Singers singing “Five Hebrew Love Songs”, by Eric Whitacre. These five songs were a nice juxtaposition to the UBC Singers as the pieces were played homophonically (sang with instrumental accompaniment); the instruments used were a piano and a violin. I don’t know what it is, but the addition of the violin for these pieces created a feeling of mystery and tranquility that is unparalleled. I loved the violin! The singing and violin duo was exceptionally astounding during the second Hebrew love song, “Kala Kala”. From the sopranos to the basses, the different pairings with the violin created the most precious of sounds that conveyed depths of meaning. These pieces truly told a story (thus why the concert was called “Stories”)!

The final choir to play was the UBC Chamber Choir – and what a finale they put on! The songs five performed were well varied from different time periods, showcasing the technical abilities of the choir. My favorite piece was their last – “And So I Go On” by Jake Runestad. This piece was so great because it was sang with two choirs singing different, but linked verses back and forth between one another. One set of voices were that of a lover pleading for ones love back, and how without it they must persevere, while the other choir sang back at them explaining what they must do and why they must leave. Later on, the pieces intertwined and both choirs were singing the same lyrics to one another, showcasing the coming together and undoubting love between two parties. It was a great show and really got the audience to sit quiet and still the whole time, and ended off with much energy and then silence, leaving the most tranquil of feelings among the crowd. Goosebumps!

The UBC Choirs’ “Stories” was a great concert to attend and I am glad I got to bring my friend along to introduce them to choir music. They left with a newfound passion for it (although maybe not as heavy as my own) and I am confident they will want to go again. I look forward to going again too!

Last Sunday, on February the third, my friends and I attended the UBC Opera’s rendition of Mozart’s “Die Zauberflote” at the Chan Centre. We made it a little late to the show (maybe 15 minutes?) and thus were placed in the upper seating as to not disturb the audience. Pleasantly enough, I think that the upper seating was the best we could have gotten – especially because we were planning on sitting at the bottom! From our birds-eye view we were able to see not only the mainstage and its actors without hindrance, but also the orchestra in their pit in front of the stage. With the orchestra being mostly unobstructed, I was able to visually see when the music was being played in monophony or homophony, or when something was being played imitatively and by what groups, among many other things.

This play is from the baroque period and is called a “singspiel” because of its alternation between spoken prose and singing. I recognized that a lot of the music scores were very emotional and complex, making me really believe that it was from the baroque. Some songs were high energy with lots of imitative polyphony, while others were more somber and serious , with their instruments playing homophonically. In the first performance we saw, we saw the Queen of the Night preform “O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn” – a dramatic performance of two back-to-back songs. This performance was memorable because of how the singer led the orchestra on as they quasi-imitate and play off of her tones and pitches. When they did so, it’d create a lovely sound as all the sounds were being played in a homorhythmic fashion. Apart from these instances however, the song was not very polyphony, as the voice was always leading and was the most interesting part of the music. This was emphasized when she sang melismatically and back and forth up and down (I forget/don’t know the term – educate me!) while hitting crazy high pitches; the actress was very well trained and talented! At the end of the performance, a feeling of awe and satisfaction rushed over the crowd and a tremendous applause erupted from the audience. Bravo!

The ensuing songs were less dramatic but very varied, with some with a lot of energy, and others calm and smooth. I think some of the most interesting pieces here featured strong masculine voices. It gave good contrast to the dramatic songs of the Queen. I enjoyed the piece with Sanastro, the head priest, singing in his temple alongside his fellow churchmen and choir. Sanastro had a heavy bass voice that was well accompanied with other low-frequency instruments such as the cello.

However, those pieces did not compare to the Queen of the Night’s first performance, and her later performance of “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen”. In this piece, the Queen was telling her daughter, Prima (a protagonist), to kill Sanastro. The Queen places a dagger in her daughter’s hand and ends her scene. This performance was comparatively dramatic as her first, although this time was filled with more anger and rage. The set was lit a vivid orange as the Queen and her daughter performed, and the Queen was definitely the most powerful person on the stage. Just like in her first piece, the Queen  hit crazy high notes, although this time she did so with a stab.

All in all it was an excellent performance by UBC Opera and was a great introduction into live opera music. I recommend my fellow peers to check out other opera performances as they are a great venue to exercise the knowledge gained in our music appreciation class. I have taken the liberty to list some local events. Check them out!

The Singer Behind the Song – February 19, 2019

La Boheme – February 14-24, 2019

Faust – April 27 + May 2 + May 5

Cheers!

Tyson Fisher