
PPW’s inaugural concert last December, photo courtesy of The Star newspaper
The inaugural concert of Penang Philharmonic Winds last December, The Joy of Christmas, got very positive feedback. The huge sound of a full wind orchestra with rows of trumpets, trombones, tubas, horns, saxophones, clarinets, flutes, bassoons, oboes, and lots of percussion was enjoyed by all. Coming up this Sunday evening is PPW’s second concert, entitled A New Beginning, at which you will get a second chance to hear the magnificent sound. PPW is composed of the wind, brass and percussion sections of the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra, together with players from several local school concert bands. It is conducted by Benjamin Ng Choong Yen, himself a talented clarinetist.
This second concert will open with A New Beginning by Satoshi Yagisawa, after which the concert is named, and continue with a challenging piece by American neo-classical composer Alfred Reed, a Japanese folk song, and a couple of other pieces the audience is likely to be unfamiliar with. In the second half, the audience will be tapping their feet and swaying to the swing and rock beats of music they know well, including medleys from The Lion King, Hairspray and How to Train Your Dragon. You can hear and see an extract from an early rehearsal of How to Train Your Dragon here.
The concert begins at 7pm, and will be held at penangpac, Straits Quay. Tickets cost RM 50 per person and are available from the penangpac box office or online at https://proticket.com.my/penangpac-a-new-beginning/