Muhamad Yusri

I was invited to guest conduct the SWS Youth for a concert this coming Sunday on two beautiful pieces; the Second Suite in F by Gustav Holst and Sheltering Sky by John Mackey.

The Second Suite in F is a piece close to my heart. Dedicated to James Causley Windram, this piece features folk songs from around the UK. The way the songs were structured and arranged in a Suite made it a valuable resource for the military band as it enabled the communities then to accept the new instrumentation that is now common amongst all military and wind bands. Hearing the sounds from bands performing the piece in today’s context, the audience would be hearing something totally new when the piece was first played. The UK at that time had many military bands playing marches and arrangements of orchestral selections but the instrumentation in the military bands back then were quite limited as the focus were more on marches in support of regimental requirements.

In preparing this piece, I looked at the songs and try to understand the musical flow that were intended. Sometimes, we dwelled too much into forms and structure and neglected the songs themselves. I guess it is because of our training that prepared us to look at musical scores and to see how we could communicate the intentions of composer. The songs come with no words in this piece so we only have the musical flow of each phrase to consider and think about. Tempo selection really affects the songs. I was taught that we could work with 5 clicks below and above the recommended tempo but for this Suite, I realised that even a click or two off may affect the way the songs are heard and appreciated. 

The tempo for the first movement cannot be too fast but if it is too slow, the piece will be too heavy. There is a fine line and the decision of tempo needs to be decided well. The baton direction and choice of flow need to be reflective of the need for a march feel but with clear differences in the moods and feels of each song.

In my opinion the second movement is a really good piece for conductor training. The sense of invisible rubato permeates the entire movement and making the song truly an expressive one. The orchestration was skillfully crafted to ensure balance and logical passing of the melody between instruments.

The third movement is short but tricky. Getting the band off on the right accent is vital to ensure the intention of the rebound is heard clearly. I remembered doing this movement for concert at a Summer camp at Canford with Tim Reynish. It was hard!

The Dargason and Greensleeves in the last movement is really fun! Tempo, again, is vital in ensuring the right mood is attained by the band which will affect audience appreciation and response. 

Sheltering Sky is really beautiful. The suggested tempo is demanding and really hard to attain by young ensembles. I tried to get the right mood with a slower tempo but it was not possible with such a short prep time. I find the challenge was to attain the intended growth and musical flow without rushing. Thankfully, the members are responsive to the attempts and I am excited about how we are going to be on stage this Sunday.

If you are free and not doing anything this Sunday, come and join the SWS Youth for their concert at SOTA. Details can be found below:

http://www.thebandpost.com/events/sws-youth-concert-ix/