Wednesday, 26th October 2011, 8:30 pm.
International Convention Centre, Brunei Darussalam.
IT was the first time for my brother, Adik and I went to such concert. Our last was in 2006 and it was Peterpan from Indonesia (Oh, I miss Ariel very much). We were not really sure about what outfits to wear so Adik ended up wearing his lounge suit and myself wearing baju kurong. We left the house at 6:45 pm, feeling excited.
"Good evening," we were greeted by young men lining up at the main door. I was feeling kind of nervous. I didn't know why. We were escorted to light refreshment areas while waiting for the doors to open, which was exactly at 7:30 pm. We had 30 minutes to go.
It was already 7:30 pm when the announcer informed us that it was time to go into the main hall. Inside, we were escorted towards our seats, M21 and M22. It was really a perfect seating arrangement for both of us. Just perfect. In the middle of the hall. Just a few metres away from the stage. Next to the red carpet. The environment was quite relaxing and quiet. Most of those who came were adults; age ranging from 20 above. I could see women in their gorgeous evening dresses, men in their smart tailored suits. And some cute children with their gowns and tuxes.
At 8:30 pm, HRH Pg. Anak Isteri Pg. Anak Sarah arrived as the guest of honour. Wearing her light green baju kurong and tudong, she looked astonishingly beautiful. So beautiful that the whole audience was stunned. Even the musicians were locked to their feet. Oh, they were already on the stage about five minutes before the arrival of HRH :) And I, as one of those closest to the red carpet was nervous as I HRH walked passed me and towards the stage. She was still the same person I saw years ago in high school, only more beautiful and matured.
As soon as HRH was on stage, the Brunei national anthem, "Allah Peliharakan Sultan" was played by the orchestra. It was so beautiful that I almost cried :') And the show kicked off right after HRH completed a cheque presentation ceremony. These are just some of the pieces played by the orchestra:
- Toccata and Fugue : acc. J.S. Bach (1685-1750), arr. Pamela Tan Nicholson
- Libertango : A. Piazolla (1921-1992), arr. Pamela Tan Nicholson
- Oriental Hot Spot : Trad./Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908) arr. Pamela Tan Nicholson
Two Malay songs were played as well; Joget Lagu Dua and Kalungan Salindang. The orchestra was conducted by Thomas Dorsch with original music and arrangements by Pamela Tan Nicholson, who happened to be Vanessa Mae's mentor and mother.
Overall, the whole night was really awesome. The performance ended at around 11 pm and we straight away went to de' Royalle cafe in Bandar to enjoy some hot chocolate. I will never ever forget that night. Next year? We'll see :)
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