The Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra (MPYO) is celebrating its 10th anniversary by collaborating with Orkestra Tradisional Malaysia (OTM) for a two-night performance titled Konsert Tanah Airku.
This event – taking place on Nov 17 and 18 at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP), Kuala Lumpur City Centre – includes the vocals of Datuk Ramli Sarip as well as Norihan Saif, and will be led by conductors Ahmad Muriz Che Rose and Mohd Yazid Zakaria.
According to Ramli, he will be performing six or seven of his songs during the concert that were hand-picked by the organiser. Among them are Syair Laila Majnun, Kamelia, Teratai, Kau Yang Satu, Lagu Zaman (a duet he recorded with the late Datuk S.M. Salim) and Iqra, which feature elements of Middle Eastern influences, local traditional sounds and rock/blues flavour.
The 65-year-old says he is looking forward to the two-night performances as he has always liked the combination of modern sounds with the folksy beat of traditional music.
And to top it off, he is excited to be performing with “the amazing OTM” as well as the MPYO, which he feels provides a great platform for the younger generation interested in performing classical music.
“Frankly, my strength is more to blues, and rock and roll. But my roots are in the sounds of dondang, zapin, keroncong, etc. I am fortunate to love both the (new and the old) music genres and have had the chance to record songs that feature these sounds,” Ramli offers.
The Konsert Tanah Airku comes at a time when Ramli is working on materials for his new album that he says will have a more traditional feel to it.
“I have 12 or 13 songs for a new album already but I am still in the process of trimming and focusing on the final sounds,” he adds.
“At the moment, the traditional sound is apparent, which I am happy about. I am lucky to be able to include both the Eastern and Western sounds in my work because the combination of these two is something that I have always liked. This style and the arrangement suit me even though it’s hard to get a full album out with this combination nowadays.”
Besides the new album, he is also keen on holding a concert next year to commemorate the 30-year anniversary of some of his old songs including Doa Buat Kekasih, the hit song he performed with Khadijah Ibrahim.
Ramli Sarip has always enjoyed mixing the sounds of the East and the West in his albums.
The first time Ramli ever performed at DFP was when he was the guest artiste for Khadijah’s concert in 2008. In 2010, he got to hold his own solo concert at the venue, backed by an orchestra.
Fans of Ramli knows he likes to improvise when performing live on stage. But for the upcoming shows, Ramli promises to stick to the script. “This is where discipline plays a part,” he says with a laugh. “I have to remember this is not my show. It’s a collaborative effort where everyone must work in sync with me focusing on the songs and the arrangement.”
He looks forward to seeing the concert hall being filled with audiences from different generations. “There is a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy – the traditional music, the western classical sounds and the overall entertainment value.”
Other numbers the MPYO and OTM will be performing at Konsert Tanah Airku are the traditional numbers such as Sri Mersing, Laksamana Raja Di Laut, Joget Irish For Sitar, Dialog Cak Lempong, Pantun Budi and Serampang Laut.
Konsert Tanah Airku will be staged on Nov 17 and Nov 18, 8.30pm, at Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP), Kuala Lumpur City Centre. Tickets are priced at RM100 and RM60. For telephone booking call 03-2331 7007 or drop an e-mail to boxoffice@dfp.com.my. Tickets can also be bought at the venue from Tuesdays to Saturdays (10.30am to 6.30pm). For more information go to www.mpo.com.my
