On Sunday April 27 2014, HPU’s Choirs and Symphony Orchestra took the stage at the historic Hawaii Theatre with special guest Makana in the collaborative concert, “In Full Spectrum Sound”. The concert featured a wide variety of works and musical styles from extravagant hymns to dynamic tribal chants that showcased the versatility of the skillful students. Under the direction of HPU Choirs director Dr. Esther Yoo and HPU Symphony Orchestra director Dr. Teresa McCreary, the students of the HPU music department pooled their skills with the youngest Hawaiian Slack-key guitar master Makana. Makana’s guitar playing has been featured on three Grammy-nominated albums which includes the soundtrack of Academy-Award winning film “The Descendants”. Some of his accomplishments include touring with musicians Jason Mraz, John Legend, Jack Johnson, opening for legends Sting, Carlos Santana and Elvis Costello, and performing at the APEC World Leaders’ Dinner in Hawaii which was attended by President Obama and 18 other world leaders. This recording of "Dance of the Red Poppies" from last Spring was performed again this past concert.“Mesmerizing” was the word that floated about throughout the pieces. The concert brought the audience through a dark forest. They were greeted by the sounds of the humming, animals, and chanting of forest spirits before being taken back to the waters of Hawaii with Makana’s Hawaiian words and slack-key guitar. The entirety of the concert was moving from start to finish.HPU International Vocal Ensemble and Choral opened the concert with Mi'kmaq Honour Song
Bang Eun Jin’s film, Way Back Home is a truly moving experience based on the true story of Jang Mi-Jeong, who’s already struggling family endured separation and the ignorance of those in power which all began with the influence of the almighty dollar. Actress Jeon Do-yeon plays Korean mother Song Jeong Yeon who is imprisoned in Martinique after accepting a courier job from an old friend for around $3740 USD to support her family in debt. She was arrested at a Paris airport for unknowingly transporting 17 kg of cocaine which she was told were unpolished gemstones. The story follows her through her two year separation and exhibits strong themes centered around communication through the worst possible outcomes of communication that is limited and poor. The intimacy of Do Yeon’s performance brings the audience in as her cell mate. Her struggles through language barriers in France and the Caribbean in combination with the Korean Embassy refraining help and abandoning her as a citizen due to her charges made me part of her family that so desperately yearned for her. This also goes for her husband played by Soo Go, who during her absence struggles to find her justice seeking out the friend who got them in their situation, constant pestering of those in country legal systems, and raising their daughter who was only four when her mother left. Personally I look forward to reading Jang Mi-Jeong’s book, “Lost Days,” which consists of her accounts following her return to Korea. Despite what’s displayed in the film, Jang struggled from her addiction to sleeping pills that were forced in the Martinique prison. Her two daughters faced scorn from other children and their parents for being the daughters of an international convict. Her other accounts are explained in her words. The Way Back Home pulls at every heartstring and captures each minuscule triumph with our raised fists. It will leave you with a new-found appreciation for the few words we exchange with others everyday. On Sunday April 27th, I will be performing with my choir ensemble, the university orchestra, and legendary Hawaiian music artist and slack key guitar master Makana in a collaborative concert at the historic Hawaii Theater. I am incredibly excited to perform with Makana after seeing his concert with the HPU Symphony Orchestra last Spring. He is a very versatile musician who blends multiple playing styles to give life to his performances. Just this week me and my choir got to begin work with him. The few pieces we worked on are coming along very well thanks to our practices prior to meeting with him. Did I mention he’s a very precise guitarist with a mastery in the difficult art of Hawaiian Slack Key guitar? He manipulates the beauty of slack key, the swing of southern bluegrass and jazz, and the energetic intensity of Rock to form his sound that can only be described as “Makana”. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAWAIIAN SLACK KEY GUITAR GET ENLIGHTENED AND AMAZED BELOW!!! After looking at the arrangements and order of the music I can already see this concert developing into the emotionally moving spectacle us in the music department are aiming to create. I can not wait to work with this unbelievably talented man in these next few weeks. On another HPU music related note, the International Vocal Ensemble will be touring China in Beijing and Shanghai this summer! We will be representing HPU at our performances at several conservatories and schools there. We’re also hoping to recruit some Chinese students to HPU and hopefully the Ensemble as well. Our plane leaves in late May. So exciting! Film and music go hand in hand. Many films are recognized for their musical scores. After watching Jane Campion’s film, The Piano (1993), which is centered around a mute pianist and personifies the deep relationship musicians have with their instruments, I've come to the revelation that both film and music are trades of emotion. Music itself is a trade like other things (labor trades, service trades, etc). There are the instruments themselves as tools to create music, but it is through the techniques used that manipulate the consumer’s emotions to what the producer desires. It is the combination of these techniques that truly bring out the emotional effect we experience. Some of these basic elements include volume, choice of chords, and length of notes. Musicians can change the volume of particular parts of their music in ways that can swell to a dramatic climax, be loud or soft majority of the time for a different effect, suddenly change from soft to loud or vice-versa for a “flip the switch” feeling. Another element used is the combination of notes used, which harmonious chords tend to leave a more uplifting feeling compared to clashing notes that give a saddening or serious tone. The length of how long notes are sustained is important for setting the pace of music, as long held notes are melodic and smooth while short notes create a jumpy and often fast paced experience. Without these dynamics music would be comparable to a monotone lecture (which some music made today unfortunately is). The same could be said about film. Without film techniques we may as well watch films that were created with cameras strapped to dogs and infants.The dynamics of music may not be appreciated as heavily because of the length music can be in comparison, but their complexities are similar which I believe is why music and film go hand in hand. They are both emotional trades with film techniques such as lighting, hard/soft cuts, framing, etc, just scratching the surface of emotion production. They are both outlets for storytelling. What good is a story that makes you feel nothing? The Act of Killing, has received praise and criticism on a global scale, and has impacted the parties involved during the history presented by director Joshua Oppenheimer. Presenting the grim history otherwise unknown outside of Indonesia provoked the Indonesian Government to respond claiming the film portrayed their country as a “cruel and lawless nation.” They argue that their country is being unfairly accused because other nations that have also committed genocide are not held for their crimes (Pulver, 2014). However Oppenheimer does not discredit the country because he does not display images against the Government, does not use violence, and uses narrative not from the accounts of biased victims but of the former death squad leaders themselves who are still in power today. The premise of the film was to show how the Indonesian Death Squad leaders of 1965 viewed themselves. Half the time the film was a behind the scenes look of the main character Anwar Congo, and his group of veterans as they produced their own film reenacting scenes from their past with an emphasis on accuracy. What gives the film its’ unique quality is the control the characters have of the narrative. The producers primarily had no control of what the subjects said or what was shown on the account that they were filming seasoned murderers in their natural habitat. It is in their production that self reflection and acknowledgement is shown by the former death squad leaders for their actions. In one of their interrogation scenes, one of the men brought up a point that they made themselves look too cruel. Most of the others were also concerned of their violence, stating that if the Indonesian citizens viewed their scenes it would reverse the propaganda of viewing the Communists and Chinese as cruel enemies.The propaganda created against the communists and Chinese of the 1960’s was largely responsible for the establishment of the current Government of Indonesia. What Oppenheimer does is raise questions instead of negatively connotating Indonesia. Through intellectually montage with the casual interviews about mass murder, friendship between the murder veterans, comedic scenes, murder reenactments, and scenes with family, it invokes the viewer to ask why these men seem so human in speech. Sequencing these scenes in this way creates a surreal experience as the viewers understand that these men have killed thousands of people yet are proud if not boast of their actions. It makes it difficult for the audience to dislike the characters since they are not portrayed as mean people or narrated as villains. This is mainly because they are not acting out a role, but giving their own accounts. The audience also comes to understand that the reason for their behavior is that these men are still in power. In an article written by Oppenheimer of his time while creating The Act of Killing, he made the points that those filmed for committing a crime usually deny or apologize for what they did, and are usually removed from their former position of power. Oppenheimer filmed “perpetrators of genocide who won, who built a regime of terror founded on the celebration of genocide.” Its recent Oscar nomination has caused word to spread on social networks in China, producing outrage against the crimes against their culture. Bloggers demanded the Chinese Government to have these events publicized in Chinese history textbooks. Indonesia also does not teach of these events in their schools. Others proposed boycotting trade and travel against Bali, a city where many of the mass killings took place. The Act of Killing is a unique experience that pulls and tugs at your affinity and/or disgust for these characters. Highly moving and highly recommended. This look into the documentary "Act of War", was created for my Writing for New Media class. The injustice otherwise unknown outside of Hawai’i is personified through the documentary film “Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation.” Released in 1993, Act of War shows the journey of the Hawaiian monarchy to its demise at the hands of foreigners. It shows the results that impacted the Hawaiian people at the time of the film’s release and how these issues are still relevant today. These issues include the ever dwindling Hawaiian population, land ownership, revitalising cultural practices, and raising awareness of the cruel history. The film goes through its’ sequences chronologically. The medium for images changed depending on how far back the events had taken place and what was available during that time period. The first landings of Europeans with Captain Cook were the first events discussed which were shown with illustrations and abstract motions of nature (grass blowing, trees, waves crashing, etc.). These vague images exaggerated the mocking tone of the narrators, and occurred when negative acts were spoken. As time progresses with the story, so does the media used. Slowly portraits and paintings are worked in, interviews with experts, and eventually photographs of actual locations and people are shown. The evolution of recording capabilities marks time periods of events such as foreigners claiming Hawaiian land as the end of use of paintings, or the inception of Pearl Harbor as a military structure displayed with photographs and satirical political comics. The varying use of media keeps viewers engaged visually on top of the already engaging story. I highly recommend this film. Very insightful for those unaware of the native Hawaiian perspective on Hawaii becoming the 50th state of the USA. |
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