Fairy Brass「銅」話故事 (2000)

Commissioned by the City Brass.  Story by the City Brass

When guys & gals start dating each other, so often that’s not just a fair and simple play.  Many will try to make trouble of which may quite often be harmful to all.  In this story, the pair of young lovers can eventually showed by their true love, made their break-through against the awful temptation, finally walking hand-in-hand into the church and welcoming a warm & touching ending.  As in this music drama, no lyrics will be sung but just instrumental music playing and acting by the fellow players, you then may have to use your imagination to realize and follow the play.

Members of the ensemble created the story and more, down to every detail.  The music is written in stylish kinds of collage of light music, jazz, religious hymn and pop of which all pasted into a functional and descriptive piece of music to go with the story and the acting.  You may find lyrical melodies lead by different instruments, disturbing harmonies by the ensemble, 2- and 3-part writings etc.  Also, Joseph Barnby’s ‘O Perfect Love, All Human Thought Transcending (1889)’ and another re-arranged hymn ‘I will follow Him’ are borrowed here for the scene.

A simple and straightforward plot with 5 distinct characters and scenes makes quite a difficult time and much restriction for the composer.  With only 5 players, acting while memorizing the parts and play, we then have to consider the use of individual instrument, the texture of the music, mixture of timbre, placement of the harmonies or implied harmonies, forms and repetitions, co-ordination of the music with the scene, settings and lightings requirements for the story and lastly we still have to ask “how to make the scene looks and sounds alive” and “would it be easy to be memorized?”  Through all co-operative hardship, we joyously achieved this latest production and proudly show you our Fairy Brass.

故事內容 : 城市銅管樂團（城市銅管樂團委約作品）

以「情比金堅」四字來形容「銅」話故事，最為適合不過；故事背景回到香港的五、六十年代（亦正是歐西輕音樂、流行音樂及爵士樂最為香港普羅大眾所接受的音樂文化的年代），一對年輕男女談情說愛、共約郊遊之際，卻出現第三者的誘惑及衝擊，但仍不為所動；及至第四者的出現，那對年輕男女才再有機會走在一起，終於四方和氣大團圓收場，兩對新人共諧連理，最後終能再隨著詩班的歌聲，齊歡唱地步入教堂。觀眾可輕鬆地從純音樂的表達方式及各樂手精湛的演技，來會意劇情的發展。

由純銅管樂器演奏的音樂劇（music drama）「銅」話故事的內容、大綱以至故事發展、各細節、動作、演繹，皆由城市銅管樂團各成員共同構思定案，再由游元慶以輕音樂、爵士樂及聖詩等手法，為配合故事不同的場次撰寫配樂，當中並借用了Joseph Barnby於1889年所寫的聖詩O Perfect Love, All Human Thought Transcending（完全的愛）及另一首經改編的聖詩 ‘I will follow Him’。

故事內容看似簡單直接，但單以一個銅管五重奏來表現不同的角色、角色間之關係、錯縱的感情表現、情景等等，對作曲者來說的確有很大限制，加上當樂手們現場背誦樂譜演奏之同時，亦利用身體語言在演戲，故在寫作時在樂器上的運用、音色層次的組合及變化、音樂上的織體、和聲的配置、時間上如何將音樂配合劇情及動作、易於背誦與否等多方面，皆需多加考慮及遷就，予以增刪，經多月來的共同努力，「銅」話故事終於與觀眾們見面了。