Charlotte and the Music-Maker

Charlotte was a little girl. But she was no ordinary little girl.

She didn't have eyes that sparkled blue like the sea.

She didn't have hair that was as silky as a newborn's bottom.

If you looked at her closely enough, she looked like any other little girl, anywhere.

But what was so special about little Charlotte was not her appearance, or her disposition. Rather it was something that happened on the very day that little Charlotte came into our world.

Her mother went into labour on an ordinary day, in an ordinary hospital. The doctor was there, right on schedule, and the entire process of delivering baby Charlotte into the world went smoothly without any problems at all.

But a tiny frown appeared on the good doctor's brow when, after snipping off baby Charlotte's umbilical cord, there was only silence in the delivery room.

Hmmm, the good doctor said.

What's wrong? Charlotte's parents asked.

The baby, he replied. The doctor reflected on all his previous successful baby deliveries. All babies cry. Why didn't this one? he wondered to himself.

The eyes of the good doctor and both Charlotte's parents were anxiously fixed on the little bundle of cloth in the bassinet beside the bed. Charlotte's eyes were opened wide, staring back at the good doctor and her parents as if she were wondering what the fuss was all about.

They waited for baby Charlotte to open her sweet red mouth wide and howl and cry like any ordinary baby would.

But, Charlotte was not an ordinary little girl, was she now?

Baby Charlotte blinked twice. She crinkled her little button nose. She stretched forth her tiny little hands with her tiny delicate fingers forward. Then, her tiny mouth widened ever so slowly, and the good doctor and Charlotte's parents held their breath...

Here it comes, the good doctor thinks.

Here it comes, Charlotte's parents think.

But instead of crying, Charlotte opens her sweet red mouth wide and says:

Bap-bap-dee-do-bap-bap bap-bap-dee-do-bap-bap

The good doctor and baby Charlotte's parents look at each other and frown.

Now that was anything but ordinary, wasn't it?

And that is why little Charlotte was no ordinary little girl.

************

That was the beginning of the story for the concert put on by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) that I went to watch on the 8th of May 2010 (Saturday) at KLCC :)

The story instantly drew me in. The narrator/storyteller Peter Duschenes, was also extremely talented. His facial expressions made me curious, interested, even amused. His speaking in rhymes as he told the story was an interesting detail to take note of as well. :)

And as our little protagonist explored her musical abilities and discovered the beauty of orchestra, we the audience, went along with her.

The orchestra made for the background music and performed pieces within the story itself. They were good, the music dipping and soaring in tandem with the progression of the story. The strings especially were heartwarming to listen to.

At one point of the story, a particularly emotional one, the violins had come in and somehow, their music brought tears to my eyes. It is amazing how these instruments hold the power to tug and pull your heart strings and bring forth emotions within you in ways you never thought possible in their body of wood and steel strings.

When little Charlotte had sulked and stormed out of the house all by herself only to be caught in a wicked snow storm, and she was hopelessly lost in the heavy snow and terrified of losing her way home for good, my eyes flitted close. The music, the orchestra...I could sense her fear, the evil in the menacing winds as they tugged her in all directions, the blinding snow. I could actually feel it in the chord progressions, the melody, the hum of the instruments.

It was a strange but exhilarating experience !

When the hour was up and the final chord was struck, I wished it would not come to an end. The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra was good (although, based on the program book, majority of them were foreigners) conducted by Matthew Coorey. I was completely impressed with Peter Duschenes (who is also the Artistic Director and Writer) and Alain Trudel, the composer. The narration was wonderful (I know writing words in rhyme is not as easy as it seems !) and the storyline was great !

This was definitely a valuable experience. Thanks to Ms. Chen (or Mrs. Tee now :P) who invited my family and I to go along with her and the kids of Melody Music School to go watch the MPO perform in KLCC.

(Oh, Ms. Chen's daughter was oh-so-adorable ! She's four. And a smart little thing !)

(Ms. Chen told my mum this, who told Kit, who told me. Her daughter was in one of the classes and she was being very talkative and naughty. So Ms. Chen reprimanded her see, like any good mum would. Told her that she must be quiet and listen to the teacher. If the teacher tells her to keep quiet, she must keep quiet. If the teacher tells her to sit down she must sit down. Do you know what her daughter's response was? "So, if teacher asked me to climb a tree, I must climb la?" OMG. So cute ! Well, to that, Ms. Chen replied, "Well, if there's a tree nearby, then yes.")

(Isn't her daughter such a darling? Wow. And her logic is hilarious. Oh, she's a smart one, you can tell. She's gonna be a smart one :P)

Although the performance was sort of a kids' show, it was interesting to say the least. And for me, there was hardly a dull moment !

Oh, I wish there were more performances like these ! :)