Rini.Neocities
What Classical Music Means To Me
I remember seeing clips of orchestras playing in ads on TV in my childhood, and I wondered why, because those ads never had anything to do with music. As an adult, I would finally come to realise that orchestras are used in commercials because they represent a high standard of quality, or so I think.
To produce a single person who can play an instrument to a level of mastery takes years of dedication, anguish, and some divine intervention. A great orchestra is made up of 60, 80, 100 musicians who have all reached that nigh-impossible standard. It is akin to any technological marvel, whether it is the 1800s or the 2020s.
Classical music to me is a high art. Because it requires so much discipline to do well, humans have to transcend being human. Coming from a place where mediocrity is often celebrated, classical music at its best reminds me that people can, and do, strive to create things of beauty.
Thank you for visiting! My name is Rini, and I'm a 30-something amateur classical musician in Malaysia who likes playing in chamber ensembles. To be frank, though, there's nothing extraordinary about my musical abilities. My husband, Ahmad Aliff, is the real deal. The two of us may not achieve our musical ambitions in our lifetimes, but there will always be a place for music in our lives.
I'm happy that there has somewhat been a revival of the personal web, and glad to find others who created websites as a form of expression and rebellion against the commercialised web.
PS: There is a blue shark hidden somewhere on this site! Clicking on him will bring you to a “secret” page.
A Dedication
Depending on who you ask, Ahmad Aliff is either a violinist, conductor, composer, producer, orchestrator, arranger, violin teacher, or, in fact, all of the above. In this cultural desert of an environment, he's accomplished miraculous feats that witnesses take for granted. Sadly, the fiery passion that burned in him has been extinguishing over years of apathy and neglect. It is my humble life's wish that he would one day be appreciated for his deeds.
To what good to have the talent, when one must pass one's life at teaching the infants?
-from The Enchanted Castle, E Nesbit
Notable Efforts
Became the first Malaysian to publish an original work on IMSLP, the online music score library, where it is freely accessible. It would be great to make a proper recording with professional musicians, but as it stands, our amateur premiere is published on YouTube.
Formed and directed a volunteer orchestra. Made up of music teachers, students, hobbyists, and occasional guest musicians, the orchestra put out six concerts over three years. The project is discontinued, but it managed to achieve its short-term goals.
Commissioned to compose two theme songs. Both ‘Bersama’ and ‘Warisanku’ ended up showcasing Aliff's literary skills as a lyricist and exceeding his own expectations as a songwriter. Bonus: ‘Lagu Covid-19’ was also a fun song that was meant to be a parody as well as an outlet of frustration.
One of Aliff's violin covers was somehow trending somewhere, and became his most popular video with over 24k views at the time of writing. See also: Our performance of ‘Lascia ch'io pianga’.