I remember being brought to local electronics stores as a child and seeing clips of an orchestra playing on the latest big-screen TVs. When we watched TV at home, there would also be ads with orchestra clips in them. These memories stayed at the back of my mind, and as an adult I would 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 something that is divine. Because it requires so much discipline to do well, humans have to transcend being human. To me it represents the highest form of living, and one of the greatest things that humans can create.
Hi! Rini is my given name. I'm a Malaysian in my 30s and an amateur classical musician 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 are on mission impossible to bring good music back to our community. We may or may not achieve our musical vision in our lifetimes, but there will always be a place for music in our lives.
I'm so happy that Neocities is providing a space for the personal web to exist again, and glad to find others who created websites as a form of rebellion against the modern commercialised web.
PS: There is a blue shark hidden somewhere on this site! Clicking on him will bring you to a “secret” page.
LATEST UPDATES
2023.10.03
New layout.
Added a footer with navigation links.
Edited some text everywhere, even on the hidden Blåhaj page which also has a new background.
Added new items, buttons that can filter items by category and slightly modified appearance of Ikea page.
Axed a page and in the process of building a better replacement.
Added one photo but want to add more later.
2023.09.02
I'm not so confident for tonight's concert but it will be okay. Hope to push some updates here this month.
Whilst recordings are a remarkable tool for preservation, classical music is meant to be heard live, preferably in a specialised venue for acoustic instruments. The sonority and reverberation of the collective instruments in that space is what pierces the heart and soul to leave a lasting impression.
Acquaintances, friends, and family who have raved about being impressed by classical music have done so because they've heard a live orchestra perform in a grand hall. Even the best-engineered recordings listened through the best custom hi-fi system cannot replicate the real thing. That said, not everyone can always watch a live performance so recordings are better than nothing. As with any music, it requires repeated listening to develop a sense of familiarity before enjoyment can be derived.
Below is a recording that I really like. The bass has been tastefully exaggerated and was delightfully scary the first time I listened to it through my earphones, especially at about 0:27, 1:45, and 2:55.
Violin Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, BWV 1041: I. Allegro
Elizabeth Wallfisch and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
3.7 MB
Concert Posters
The following poster designs were made entirely using Apple Pages (not recommended) in the days before we bought graphic design software. We also created our own tickets and programme books for most of the concerts. It was usually fun except when there wasn't enough time to develop a design or when borderless designs were printed with borders.
What's So Special About Ahmad Aliff?
Ahmad Aliff is one of the rare humans with calibre and taste who does music for music's sake. In the local circle he is stuck with a reputation for being nothing more than a good violinist, but his talents go much further than that.
Since the first time we met I'd always thought that he would go far, but the reality is quite different. Even though he has already accomplished miracles before he turned 30, I wish he would be given more of a chance and support to exploit his full potential. Good things will come about if more people believed in his dream—you heard it here first.
To what good to have the talent, when one must pass one's life at teaching the infants? -from The Enchanted Castle by E. Nesbit
