Capping off the busy weekend going from place to place, I went to Axon inside Green Sun Makati last November 10 to witness perhaps another first in my life.
The Melody Road 2019 Chamber Orchestra Concert Series gathered anime fans young and old for a night of anime nostalgia, playing pieces from the classics such as Howl’s Moving Castle, Digimon, and even Kimi no Na wa.
While I did miss the first part (I had to juggle a lot of schedules, my apologies), I soldiered on to reach Green Sun just in time for the second part of the show. I also saw familiar faces there, which is a bonus.
The Diapason Grand Piano from Pianos.ph used for Melody Road 2019 Anime Feature
Nobody saw the venue getting almost jam-packed, not even the organizers, considering that Axon is the second venue for the 18-piece chamber Radical Dreemers who are already performing classical interpretations of anime songs prior to this. Joining them is a 10-piece choir who gave solemnity to the rest of the ensemble.
Their set list is a mix of Studio Ghibli, 90’s anime and the current hit titles such as Kimetsu no Yaiba, among others. Speaking of, I didn’t realize that Mayden Ong was there. Sure, I met her on events where Team OKE Gakuen is active, but seeing her as part of this ensemble was something that I didn’t expect.
Aside from the concert, we have Wisteria House, Haze, Roshee Sushi Design and DVF Dairy Farm to entertain guests while the orchestra is on intermission.
I sat beside Allen from The Reimaru Files (he was a guest in the podcast alongside Mr. Reimaru himself, Chad Ramos), who tells me that “Kamado Tanjiro no Uta” (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) is a spectacle – so I waited for it.
The composition itself is solemn, but watching the strings move their violin, viola, cello, whatever instrument they had in hand– it felt another sight to me. I was in suspense, thinking if the orchestra can pull it off gracefully, and so they did. The solemn song has been made more solemn as it is being performed in person.
The event’s beneficiary is Edicute Inc., and a percentage of the proceeds from this event will support the organization’s efforts to hold their outreach program for the indigenous peoples of Abra de Ilog Occidental Mindoro, just before the year ends.
I ended up staying for a while, having a discussion with the people behind the event. They were all wearing their smiles and here I was talking about my musical preferences – from Aimi’s “Konomama, Zutto” which is the other track in the BEN-TO opening single, to the Hideyuki Fukasawa (深澤秀行) track “The Scent of the Tides,” part of the Vividred Operation soundtrack.
I went for the music and stayed for the company. That’s what Melody Road 2019 is to me. It’s not just a night of classical music.
This brings me to the sad part where they told their partners that its organizer Independent Play “will not be producing the Video Game Feature of the concert series,” due to unfortunate reasons:
You know the feeling of seeing the spark up close, enjoying it, and then all of a sudden it was gone. It was a solemn occurrence, so to say.
On a positive note, I was listening and watching the orchestra with an almost jam-packed crowd, which definitely enjoyed every arrangement being strung up. I was not alone in appreciating the careful handiwork of an 18-piece orchestra. I was not alone in feeling the solemnity of the 10-piece choir.
It felt like a moment of solace. The day has ended – and as I was going home, I told myself, “these people owe me one.” Looking forward to meeting them soo– ok, so I’m updating this piece as they did continue the Video Game Feature on their own.
Radical Dreemers will hold their Melody Road 2019 Video Game Feature at Manila Pianos inside Ronac Lifestyle Center at the end of Paseo de Magallanes in Makati City, still on December 08, 2019.
Reserve seats are limited, so it’s best to get one by clicking the button below. This will direct you to their registration form.