A symphonic twist in celebrating traditional music legacies

Guest vocalists (from left) Asmidar, Haziq and Yusni taking on the traditional favourites at the 'Simfoni Budaya: Keroncong And Ghazal' show at the DFP last Saturday. Photo: MPO

In a captivating concert, classical music and traditional Malay music seamlessly merged on the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas (DFP) stage last Saturday, giving the 800-strong batik-wearing crowd a night to remember.

The Simfoni Budaya: Keroncong And Ghazal show, a pet project for Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) conductor Ahmad Muriz Che Rose and his team of song arrangers, was a chance for the classical concert scene here to open up its repertoire, embracing the delicate sway of keroncong and the rhythmic allure of the ghazal genre.