With themed concerts, iconic film scores and local heritage, Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra keeps classics fresh with a modern twist

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 3 — Who says that an orchestra’s sole purpose is to play classical music?

The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) certainly doesn’t think so.

For MPO, embracing new approaches in their performances has brought a new breath of life, especially in the post-Covid-19 era.

This includes adding contemporary shows and concerts that celebrate Malaysian heritage, while staying true to their orchestral roots.

MPO are doing their best in getting new audiences, including by having a musical symphony for children based on children’s book ‘Peter and the Wolf’, which was narrated by famous local content creator Ceddy Ang. — Picture courtesy of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Keeping up with the times

Talking to Malay Mail, the MPO and Dewan Filharmonik Petronas’ (DFP) chief executive officer Hassina Begam Abdul Gani said the Covid-19 pandemic prompted them to go back to the drawing board.

Before Covid-19, Hassina said nearly 90 per cent of MPO’s concerts focused on classical music, yet attendance only filled about half of the DFP hall.

As Malaysia’s premier orchestral group, MPO realised it needed to adapt its business model to keep up with the times while still preserving their core purpose.

“Why classical is still important because it measures how good a musician is based on their skill in playing classical pieces,” Hassina said.

“We still maintain it because it’s part of our objective, which is to make classical music accessible to the public and to develop local talents in the orchestra.

“That’s our role but when we do classical, it is very limiting for us I would say because classical music only attracts certain people,” Hassina said.

‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ is MPO’s most recent take on their film in concert series which started in 2010. — Picture courtesy of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Expanding the repertoire to showbiz

Since 2022, MPO has balanced classical music with themed concerts, which has increased its audience reach and boosted attendance.

The ‘Music of’ series, where the MPO performs scores from iconic films and animations, has become one of their most popular concert series, according to Hassina.

Although MPO had done similar concerts before the pandemic, the current approach has intensified the focus on audience demand.

The series has included music by John Williams, featuring timeless scores from the Star Wars films, and by Hans Zimmer, known for his iconic work on the Batman trilogy and Inception.

“Last year, when we did the ‘Music of Hans Zimmer’, we had to do four shows, with concerts sold out even on a Thursday night,” Hassina said.

Japanese animation music has also been a hit, with MPO’s upcoming ‘Symphonic Ghibli’ concert selling out its presale tickets in hours, prompting an extension from two shows to four.

Taking place this November 15 and 16 and December 6 and 7, the ‘Symphonic Ghibli’ concert will feature scores from Japan’s beloved and award-winning Studio Ghibli animated film classics such as Howl’s Moving Castle and Spirited Away.

“These are ways we attract people to the hall, while also educating them about music.

“We want to give people something they actually want, and these shows offer exactly that,” Hassina added.

The MPO’s recent take on the film-in-concert series, which involves performing an entire film score live alongside a screening, has also been a success.

Its most recent film-in-concert event, featuring Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, saw four sold-out shows.

“This kind of concert is actually very challenging to our musicians because the film is almost three hours long, whereas in normal concerts, you’d only need to play for around 90 minutes with an intermission in between.

However, licensing and copyright fees add extra costs to the productions, Hassina noted.

“But the movie screening still has its benefit as it is commercially viable and it is attracting a lot of new audiences,” she said.

MPO presents the ‘Sounds of Borneo’ concert, which features homegrown singers including Marsha Milan, Velvet Aduk and sape player Alena Murang. — Picture courtesy of the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

Moving out of the box

In addition to themed concerts, MPO also promotes Malaysian music culture with its Malaysian heritage series.

Earlier this year, MPO’s Simfoni Budaya concert series highlighted keroncong and ghazal music, while the ‘Sounds of Borneo’ concert in September featured local artistes Marsha Milan, Velvet Aduk and sape player Alena Murang.

The contemporary approach has led to a 100 per cent increase in subscribers, but Hassina said MPO needs at least four sold-out shows to generate revenue, given that DFP seats only around 900 people.

“We need to keep up with the trends and be innovative. If not, we risk becoming plain boring.

“We want people to see that we’re doing something new here as well,” Hassina said.