IT was a night when the gardens came alive with the sound of music and the grace of dances. For about two hours, the Music in the Park concert had a normally sleepy area of the Penang Botanic Gardens — the Quarry Garden — resonating with the eclectic melodies and performances by 14 groups from around the country.
Held as part of the two-day 1Malaysia Parks and Gardens Carnival over the weekend, the concert on both nights was a blend of Malaysian traditional music, cultural shows and pop jazz performances.
Though getting to the event venue entailed a short hike, the crowd didn’t seem to mind as they took their seats in anticipation.
Under the moonlit and starry sky on the first night on Saturday, an ensemble from the 1Malaysia Boria Festival got proceedings underway with a Boria Pulau Pinang performance that drove home a message about preserving the environment.
That was followed up by pop jazz routines by local band The Romantique, which had some in the crowd humming along.
Next came the Indian bharathanathiyam and Chinese prosperity dances by the Kalai Kaali Nadana Aleya and the Arts of Siang cultural groups respectively, with dancers looking resplendent in their colourful and elaborate costumes.
Local flair was abundant in the Malaysian Ethnic Showcase by dancers from Sabah, Sarawak and Penang, whilst another ensemble calling themselves the Kumpulan Dondang Sayang put on their namesake routine.
Other melodic highlights included indie and Borneo contemporary music ‘Kulintangan dan Buluh’ and ‘Muzik Orang Asli’, and performances by several local bands.