Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence – Ryuichi Sakamoto (Arr. Gary Goh)

Not A Clarinet Choir Presents “Journals From Japan”
15 April 2023

Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, also known as “Furyo”, is a 1983 war film about a prisoner-of-war in Japan during World War II. It stars David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano, and Jack Thompson. For the film’s soundtrack, Sakamoto won the 1984 BAFTA Award for Best Film Music as well as the 1984 Mainichi Film Award for Best Film Score. David Sylvian contributed lyrics and vocals on “Forbidden Colours”, a vocal version of the main theme, “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence”. Sakamoto was a well-known composer in film music and a pioneer in electronic music. He passed away just last month in March 2023 after a long battle with cancer.

E-flat Clarinet: Zachary Ng
1st Clarinet: Anzawa Makoto Rey Kwan
2nd Clarinet: Ivan Soh, Saga Salim
3rd Clarinet: Esther Foo, Yan Yixue
Alto Clarinet: Ricco Lim, Tay Qin Yan
Bass Clarinet: Tiffany Lee
Contrabass Clarinet: Alden Tan
Piano: Gary Goh

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Not A Clarinet Choir is a mosaic; a collective of clarinetists from different backgrounds, based in Singapore. As a new group, we aim to explore the possibilities and push the boundaries of clarinet music, with a keen ear for detail, and an open mind for collaboration. We are led by our music director, Brian Lim.

In March 2022 we hosted our first concert to a full house, and we are looking forward to more projects in the future. The group also participated in the recent Singapore International Band Festival 2022, Division Ensemble 1 and clinched the top prize, Gold with Distinction, with the highest score across the entire ensemble division.

Check us out on Instagram at https://bit.ly/notaclarinetchoir

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