Somtow will make a rare appearance as a pianist in works by John Cage
... from fully notated pieces for prepared piano to four-piano
extravaganzas that have the pianist running from instrument to
instrument to bizarre music for toy piano and the notorious 4'33" of
silence, Somtow will play it all ... and more.
John Cage's 4'33" has not been performed in Bangkok for 30 years —
30 years exactly, since Somtow Sucharitkul first performed it in 1978
as part of his Asian Composers Expo 78. This is a very special
concert of modern classical music, including other famous Cage works.
It is also an extraordinary theatrical event where you can see and
hear the famous Thai composer performing the famous American
avant garde performer.
John Cage is seen by many as the most important American composer of
the 20th century. Like meditations, his works draw attention to the
essence of music and sound. Like meditations, they are simple and
very complex at the same time. Listening to John Cage is an
experience you will never forget.
One2, written for Singaporean pianist Margaret Leng Tan, is a piece
for one player and one to four pianos that are transformed into sound
sculptures where sustained resonances coalesce and gradually
disappear. The result is an extraordinary sonic landscape, and a
unique work in Cage's oeuvre.
Suite for Toy Piano (only played on the instrument's nine white keys)
is a charming and technically demanding work for that slightly unusual
concert instrument — yes it is a REAL toy piano.
Silence, or 4' 33" (the suggested but not obligatory length of the
piece) was John Cage's favourite work. It was inspired by Cage's
visit to Harvard's anechoic chamber, designed to eliminate all sound;
but instead of promised silence Cage heard the pulse of his blood and
the high pitched singing of his nervous system. Although the
performer does not produce any sounds from the piano, this piece is
not silent at all. In fact, the audience will hear many sounds. Cage
breaks traditional boundaries by shifting attention from the stage to
the audience and even beyond the concert hall. This is very personal
music, created by each listener. It's the ultimate sing-along: the
audience (and the world) becomes the performer.
Somtow Sucharitkul is the artistic director of the Bangkok Opera,
founded in 2001. He has conducted Wagner, Mozart, Verdi and
contemporary Asian music. Somtow Sucharitkul is a well known composer
himself whose operas have transformed the music scene of South East
Asia. 30 years ago he introduced avant garde music to Thailand and
founded the Thai Composers' Association. His 1975 composition Views
from the Golden Mountain was the first to combine Thai and Western
instruments into new sonorities.
For tickets (800 baht (VIP), 500 baht, 200 baht for students) and
information
please call the Bangkok Opera
Tel: +66 (0) 2663-3236 (from 10.00-18.00)
E-mail navy_horn@hotmail.com
Web site: www.bangkokopera.com
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