In true Thai tradition

BACK AT LONDON’S Royal Albert Hall tonight 130 years after traditional Siamese tunes were first performed by a 19-member orchestra in front of Queen Victoria, Thailand is staging a classical masked-dance gala that will mark a new chapter in Thai performance art.
 Staged by a 60-member-troupe from the Fine Arts Department in front of an estimated audience of 2,500 people and hosted by Culture and Foreign Affairs ministries, the khon performance is being organised as part of the year-long programme of events in Thailand, China and the UK marking the 60th birthday of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
“According to historical records, the 19-member orchestra led by Mr Kram and Mr Plaek performed at various London venues during 1884 and 1885. It was the first Thai troupe to put on a show at the Royal Albert Hall,” explains Apinan Poshyanand, general director of the Culture Ministry, as he shows the Thai media around the historical hall the day before the show.
“More importantly, the band was given the chance to perform in front of Queen Victoria at her summer palace. The queen, who played the flute, was very impressed, when the orchestra played ‘God Save the Queen’. The record notes that Queen Victoria talked to Plaek, a player of the Thai flute, and commented that the Siamese musicians had beautifully adjusted Thai instruments to fit the Western-style music,” Apinan says.
Using this historical record as his base, Apinan met the Royal Albert Hall’s director last year to prepare this big celebration.
The 90-minute-show has been designed with a foreign audience in mind. The presentation is modern, showcasing the beautiful costumes and features English surtitles.
The dancers will perform an episode from the Ramayana and is overseeing the performance inspired by the lotus for this special show.
The Princess will not attend the show. However, Deputy Prime Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn and Thailand’s ambassador to the UK, Kittiphong Na Ranong, will preside over the event.
The performance will be followed by a showcase of Thai cinema from next Thursday through June 27 at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ Princess Anne Theatre. Last year’s hit romantic drama “Teacher’s Diary” will open the event. “The Scar”, “Somboon”, “TYG 2”, “Ghost Coins”, “Concrete Clouds”, and “The Story of Mahajanaka” will also be screened. “Teacher’s Diary” actress Chermarn “Ploy” Boonyasak, and director Nithiwat Tharatorn will join the festival. Sir David Puttnam, producer of the 1984 made-in-Thailand Oscar-winner “The Killing Fields” will be one of the VIP guests.
The Princess will be in London in November to open “Thailand Eye”, an exhibition of Thai contemporary art at the Saatchi Gallery
“I met Saatchi's chief executive Nigel Hurst last year to discuss the Thai show,” Apinan says. “Contemporary Thai art can be seen in London at the Buddhapadipa Temple in Wimbledon, which boasts murals by National Artists Chalermchai Kositpipat and Panya Vijinthanasarn, painted in 1984 and '85.”
Co-curated by Hurst and Apinan, the one-month show will feature works by 25 artists. The gallery will also publish a book covering the works of some 70 contemporary Thai artists and this will be launched at the opening.
After its run in London, “Thailand Eye” will move in March to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
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