Blades and baritones

The 15th edition of the annual Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance and Music got underway 10 days ago with five performances of the Imperial Ice Stars’ “The Nutcracker”. The ice dance extravaganza proved to be a crowd-pleaser and set a friendly tone for the shows to follow during this month-long event.
British director Tony Mercer made deft use of scores of award-winning Russian skaters and managed to retell this classic story in less than two hours of performance time that was filled with frequent applause for the athletic skills that were blended with theatrical artistry in loops, axles, spirals and spins. A special treat for the audiences, most of whom knew the story by heart, was the use of aerial acrobatics, which made the performance more entertaining vertically as well as horizontally.
However, the five shows were not sold out, perhaps a reflection that Bangkok’s audiences are now demanding more from this festival and sending out a plea to witness firsthand more of the theatrical experiments being tried around the world.
That said, Moscow’s Helikon Opera’s “Les Contes d’Hoffmann” on Tuesday and “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” on Thursday were two of the most memorable opera productions I’ve watched at this festival. In his staging, director Dmitry Bertman not only captured the spirit of the two very different operas, but also managed to connect them to the contemporary audience.
And even though I was forced to struggle through rainy evening traffic on both evenings, I remained glued to my seat and mesmerised by the immaculate combination of various forms of visual and performing arts. Both operas were filled with delightful surprises in dramatic interpretation and performed with the notion that opera is as much a theatrical as a musical art form. The singers mastered the notes as well as the characterisation and the emotional expression and the stage actions, especially by the vibrant chorus members, made both stories more engaging and poignant. The sets and costumes were ingeniously designed with both practicality and artistry – although the former looked like they were about to collapse at some moments.
It’s noteworthy that the attendance for “d’Hoffmann” was much lower than that for “Siviglia”, but that should not discourage the festival organiser from continuing on this road less travelled rather than go back to picking traditional stagings of all-time favourites like “Madama Butterfly”. The loud and long applause after both operas provides solid proof that after 15 years of watching opera at this festival, the expectations of the Bangkok crowd are ready to be challenged.

Five performances, five countries, six days

Tonight, the Indian embassy brings in Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra from New Delhi and they will perform excerpts from “Ramayana”. Tickets cost from Bt500 to Bt1,500.
On Wednesday, the Portuguese embassy upports the Thailand premiere of Quorum Ballet who will dance to live fado music in “Correr o Fado”. Tickets are from Bt600 to Bt1,800.
On Thursday, the Embassy of Netherlands will host three Dutch jazz bands— The Dutch College Swing Band, The Beets Brothers and Jazzkia Group. Thailand’s Koh Mr. Saxman jams with the second. Tickets are from Bt600 to Bt2,000.
On Friday, the Italian embassy presents the Orchestra Teatro Regio di Parma who will perform Verdi’s opera highlights. Tickets are from Bt700 to Bt2,500.
On Saturday, the Embassy of Argentina will present Inaki Urlezaga Dance Theatre whose double-bill includes “Carmen Suite” and “Aires de Tango”. Tickets are from Bt 700 to Bt 2,500.
n All performances start at 7:30pm at the Thailand Cultural Centre. Shuttle buses are available from MRT Thailand Cultural Centre, exit 1. Tickets are available at ThaiTicketMajor. Visit www.BangkokFestivals.com.
 

Our winners

Ramayana
Tarin Prinyaknit and Sorawis Chinsangthip were the first to provide a correct answer to a question on the performance of “Ramayana” by Shriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra. Contact Khun Prea (081) 810 1799 before collecting your tickets at the door. Bring along your national ID along with a photocopy.

Romeo and Juliet
Usa Limprasert and Lee Tempest were the first to tell us that Sarawanee “Pik” Tanatanit shared the stage in “Ramakien: A Rak Opera” with Sek Loso in New York City. We will mail the tickets to your home.