At this time every year the Thailand Cultural Centre hosts a series of performances from overseas. The website can be found on the link below and I will post many of the events on this thread.
BANGKOK'S FOURTEENTH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF DANCE & MUSIC
PERFORMANCES:
Mon 10 September & Tues 11 September
Virsky National Dance Company, Ukraine
Breathtaking and thrilling folk dance ensemble with over 60 dancers.
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 3,000/2,400/1,800/1,400/700 Baht
Wed 12 September
Seven Kings/Gypsy Kings,
Rumba and salsa traditions,
A generation-spanning family of virtuosos who are proud torchbearers of gypsy culture.
When they released their self-titled debut album in 1987, they scored a huge international hit
with "Bamboleo". In America alone that album spent 40 weeks at the top of the charts.
Since then the Kings have never stopped touring singing to the world and to great acclaim.
Fast forward a few decades and they remain a family affair, as two of the old stars
from the Gypsy Kings take the stage with their sons in the Seven Kings.
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 2,800/2,200/1,700/1,300/700 Baht
Fri 14 September & Sat 15 September
Blaze, The Netherlands
A multimedia spectacle and nonstop dance show that unites 16 of the best street-dancers and breakdancers from around the world.
It has been created by a team of artistic director, choreographers and technical team, who have worked with names such as Kanye West, Lady Gaga, Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake, Madonna, Missy Elliot, The Black Eyed Peas, Take That, Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, and on productions as diverse as Batman Live, Sister Act, and Mamma Mia.
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/700 Baht
Mon 17 September
Ramayana by Orissa Dance Company, India
One of India's greatest epics, Ramayana or Ramakien as it is known in Thailand dates back approximately to the 5th to 4th century BC. The epic poem has ruled the performance arts in India and South East Asia for at least 2000 years. The epic's origins are in India and Hinduism, but over the centuries the story has crossed seas and mountains, languages and religions, and is still a living performance tradition today.
Orissa Dance Company one of the most recognized and highly rated Indian Classical dance companies is known for their rendition of the Ramayana. In Bangkok the dancers will use all nine moods or rasas intrinsic to Indian classical dance to narrate an episode from Ramayana.
A rare opportunity to see the original Ramayana.
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 1,500/1,200/1,000/800/500 Baht
Wed 19 September
Quasar Dance Company, Brazil
Based in Central Brazil, this multi international award-winning dance company has achieved a place on the international dance scene while changing the history of of dance in Brazil.
On a surreal stage set, they will perform their 22nd production 'Up in the Mouth', leading audience to a possible paradise, swaying between density and lightness through the unique language developed by the group and surprising selections of music.
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 2,000/1,500/1,200/1,000/600 Baht
Fri 21 September
Baltic Dance Theatre, Poland perform Rite of Spring, with Stravinsky's music interpreted by legendary Venezuelan Gustavo Dudamel Orchestra which is their most spectacular success. Critics acclaimed perfect choreography and excellent BNDT ensemble which stormed Poland's dance scene.
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 2,200/1,700/1,400/1,200/700 Baht
Sun 23 September
An exciting contemporary dance performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons.
With their new interpretation of Vivaldi's masterpiece, the Four Seasons, this Rome-based dance company has combined multimedia effects with original music tracks. .
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 2,000/1,500/1,200/1,000/600 Baht
Thurs 27 September
Carmen Opera, Russia
Composer: Georges Bizet
This romantic tragedy with its themes of love, betrayal and passion that can kill.
Performing with 190 members, the Russian orchestra will bring out all the drama and musical subtleties of this tale of a hot-blooded gypsy woman who ends up in the middle of a love triangle.
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 4,500/3,500/2,800/2,000/1,000 Baht
If I get time I'll post the rest of the festival but this information is all available via the link I gave above.
Last edited by Chang; 3rd September 2012 at 18:49.
Migrated
Monday's performance of the Ramayana was interesting.
I was in the same seating area as Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and the display of military top brass and press around her was a show all in itself.
Last edited by Chang; 19th September 2012 at 07:36.
Date: Fri 28 September
Symphony Concert
Chelyabinsk State Symphony Orchestra, Russia
Conductor: Anton Grishanin
Pianist: Anastasia Goldberg
Tchaikovsky: Romeo & Juliet;
Rachmaninov: The Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra
Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 'From the New World'
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 2,500/2,000/1,600/1,200/700 Baht
This concert was a good standard, as is usual for these annual festivals, and once again Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn attended.
The scheduled Tchaikovsky performance was full of expression and colour, as is to be expected of a competent Russian orchestra.
The same could not be said, sadly, of the Rachmaninov which was a tad "ordinary". People were even checking their mobile phones during this performance. There wasn't anything technically wrong with it, but frankly it lacked any real inspiration.
During the interval the piano was removed since it has no role in the Dvořák but our first hint of the evening's encore could be seen in the presence of the harp which is equally redundant.
The New World symphony was, I thought, going to be the evening's masterpiece. The conductor drew the entire range from his orchestra; it is a piece he clearly understands well and the applause was deserved, well maybe not by the harpist who slid back on stage, unannounced, during the applause. Glory hunters these harpists....
The encore was this evening's star performance as we were treated to a remarkably rich presentation of Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers complete with harp.
All this for Thb 1,200
Tues 2 October & Wed 3 October
Swan Lake, Ballet.
Staatsballett Berlin 120-member dance troupe accompanied by 72 musicians
Performance time: 19.30
Doors open: 19.00
Ticket Price: 4,500/3,500/2,800/2,000/1,000 Baht
Her Royal Highness is my favourite Princess. She works so hard and is always taking notes on things that she sees as she travels around.
Bite off more than you can chew, then chew like buggery! (Peter Brock 05)
Thanks for the report
Have been meaning to go to one of these events...
Which seats do you think represent the best value?
Just returned from Swan Lake which is well worth seeing. I shall write a report ASAP but there are some outstanding performances with the general choreography being remarkably precise. Maybe it's a German thing...
Some elements of the audience should be shot.
We had babies crying (really your 1 year old isn't going to appreciate Tchaikovsky)
Someone's mobile phone {which had a ring tone similar to a fire alarm) went off.
In my seating row there was a guy rocking back and forth causing the entire seating to move, whilst humming along to the music.
I have no idea why the people to my left went since they spent the entire performance viewing their mobile phones. I do hope they reached the next level on whatever game has transfixed them all.
As for seating I recommend the ThB 2,000 price seats on level 2 which is the same area as the Royal box. The high priced seats are a take-on.
For future reference it is important with the ballet performances to look for the name of the orchestra, or at least the conductor. About three years ago the Thai Cultural Centre presented a ballet ... to recorded music. No live orchestra. It was abysmal. With a live performance there is a continuous interaction between conductor and performers which you cannot have with a recording, and consequently the performance was very slightly out of sync with the music. It truly resembled nails on a chalk-board.
The orchestra is as good as the performers and, important for Tchaikovsky, the brass have taken the time and trouble to warm their instruments prior to the performance. The result is a smooth polished performance from the very first note.
Last edited by Chang; 3rd October 2012 at 08:20.
...and very popular with the Thai people.Originally Posted by Big Bill
thanks for giving information of these events. will definitely try to go one of these event.
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Cockwipe.
"Take this, brother; may it serve you well."
There's a "New Year's Day" Viennese-style concert at the Thailand Cultural Centre .. on 27th December at 8pm.
Strauss waltzes, Blue Danube, Radetzky March etc. performed by the Siam Sinfonietta.
Free to anyone who can figure out how to get hold of tickets. Until yesterday they had no f...ing idea what the programme was going to be.
Ballet in Thailand, wonderful news!
I shall provide a more detailed review later but the "First Annual New Year Concert" was a superb evening and I feel certain it will receive glowing reviews in the Press.
The conductor, Somtow Sucharitkul, oozed class and did his best to inject the element of humour that characterises this style of concert, but for me the real masterpiece was right at the beginning.
Having got the audience on its feet with the first bar of the National Anthem he turned to the audience and indicated to them to sing, and I found myself surrounded by a thousand or so Thais all singing their National Anthem.
These concerts are going to be very popular in future.
Posting Permissions
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Bookmarks