Cambodia - old and new

Last night, we were lucky enough to attend an excellent and unusual concert at the German Cultural Centre (Meta House), here in Phnom Penh. It was given by a young Cambodian tenor (pictured here), called Chanthavouth Than Hy, who is studying in Canada. He is visiting the country temporarily to share his skills and give pleasure through his singing.

I like this photograph, (in spite of the blurred effect!), partly because it shows a juxtaposition between old, rural Cambodia and young modern Cambodia. The photo behind is part of an exhibition of photos of Cambodian rural life being held at the centre.

The concert featured western "art music" such as Schumann and Purcell and was accompanied throughout by three local Cambodian pianists (two of whom are my employers at a local music school) . The standard was excellent and they were joined by a guest Japanese countertenor (another rarity here), who had a lovely, full toned voice. All in all, this was a rare and delightful occasion in Phnom Penh and it was encouraging to see and hear young Cambodian musicians performing so well, when so many artistic and intellectual people were killed during the Khmer Rouge era.

The concert ended with songs by the recently deceased King Father of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, followed by some popular western standards. It ended with a rousing rendition of "My Way" which - as you can see by his flamboyant dress - he certainly did!