Burmese Spring

Left to right: Nyo Ohn Myint, a member of the National League for Democracy’s government in exile; Larry Jagan, a journalist specializing in Burma and an acknowledged Burma expert; Justin Wintle, a British academic, author and journalist who is an expert on Southeast Asia; Zaw Oo, a Burmese economist.

Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. Bangkok. November 23, 2011. The FCCT assembled a panel of knowledgeable experts to analyze the recent important political events in Burma, such as, the adoption of a constitution in 2008, parliamentary elections in 2010, the return of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi to politics, the agreement of ASEAN for Burma to become its chair in 2014, and the visit next month of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Burma, the first by a US Secretary of State in 50 years. There seemed to be agreement among the panelists that what has come out of last year’s elections is heartening.

Burma’s constitution was devised by the military, the elections were not free, and the military remains very much in charge of the country and is willing to put a stop to reforms if they go too fast and too far. Still, the elected parliament is functioning and the military is no longer the only voice being heard in the country. There are an increasing number of political bloggers and people are not afraid to speak out.

The panelists seemed to be at one with the notion that the West and the rest of the world should be willing to engage Burma and end its pariah status, but not push it too hard, which could cause a military backlash. Lifting sanctions on a step-by-step basis as political prisoners are released, for instance, was suggested.

All panelists supported the proposition that the key to political freedom and progress in Burma, was a decrease in the terrible poverty experienced by all but a politically favored few, and that economic reform and the expectation that a middle class would emerge, was the best hope for a more open and free Burma.

A Casual Concert at Singapore's Esplanade Concert Hall.

Singapore’s Esplanade Concert Hall is as beautiful and as acoustically pleasing as any concert hall built anywhere within the last 20 years.

Singapore. November 20, 2011. Two of Singapore's main attractions provided a very enjoyable Sunday afternoon in this island country: the magnificent Esplanade Concert Hall and the equally magnificent Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Designed to attract families with a low ticket price, a 17.00 starting time, short pieces, an orchestra dressed in white shirts with shirt tails hanging out, and a running commentary by the orchestra's conductor, Jason Lai, made for a casual atmosphere, but there was nothing casual about the music as this was a full symphony concert performed by musicians who took their playing seriously. Two overtures, which couldn't have been more different, Mozart's Overture to the Marriage of Figaro, and Brahms' Academic Festival Overture, provided the orchestra an opportunity to show just how well it played. Soprano Ee-Ping sang three operatic arias with beautiful voice, but a little too weak to rise above the full orchestra. The concert concluded with the fourth movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony, surely played too often, but its excitement was just right for this casual family concert.

From Russian with Love

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music Auditorium. Singapore. November 19, 2011. Singapore's Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music is Southeast Asia's leading music school. As with so many other things, Singapore has gone into classical music education is a big way, which has put Singapore on the map as the cultural capital in this region of the world. “From Russia with Love,”, part of the conservatory's faculty recital series, featured members of the school’s faculty from Russia: a soprano, flute, double bass, harp and piano, in combinations that were unusual, for instance, a song scored for soprano, flute and string quartet, or a song for soprano, double bass and piano. The composers were mostly unknown, such as Dutilleux, Bottesini, Zybin and Bishop. It was a quiet evening of chamber music, which included some excitement from the robust voice of soprano Natalia Jumkova, the clear favorite of the large auditorium's full house. While not a "prime event" of the season, it was an enjoyable opportunity to hear unknown music, in unusual combinations, beautifully played.

A beautiful building doesn't make a great institution, but it helps.

A German Quintet Braves Bangkok's Floods

Ma'alot's German musicians are pleased with the full house they drew in Bangkok

Goethe Institut. Bangkok,Thailand. November 16, 2011. Billed as a leading international chamber music ensemble, the Ma'alot Quintet, a wind ensemble from Germany, happily included Bangkok on its Southeast Asian tour of Jakarta, Singapore, Ho Chi Min City and Hanoi. This was greatly appreciated as it was one of the very few musical events not canceled during the flood crisis, and Ma'alot’s bravery was rewarded by a most unusual, perhaps unprecedented occurrence: a totally filled Goethe Institut auditorium, which necessitated extra seats being brought in and, ultimately, concert-goers standing along the walls.

Consisting of oboe, flute, clarinet, bassoon and French horn, the Ma'alot Quintet produces an unfamiliar sound, but the excellence of its players and their long years playing together, showed that good music can come in many forms. Not much music has been composed for this combination of instruments, so of the four works on the program, half of them were transcriptions of Mozart and Piazzolla. The most successful performance of the evening was of Gyorgy Ligeti's Six Bagatelles, arranged by the composer himself. There is something to be said for authenticity.

Thailand Tourism and the Floods

Suraphon Svetasreni, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (left); Akapol Sorasuchart, the president of the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (right).

Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand. Bangkok. November 7, 2011. It is only within the last 10 days that the flooding in Thailand has started to adversely affect the large tourism industry, which accounts for about 10% of GDP. In fact, during October, foreign arrivals increased over October of last year by 6.7%. Not so, however, during the first days of November, during which tourism is already down 25%, with substantial cancellations reported for the coming weeks and months.

Suraphon Svetasreni, the Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, an arm of the Thai government, addressed the FCCT and answered questions. The thrust of his remarks was that many of the very popular tourist destinations in Thailand, such as Phuket, Chaing Mai, Krabi, and Koh Samui, are unaffected by the floods, and that all international airports in Thailand, including the main Suvumphani airport in Bangkok, are fully operational, and that all transportation links between the airports and the areas they serve, are undisturbed. In Kh. Suraphon’s view, most tourists can look forward to a trouble-free and pleasurable experience in the Kingdom, and do not have to cancel or delay their trips. As for those areas under water, such as Bangkok and Ayuthaya, Kh. Suraphon is not urging travel there at this time.

In spite of his honest efforts to portray Thailand as a safe tourist destination, troublesome questions of safety remain, most of them being brought out by the press’s questioning, and chief among them, are questions about the reliability and sustainability of the water supply, the interruptions in the distribution of food, and the serious health hazards arising from stagnant, polluted and foul smelling water. In answer to a direct question from a persistent French reporter, Kh. Suraphon would not say that Bangkok was safe, nor that it was unsafe, and in this regard, he joins the rest of us living here: we just don’t know.

Many countries have advisory warnings of various levels of severity, against traveling to Thailand. My personal opinion is that it is unwise for tourists to venture here at this time. There are so many wonderful places to visit in the world, that there is no reason to risk spoiling or marring a vacation to come to Thailand. Thailand will recover from the monumental floods and, as stated by Kh. Suraphon, Thailand’s resilient tourist industry will be the first to recover.

Two-Hour Respite from the Gloom of Bangkok’s Floods

Japanese pianists Tetsu Mashiko and Masaki Nishihara, following their fun Bangkok recital.

Goethe-Institut Thailand. Bangkok. November 5, 2011. Two fine Japanese pianists, Tetsu Mashiko and Masaki Nishihara, braved the Bangkok floods to travel here from Japan to perform their scheduled musicale, “A Dancing Night in Bangkok for Two Pianos,” one of the few recent events not canceled due to the horrendous flooding in Bangkok. One pianist on a Steinway, and the other playing a Bosendorfer, blended together in a perfectly balanced ensemble, performing short, bright, dance pieces of mostly classical works, with some interesting combinations, such as a polka of Balakierev’s arranged by Shostakovich. They struck the right mood among the very small audience, which, despite its size, was enthusiastic in its applause and appreciation. This is the duo’s third appearance in Bangkok, and I, for one, will be in the audience when they come again, as I was for their first recital several years ago.