Music to Trance By

College of Music, Mahidol University. Nakhonpathom, Thailand. March 24, 2011. Before deciding to spend an afternoon attending a symphony program labeled “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs,” I downloaded the major work on the program, Henryk Gorecki’s Symphony No. 3, to give it a trial run. Inasmuch as I very much enjoy going out to Mahidol’s Salaya campus, I was inclined to attend, but only if I could tolerate Gorecki’s music, an entire non-stop hour of it. (Photo left: Polish conductor Dariusz Mikulski also played the French horn in Mozart's Horn Concerto No. 3, during the first half of the concert.)

Much to my surprise, I enjoyed listening to Gorecki’s Symphony No. 3. Gorecki, who died in 2010 at age 77, was a Polish composer belonging, according to musicologist Alex Ross, to a school of modern music which became known as “sonorism,” which itself was a part of “texture music,” or, according to the TPO’s program notes, a school known in Europe as “New Simplicity,” or in the US, as “Minimalist.” Regardless of the taxonomy, the Gorecki 3rd produces a beautiful orchestral sound, which in its repetitions and level decibles, is mesmerizing. The soprano solo part, which occupies a part of each of the three movements, is both sorrowful and haunting. It is not too much to proffer that Gorecki’s “sonorism” is trance-inducing, and the absolute stillness of the audience, not a usual occurrence in Thailand, may be some evidence of profound absorption in the music. Polish soprano Iwona Handzlik (above) sang three songs by Gorecki before performing as soloist in Symphony No. 3

Dinner with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra

InterContinental Hotel. Bangkok, Thailand. March 23, 2012. The FCCT invites the Thai prime minister to dinner annually, in what is a very classy affair, one I enjoy attending. All prime ministers, except Thaksin Shinawatra himself, have accepted the invitation, but this year, Thaksin sent his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, who is acting as prime minister on her brother’s behalf, while he lives in Dubai, plotting his return to Thailand under circumstances in which he will not have to serve the two-year jail sentence for official corruption, from which he fled Thailand to avoid, about four years ago.

PM Yingluck gave what I imagine to be her stock speech, which was replete with platitudes and devoid of anything she hasn’t been quoted in the press as saying many times previously. Thaksin was quite perceptive in selecting his sister to act as his puppet and figurehead: she’s pretty, charming, intelligent enough, compliant, and seems free of any desire to either acquire to retain power. When Thaksin is ready, he will discard her, and I doubt that she, having ably kept the seat of power warm for him, will object to returning to her protected position as head of one of of his vast companies. In the meantime, the Thai people seem quite content with Yingluck. As for me, if I have to choose between looking at Thaksin or Yingluck, I will choose Yingluck any day.

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra Shiniwatra is very pretty and personable.

I very much enjoyed the dinner.

PM Yingluck reads her prepared address in English, after which she answered questions, also in English, from the foreign press.

A smiling PM Yingluck leaves the FCCT dinner after a very successful evening.