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Czech Classical Music Concerts in Yangon

On December 14 and 15, 2017, the first concerts of Czech classical music were performed in the history of Myanmar.

This unique idea, which came to life in cooperation between the Embassy and Myanmar Music Festival, revived the tradition of the cultural contacts of the two countries from the 1960s, when samples of Czech and Slovak classical and modern music were broadcasted  as a part of  cooperation of the Czechoslovak and Burmese radio stations.

Firstly at the residence of the Czech Ambassador and then at the ballroom of Sule Shangri-la Hotel, the audience had an opportunity to listen to compositions of the four greats of the Czech music – Antonín Dvořák, Leoš Janáček, Bedřich Smetana and Josef Suk, presented by the American piano virtuoso Kimball Galagher together with top string instruments players from Taiwan and a mezzo-soprano from Malaysia.

The concert was preceded by thorough preparation and promotion, which also received support from a local daily news The Irrawady and Yangon radio stations.

The musical presentations brought a magic atmosphere of Christmas to almost always summertime Yangon and all listeners were enchanted not only by the music itself but also by the precision of the artistic presentation by the mostly Asian performers. The greatest impression on the audience was undoubtedly left by the aria Song to the Moon from Rusalka (opera by Antonín Dvořák), which was sung in perfect Czech by the mezzosoprano Yiling Chaing.

Violinist Natalie Ming-I Tsai and Pianist Kimball Galagher

Violinist Natalie Ming-I Tsai and Pianist Kimball Galagher

String Quartet and Piano

String Quartet and Piano

 

(a witch) Ježibaba’s “Čury mury fuk” from Act I of “Rusalka”

(a witch) Ježibaba’s “Čury mury fuk” from Act I of “Rusalka”

Song to the Moon

Song to the Moon

 

Many thanks and hope to see you next time again!

Many thanks and hope to see you next time again!