Guzheng adds magic to New Year in Bangkok show

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Guzheng adds magic to New Year in Bangkok show

By THE NATION

 

 

An expert player of the venerable Chinese instrument the guzheng will be onstage on January 26 for a performance welcoming the Lunar New Year, presented by Mahidol University’s College of Music.

 

 

The two-hour “Night of Chinese Festival” begins at 6pm at the Neilson Hays Library in Bangkok.

 

Punnakrid Thirasuthphathorn plays the guzheng with the Siam Huqin Ensemble as well as being a harpist with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra.

 

Music lovers will recall him playing Thai music with Her Royal Highness Princess Sirindhorn at the Thai Higher Education Music Festival hosted by Silpakorn University. 

 

Punnakrid also won the silver medal in the 2019 SET Youth Music Competition.

 

The strings of the guzheng, also known as the Chinese zither, were made of silk when it first evolved some 2,500 years ago and there was great diversity in the number of strings. 

 

The modern version usually has 21 metal strings and movable bridges. It is often richly decorated.

 

Punnakrid will be accompanied on guitar by Nutthapat Ruangboon, who is also skilled with the piano, drums, violin and the Thai flute known as a klui.

 

He won second prize at the 2015 His Majesty King Bhumibol’s Cup Sornthong Thai Music Competition playing the klui and earned medals in two SET Youth Music competitions.

 

Punnakrid and Nutthapat will perform the ancient air “High Mountain Flowing Water”, “The Moon’s Reflection on the Lake”, the folksong “Jasmine Flower”, a Chinese-Mongolian folksong called “Wild Goose”, “Spring Comes to Lhasa” by Shi Zhao Yuan, “Yi Tribe Dance” by Wang Hui Ren, “Pipa Language” by Lin Hai, and the folksong “Purple Bamboo”.

 

After an intermission, they will continue with “Liu Yang River” by Wang Jian Zhong, “Beautiful Cloud Chasing the Moon” by Ren Guang, “Butterfly Lover” by He Zhan Hao and Chen Gang, the folksong “Beautiful Girl of Alishan”, “Dream Back to Ordos” by Chen Yue, “Fighting the Typhoon” by Wang Chang Yuan, and “Spring View” by Seiichi Kyoda.

 

Seats cost Bt450 (Bt350 for library members, Bt100 for students) online and at the library and can be reserved at (02) 233 1731 or [email protected].

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/lifestyle/30380709

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-01-18

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