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Chiang Mai Photographic Club Exhibition never fails to amaze
U.S. Consular Section Chief Mark Carlson(2nd
right) and his wife are joined by German Honorary Consul Hagen Dirksen, CMPG
member Wyndham Hollis, and Harm De Vries, also exhibiting at the event.
By Shana Kongmun
Once again, the Chiang Mai Photographic Club has produced an
exhibition full of outstanding photographs that amazes me with the talent
that resides in Chiang Mai. The members are both Thai and foreign, men and
women, and the diversity shows in the photos on show at the 4th Floor of
Central Airport Plaza.
U.S. Consular Section Chief Mark Carlson and his wife were joined by German
Honorary Consul Hagen Dirksen as honored guests at the opening with Mark
reminiscing about his first camera.
Over 100 mounted photos by 25 photographers from half a dozen countries that
now reside in Chiang Mai are on display until February 10 and well worth the
trek to see. The event runs in conjunction with the Documentary Arts Asia
Film Festival on through the 14th at CMU Art Center and Documentary Arts
Asia. The CMPG meets on Wednesdays at 7.00pm every fortnight at the Airport
Greenery Hotel and is open to anyone with an interest in photography.
Joyce Barnes stands in front of one of her
favorite submissions for the exhibit.
Alberto Cosi and his wonderful photos of classic
cars in Thailand.
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Japanese artist on display at the Meeting Room Art Café
Momoko Toda
Kaewdee stands in front of her favorite series at the exhibition that opened
at the Meeting Room Art Café on February 2.
By Shana Kongmun
The Meeting Room Art Café is a cozy little riverside café near Wat Ket that
is quickly developing a reputation for the exhibits on display. This month
Japanese artist Momoko Toda Kaewdee exhibited her unique drawings and comic
books at an exhibit that opened Saturday, February 2, 2013.
Momoko is a graduate of the University of Arts in Aiechi Prefecture in Japan
started out in woodcut prints for which she which she was selected as a
distinguished artist in 1994. She moved onto illustrations and the comic
books that were on display at the event in the past few years. The art on
display is colorful, lively and draws reminisces of childhood figures.
The Meeting Room Art Café is located at89 Charoen Raj Rd. in Watkate and
open daily to 8 p.m.
The bright
colors and lively characters remind one of childhood figures.
One little
girl persuses Momoko’s colorful comic books.
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Mesmerising Mozart and Shivering Shostakovich
A chamber concert at the Four Seasons, Mae Rim
The quintet performed Mozart’s clarinet quintet
brilliantly.
By Jai Pee
As an annual event, His Excellency Mom Luang Usni Pramoj and the
invincible troupe of musicians that accompany him year on year brought
splendid and memorable performances of two remarkably contrasting chamber
pieces to a good sized and appreciative audience at the magnificent Spa
Resort of the Four Seasons in Mae Rim on Friday February 1st. The location
is absolutely wonderful, set among rolling foothills, lantern-adorned
driveways and subtle illuminated tress and bushes. Such a setting was the
height of perfection for the opening Mozart clarinet quintet, when M. L.
Usni on viola, Tasana Nagavajara on first violin, Siripong Tiptan on second
violin and Khittikhun Sodprasert on cello were joined by clarinetist Yos
Vaneesorn, himself a part-time resident of Chiang Mai. This great chamber
piece, the favourite of celebrated jazz musician Benny Goodman, was written
towards the end of Mozart’s short life – and it is a very difficult piece to
play well. The five musicians, perhaps inspired somewhat by the magical
surroundings gave a wonderful performance full of clear tones, exciting
allegro passages and lyrical sections that brought tears to the eyes. The
group captured the remarkable eloquence of the music so very beautifully
balancing this with the complex rhythms of the final movement, the theme and
variations. This was a clear example of how practice makes perfect – an
inspiring performance after hours of rehearsal and performed with
stateliness and dignity in a perfect setting!
After a short interval the concert continued with the third string quartet
of Soviet composer Dimitri Shostakovich. The piece was written just after
the end of the Second World War in Europe, and at a time when the composer’s
ninth symphony had been given the thumbs down by the music censors and
official critics. For the premiere, most likely so that he would not be
accused of formalism or elitism by the stringent attitudes of the Soviet
authorities, Shostakovich renamed the movements in the manner of a war story
as follows:
1. Allegretto: Blithe ignorance of the future cataclysm
2. Moderato con moto: Rumblings of unrest and anticipation
3. Allegro non troppo: Forces of war unleashed
4. Adagio: In memory of the dead, leading directly to
5. Moderato: The eternal question: Why? And for what?
The music is quite hard to access even 67 years after it was written – the
melodies are cold and often harsh and difficult to grasp; the rhythms in
places are strident and relentless. But the members of the quartet had once
again come to grips with the difficulties and challenges so that the piece
attained a roundness and polish that can only come from sheer devotion and
hard work. After the quartet was over the audience was split – half
disliking it intensely, the other half praising it and enjoying it. But of
the high quality of the musicianship there can be no doubt – wonderful
professional playing with complete control and sensitive interpretation.
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