= Live Music 
= DJs 
= Open Mic 
= Live Music & DJ * = International
Truth be told, there are
not many things I miss about England (N.B., friends and family in the
U.K., I'm talking about things
here, not people).
I miss honey-coloured real ale that comes from a wooden cask and is
served in a pint-glass (my mouth is watering even as I write these
words. A cold can of Cambodian beer is good but...). I miss a
rigidly-enforced and observed system of road traffic regulations
(basic stuff like... red means stop, green means go, one side of the
road is for travelling this way, the other side of the road is for
travelling the opposite way). I also miss the annual Proms
classical music festival held
at the Royal Albert Hall in London. During the Proms,
some of the best musicians in the world come to the U.K. to take part
in a long series of concerts.
The
festival is subsidised
to ensure that everyone has access to these concerts at a very small
cost. This results in
packed houses, fantastic atmospheres and queues stretching around the
block.
I particularly remember
one Proms concert a few years
ago when I had queued for
hours with my companion to get tickets to a piano recital. Queuing
for the Proms is a
tradition in itself and no hardship unless the British
summer weather is inclement (which it usually is). On this day I
remember the weather was warm and fine and the people in
the queue were being politely social towards
each other or finding other ways to while away the time. I
listened
on my smartphone to the pieces by Bartók and Janáček that we were
going to hear at the concert. I also found that a few glasses of
sparkling wine made the long wait much more bearable. A
long time later, inside the packed Royal Albert Hall, the atmosphere
was electric as the crowd waited for the pianist to begin. One could
literally 'hear a pin drop' in there. As
the maestro struck up
the first few chords of the piece, he paused and looked quizically
around the room. The rest of the hall followed his gaze. Where was
that music coming from?
Someone was playing the same piece as the pianist had begun to play,
through some kind of portable device. How bizarre and how rude! It is
interesting how loud a smartphone can be in a concert hall. I
withered and died on the spot as people
standing next to me moved
away to open up a space-of-shame.
Thousands of pairs of eyes
delivered dirty looks as I fumbled through my pockets to find my
phone. The moral of the story: please ensure all
mobile phones are switched off during the performance.
Anton
Isselhardt
has been organising the annual
International Music Festival Phnom Penh for
the past eleven years. The
classical music festival is sponsored by several organisations and
provides the
chance to hear outstanding
Cambodian musicians and international guest performers at a low cost.
The
program runs from today until Monday the 17th
November.
It
comprises
of five events and
takes
place at Intercontinental
Phnom Penh,
Meta
House and
St.
Josephs Chapel.
A
great chance to hear some
high-calibre classical performances in Phnom Penh. The
theme of this year's festival is 'European and Asian Mythology in
Music'. For
more information on the concert
program
and ticketing,
visit the festival website.
The Cambodian music scene
is looking good this weekend with a few more special gigs taking
place and, even, talk of something called 'high season'. Cambojam
and the X-Rays
comprise a double-header at X-Bar
in Siem Reap on Friday night. Cambojam
are a motley crew of international musicians based
in the land of Angkor, collectively blessed with the ability to turn
any gig into a full-on party (see
above video).
The long and eclectic list of instruments on stage includes trombone,
melodica and
various
percussion
as well as all the standard rock'n'roll tools.
Down
on the coast, Otres
Market will
mark the beginning of their 2014/15 season with a re-opening party
featuring
seven or more live music acts. I
don't recognise most of the names on the list but I do expect a great
party. Otres
Market
(near
'Otres 2' beach in Sihaoukville) is
a unique place in Cambodia, staging a kind of mini-music festival
each Saturday during
the winter and spring months. As well as a live music stage and a
bar, the lakeside site comprises of many weird-and-wonderful market
stalls selling
all kinds of wares from Cambodia and beyond (hand-crafted jewellery
and textiles, barbecue chicken... home-made absinthe!?). Also
look
out for some great concerts
coming up at the Otres
Market
site ('The Barn') on Wednesdays in December.
From the back pages of Leng
Pleng,
find
out what happened when Jack Diamond visited
Otres
with The Cambodian
Space Project earlier
this year.
 |
Otres Market crowd – pic: Jeremie
Montessuis/Film Noir Studios
|
My tip for those in Phnom
Penh this weekend? Go check out Kheltica
at La Crêperie on
Saturday night. The
large ensemble of musicians always put on a fun show and should
get extra points for
playing authentic Breton Celtic music in an authentically-styled
Breton Crêperie. I believe they are calling it Brittany
Night.
 |
Kheltica
– pic: www.kenedgar.com
|
Wherever
you end up over the next few days, enjoy yourself and... see you
around the traps!
JOE WRIGLEY
Georgian style by John Krasnodebski and Frank Ponterio
ReplyDelete"The owners wanted a house in the true Georgian tradition, rather than a hybrid of styles," architect John Krasnodebski said of the featured house’ remodel concept, as successful furniture shop in Cambodia construction materials informed. "The design had to be pure – the symmetry, proportions and materials all needed to be in keeping with the period."
"The subtle detailing of the facade is another Georgian reference," said the architect. "For example, the quoins at the corners and the horizontal brick banding that projects slightly from the walls are typical features. They create shadow lines and help break up the scale of the building so it is less monumental."
"The owners wanted the detailing to be both beautiful and historically correct." Said designer Frank Ponterio.
"The millwork, including the dentil moldings, architraves and the broken pediment in the formal dining room are all in keeping with the period."