The Silent Prince will tour Europe next month. photo courtesy of Opera Siam
Somtow Sucharitkul will once again make his mark in Europe with four shows of The Silent Prince in Germany and the Czech Republic next month.
This is the second work of Thailand’s leading contemporary composer to set a foothold in the very heart of the world of operatic mega-epics since the London premiere of his internationally-renowned Mae Naak in 2012.
Based on a chapter of the Jakata tale, The Silent Prince tells the story of Prince Temiya, a former incarnation of Buddha who, when forced to choose between committing terrible karmic deeds and disobeying his father, withdraws from the world into silence.
The two-act opera was originally commissioned by Opera Vista and its world premiere at the Houston Grand Opera of Texas in 2010 was welcomed with a warm standing ovation. The work has already had two revivals by Opera Siam — both of which were presented to Thai audiences in 2012 and 2013.
The upcoming performance will be a collaboration between Thai and international artists, involving a team of about 70 people. Five German singers will make up part of the chorus, with another of them, FalkoHönisch, to sing the role of King of Benares.
The cast also includes American mezzo Colleen Brooks, Australian bass Damian Whiteley and Thai singers Jak Cholvijarn (reprising his signature role as the Bodhisattva), Zion Daoratanahong, Nadlada Thamtanakom and Kittin Suchato. Trisdee Na Patalung will be conducting the multiple award winning youth orchestra Siam Sinfonietta.
The Silent Prince is the first part of Somtow’s DasJati – Ten Lives Of The Buddha, a cycle of 10 full-length operas based on the central mythos of the Pali canon of Theravada Buddhism. This epic cycle is his most ambitious work in the entire history of music and theatre and he wishes it to be his final gift to the country and our beloved dynasty.
Somtow is planning to premiere the fifth work in the cycle, Nemiraj – The Chariot Of Heaven, in Bangkok by the end of this year. This will mark his halfway through the task of composing what will be “the biggest opera of all time”. He expects to complete the entire cycle in 2020 and put it on a world tour.
Opera Siam will bring The Silent Prince to perform as part of the “Young Artists Festival Bayreuth 2016” in Germany on Aug 10 and 11.
Royal granddaughter Khun Ploypailin Jensen, who appeared as an ancient deity in Nemiraj – Scenes From Ten Lives Of The Buddha which was staged in Bangkok two months ago, will be presiding over the festival’s opening ceremony on Aug 1. Two excerpts from The Silent Prince will also be staged that day.
The whole troupe will then head to the Czech Republic to perform in Prague on Aug 13 and Brno on Aug 17.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.