asian pages

October 1, 1995

Celestial Harmonies Offers Rare and Unique Listening Experiences

19902 THE MUSIC OF CAMBODIA (3 CD BOXED SET) - VARIOUS ARTISTS

Celestial Harmonies, a U.S. based music label whose music literally spans the globe, now has available two new releases in three CD box sets: The Music of Vietnam and The Music of Cambodia.

The Music of Vietnam offers listeners a rare opportunity to sample the remarkable variety of traditional Vietnamese music. For 900 of Vietnam's two thousand years, the country was a free land dotted with temples devoted to poetry, song and the arts. Imagine a country whose instrumental heritage includes a thousand–year–old, one–string precursor to the electric guitar; a country where you can play a percussion instrument without actually touching it; a country where one–hole flutes and strange rifle–shaped mouth harps are more common than a piano. This country's music is wildly colorful, exotic and complex.

The Music of Vietnam, performed by Vietnam's premiere traditional musicians, provides a sweeping musical panorama, successfully showcasing an amazing array of music: from strong Chinese flavorings to pieces strikingly similar to the format of an American jazz standard. Song selections range from ancient Buddhist healers trance/possession music, to centuries–old Vietnamese theater songs. The three releases focus on the traditional music found in the heart of the country, reflecting an authentic traditional sound.

The Music of Cambodia includes the first–ever recording live within the walls of the great Khmer temple Angkor Wat. Cambodia, formerly known as Kampuchea, is the modern remnant of the Khmer Empire which once covered a vast portion of Southeast Asia. Within the Angkor Wat ruins (three times the size of Manhattan), the temples—considered one of the most stunning achievements in architectural history—symbolize the former brilliance of Khmer art and culture. Even today, the image of Angkor Wat can be found on the nation's flag, postage, and even its beer.

Featured in this three CD box set are: 9 Gong Gamelan, Royal Court Music, and Solo Instrumental Music. Much of the 9th–15th Century tracks have never been heard outside of Cambodia. Some of the recordings feature the region around Angkor, with others featuring the Phnom Penh region, where the royal courts were moved after the fall of Angkor to the Thais in 1431. While listening to these recordings, one can begin to appreciate the amazing resiliency of Khmer music that has survived throughout centuries of turmoil and crises.