Das Jati: Chantakumar Architect of Dream
The ten "great lives" are an iconic part of the Buddhist scriptures and each one tells the colorful story of a previous life of the Buddha. The stories are adventurous, sometimes humorous, sometimes romantic, and quite spectacular. Somtow is adapting all ten as a connected work that can one day be performed over the course of a week.
Chandakumar is one of the shortest Jatakas, only about six pages in the original Pali. It tells the story of a king who believes he can attain heaven by sacrificing his four most beloved sons, wives, and four of the best of everything in the kingdom. The Incarnation of Buddha, as his eldest son Prince Chandakumar, calls down the King of Heaven to combat the fiery sacrifice planned by his father. Somtow has told this short jataka largely through the medium of dance.
In Architect of Dreams the Bodhisattva is born as Mahosot, a clever boy genius who becomes a judge, saves his kingdom from an attack by 101 enemy armies, buildings a huge fantasy palace in a night, and manages to marry his king to a beautiful princess with the help of a resourceful parrot. Somtow sets this eventful tale largely in the medium of opera.
An international cast including Damian Whiteley, Sassaya Chavalit, and Barbara Zion, and large-scale symphony orchestra highlight this production which is directed by the composer and conducted by Trisdee na Patalung. Premiered on 7 - 8 June 2019 at Thailand Cultural Centre, Bangkok, Thailand.
I played as a role of a villager or chorus (Soprano 1 and 2)
Watch the performance : https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=848723835500732
Photos by Susan Cho
More information : http://www.dasjati.com/
Commenti