Introduction
The year was 1907.
King Chulalongkorn travelled to Europe for the second time in what is understood to be a leisure excursion. Yet, his entourage was welcomed by the most famous celebrities, with the greatest extravaganzas, and was reported by the major presses. Among these spectacles were seven operas staged in London, Paris, Firenze, and Torino.
As apparent in one of his most famous compositions, “Klai Baan”, or “Far From Home” (ไทย: พระราชนิพนธ์ไกลบ้าน), his experience at the European theatres provide many insights into his impression of the European culture of the time. Among the operas Rama V saw were the first staging outside Italy of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly, revised by Puccini himself and later inspired the Thai “สาวเครือฟ้า”, and Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, sung by one of the most brilliant sopranos of the time.
It is hoped that this theatrical adaptation of Rama V’s operatic experiences in 1907 will illuminate the spirit of the era in which the people who built The Siam Society lived, and highlight one of the most important values that both the story in “Klai Baan” and The Siam Society share: cultural exchange leads to peace and mutual prosperity.
Performance Dates
Sunday, 24 November 2024
16:00
(student preview)
Tuesday, 26 November 2024
19:00
(opening night)
Thursday, 28 November 2024
19:00
Saturday, 30 November 2024
19:00
Sunday, 1 December 2024
16:00
Ticket
Tickets for regular performances
2,000 THB (free seating)
Tickets for the student preview (24 Nov)
600 THB (free seating)
Tickets can be purchased via e-mail at opera@thesiamsociety.org
By phone at 02-661-6470
(available during office hours,
Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00 – 17:00)
Proceeds after expenses will support the development of activities that promote cultural, historical, and artistic exchanges, and the preservation of the cultural heritage of Thailand and Southeast Asia.
The Programme
Act 1
- La traviata (Tuesday 14 May 1907, Torino)
— “Noi siamo zingarelle”
— “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici”
— “Madamigella Valéry” - Cristo alla Festa di Purim (Wednesday 15 May 1907, Torino)
— Scena finale - La gioconda (Tuesday 21 May 1907, Firenze)
— “Enzo Grimaldo, Principe di Santafior”
— Ballet: “Danza delle ore”
Act 2
- Madama Butterfly (Wednesday 25 September 1907, Paris)
— Intermezzo sinfonico - Fortunio (Wednesday 19 June 1907, Paris)
— “Je suis très tendre et très farouche” - The Merry Widow (Wednesday 26 June 1907, London)
— “Lippen schweigen” (Eng Ver.) - Ariane (Friday 16 August 1907, Paris)
— Ballet: “Marche des Graces”, “Le duel des Furies contre les Graces” - Madama Butterfly (Wednesday 25 September 1907, Paris)
— “Un bel dì”
— “Ora a noi. Sedete qui”
— “Addio fiorito asil”
— “Tu, Tu, piccolo iddio”
Cast and Creatives
Soloists
Suchunya Tanvichien
Soprano
Mu Yu
Soprano
Surapong Wattananontachai
Tenor
Martin Ng
Baritone
Members of the Chorus
Panchita Meksakulwong
Soprano
Thamolwan Khumprakob
Soprano
Arthitiya Sitthidech
Soprano
Pichamon Nimana
Alto
Kridhima Siriwattanakamol
Alto
Araya Yangkham
Alto
Kanyanat Sukprasert
Alto – swing
Sma Saengwech
Tenor
Panupop Jakklom
Tenor
Sarana Shukla
Tenor
Peerasin Thanakonsit
Baritone
Supasorn Sukchan
Baritone
Weizhai Gao
Baritone
Jason Lane
Swing
Pathimakorn Rongpak
Swing
Aiya Chayothin
Chorus Master
Artistic Directors
Mickey Wongsathapornpat
Music Director
Tarin Prinyaknit
Stage Director
Darren Royston
Choreographer and Narrator
Bamee Kochawan
Set Designer
Nat Aphipongcharoen
Costume Designer
The Research
Much of the background research for this production relied on the digital collections of archives in Europe, where historical documents related to the operas attended by King Rama V can be located.
Primarily, the details of these operas can already be found in King Rama V’s travel journal, “Far From Home” (ไทย: พระราชนิพนธ์ไกลบ้าน), albeit with varying degrees of clarity. Except for Madama Butterfly which seemed to have caught His Majesty’s interest to the extent that the description of the staging and acting, along with the complete synopsis of the story is provided in depth, the description of six other operas is fragmentary.
However, because the journal took the form of letters posted from Europe to Princess Nibha Nobhadol in Bangkok, with dates and places still intact when they were published as a book, it is possible to compare each letter with press coverages and show calendars in newspapers of corresponding dates or weeks, where further accounts of each particular performance attended by King Rama V are provided in great depth. These newspapers include for example, the French daily newspaper, Le Figaro, and the Italian Florence-based newspaper, La Nazione.
Further exploration in the collection of Bibliotheque Nationale de France (bnf) has also yielded relevant visual materials, such as the set designs for Massenet’s Ariane, the same production seen by His Majesty at Palais Garnier on 16 August 1907, and the costume designs for Cio-Cio San in Madama Butterfly, seen on 25 September 1907.