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“Past and present meet in 'Where Elephants Weep'
By Kathleen Pierce; The Lowell Sun - April 2, 2007
LOWELL -- Beautiful sounds emanate from the practice room on the second
floor of Lowell High School. Through gongs, bamboo flutes, long-neck lutes
and electric guitars, a musical landscape of Cambodia comes into view.
The orchestra for Cambodian opera Where Elephants Weep, has been hard
at practice for the past week.
Arriving at 2:30 p.m. and calling it quits at 10 p.m., this cadre of Cambodian
musicians could not be more disparate. Traditional musicians from Cambodian
academia sit cross-legged on the floor. Messy-haired modern rockers, plucked
from the rock clubs of Phnom Penh, sit in chairs.
The all-male ensemble, which spans the ages of 18 to 63, seamlessly weave
the sounds of old Cambodia and its stirring rhythms with the slow, smoky
chords of rock. The backbone of this one-of-a-kind opera arrived a week
ago in Lowell and will practice eight hours a day until previews begin
April 27.
Seated in the front row, Him Sophy, the composer, has a wide smile. He
is relieved that all 10 musicians got their visas in time. Now that that's
out of the way, his eyes are on his dream.
"I saw Rent, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, all the American
operas," when he called New York home for a year.
Hooking up with producer John Burt, Sophy, who received classical training
in Moscow, is embarking on a creative journey that will likely take him
around the world.
To achieve the sounds of East meets West, he created instruments and techniques,
such as putting four mallets instead of two in the hands of the xylophone
player. That instrument, called roneat pluah, was made fuller by adding
a second set of wooden bars.
Sophy has composed 50 or 60 songs in both Khmer and English for the six
main characters and chorus in this eclectic coming-of-age love story.
The musical styles range from traditional, hip-hop, rap, classical and
strings.
"It's the first opera of mine and Cambodia. With the creation of
musical instruments, I am proud of my work," said Sophy, 44.
That excitement echoed through the high school last week, as teachers
and members of the Cambodian community popped in to meet Sophy and hear
the soundtrack of home. The refreshingly current opera, which involves
a Karaoke singer, has a larger mission than sheer entertainment. With
so many Cambodians calling Lowell home, educators are using the wealth
of visiting musicians as edifying starting points.
The high school is planning workshops for students and the Light of Cambodian
Children is searching for the best essay on what it means to be Cambodian
and American today.
"I think this would be a valuable experience for young people in
America, not only by relaying the story itself, but all the experiences
around it. This is the first time I've seen something like this,"
said Sayon Soeun, executive director of the Lowell-based Light of Cambodian
Children.
The opera's librettist, Catherine Filloux, sees the bridge of old and
new styles as a rebirth of Cambodian culture that will help displaced
natives find a way to keep their roots and move on.
"I think this piece has a lot of fun in it. It explores darker issues,
but a lot of the fun, the joy (of Cambodia) is there," said Filloux.
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