Page 67 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE Vol 3
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Narong Prangcharoen A Composer‘Far from Home’for home and the vicissitudes that homesickness brings.”Initially written for solo cello, the piece had to be lengthened to 20 minutes and adapted for the concert to incorporate an entire orchestra.“There are various sections where the cello is dominant. You need to have the right technique to not let the 75 other instruments overpower the cello. I had to write a score that let the cello star, and some- times I had to phase out the cello to let the other instruments shine.”Western instruments can also be adept at reflect- ing the emotions and character of Thais and even produce sounds resembling Thai classical music. Mr Narong hopes audiences can immerse themselves in Western classical music despite its complexity and emotional subtlety.“If you’re afraid you won’t be able to understand my music, there’s nothing to understand anyway. Let your heart tell you what to feel and, I hope, you’ll be gradually moved by the sounds.”NaFar from Home is a musical score originally only seven minutes long. Yet it took Narong Prangcharoen a year to mentally construct the idea. Then it took two to three months to write.Such devotion and high standards have helped Narong become one of Asia’s leading composers. He has won numerous awards, including Thailand’s Silpathorn Award, bestowed to contemporary artists, and in the US recently the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship and Barlow Prize, whose prize money enabled him to take a year’s sabbatical to write music.Written for cello, the piece reflects the loneliness and homesickness he felt while pursuing his PhD in music composition from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and working in the US afterwards.“Far from Home is about homesickness,” Mr Narong told Elite+. “I always thought of Thailand after I left the country to pursue my career in the US. I never felt the US was my home just because my work and opportunities were there. Thailand is my home. The song reflects my longingElite+ 65


































































































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