Cambodge : Musique du Palais Royal 1960

Description

The sixties... The Royal Palace, the seat of the Khmer monarchy since the end of the previous century, housed many musicians and dancers who were the foundation of the prestige that the venerable walls boasted. Every morning, if one passed along the outer boulevard that runs alongside the entrance facade, one could hear a fireworks display of clear sounds: the pinpeat orchestra, with its crystalline gongs, participated for four hours in the training of the royal dancers or rehearsed alone the music for an upcoming ceremony. For at that time, there was hardly a month when the court rituals did not require the presence – or rather the participation – of the palace musicians and, almost as often, the performance of the ballerinas whose fame, despite very rare public appearances, had spread around the world.