Born and raised in New York’s Harlem, Mitchell joined the New York City Ballet in 1955, after being spotted in the Truman Capote musical “House of Flowers.”

In an interview with the New York Times in January, he recalled the often hostile reactions from audiences when he was given his first starring role in the 1955-56 season.

“There happened to be a bald-headed guy sitting right behind the conductor,” he told local news channel Fox5 in a February interview. “He said: ‘My god! They’ve got a nigger in the company!'”

“By the end, I got a standing ovation,” he said, smiling. “I danced myself into their hearts.”

In 1957, he was offered the principal role in “Agon” by the Russian-origin dancer and choreographer George Balanchine, where he would perform opposite white dancer Diana Adams — unheard of at the time.

“Everybody was against him,” Mitchell said in his New York Times interview about Balanchine. “He knew what he was going against, and he said, ‘You know my dear, this has got to be perfect.'”

Blessed with a natural elegance and plenty of charisma to boot, Mitchell eschewed media attention for many years and refused to be typecast as the first black dancer to find a place in the upper echelons of the traditionally white, upper-class art form.

“Let me get in the company and whatever I get will be on my hard work and my talent,” he said, explaining the spirit of the time in his Fox5 interview.

Asked by the Times what he considered his crowning achievement, he said: “That I actually bucked society, and an art form that was three, four hundred years old, and brought black people into it.”

A supporter of the civil rights movement, he co-founded the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1969 along with Karel Shook. The troupe started out giving lessons in an old car park in 152nd street — 50 years later it is New York institution.

In June 2015, sixty years after Mitchell first broke the barrier at the New York City Ballet, Misty Copeland became the first black woman to be promoted to principal dancer.

“Thank you Mr. Mitchell for helping to change the classical ballet world for our community! Your impact will never fade,” she posted on Instagram.

“@dancetheatreofharlem gave black and brown children, not only a home and future, but the ability to dream. I love you with all my heart and will miss you dearly.”

 Sala brings multi-faceted and eclectic messages to his performance, nimbly switching between classical and Latin jazz as well as film music, giving them all a very personal touch.

He was born in Bojano, a small town in Southern Italy to a family of musicians. At 10, he entered the L Perosi Conservatory of Campobasso where he obtained his first university degree at the age of 20, graduating with the highest marks. He then continued studying in Naples under the guidance of the great Italian pianist and teacher Annamaria Pennella until 2005, meeting Joaquin Achucarro during a summer course at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. The next year he won a full scholarship to the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he earned his second degree.

The winner of more than 30 prizes over 15 years, Sala has performed all over Italy and also in Spain, England, Poland, the United States, South America and Thailand.

His first studio experience came in 2008 with “Di Corsa” in 2008. His second recording appeared in 2010 on the album “De la buena onda” on which he appears next to Marcus Miller, Alex Acuna, Cliff Almond and Alain Perez.

In addition to his work as a pianist, Sala is heavily involved in projects with a musical and cultural background, among then the Artistic Directorate of the International Music Academy Mario Santoro.

For more information and ticket reservation, visit http://www.Evenbrite.com.

It is being screened from today on GMM Grammy’s YouTube channel following its premiere last month at launch event, “The Starry Night”, at Dao Residence in Pakse.

“This is a true story and one we can all learn from,” said Bird Thongchai McIntyre, who attended the launch along with Rhatha “Ying” Phongam, Miss Universe Thailand 2018 Sophida “Ning” Kanchanarin and Arnuttaphol “R” Sirichomsaeng and Wichayanee “Gam” Pearklin, who play Dr Hao Litdang and his wife Madame Leuang, founders of the Dao-Heuang Group Dao-Heuang Group, a conglomerate whose interests include retail, real estate, consumer products and hospitality. Kannarun “Prang” Wongkajonklai portrays Boonheuang, their eldest daughter and the group’s vice president as well as a storyteller.

The name of this musical is taken from Bird Thongchai’s song “Cheewit Likit Eng”, the lyrics of which insist that no matter the problems or obstacles we face, we should design our own lives.

Bird and Ying performed a duet at the launch, singing “Jub Mue Wai Laew Pai Duay Kan” and “Lao Soo Kan Fang”, while Prang announced that the Group had been recognised with a geographical indication (GI) by the government. GI is a label used on products of specific geographical origin and which have qualities that are unique to that origin.

Dao-Heuang Group (DHG) is now one of the largest and most progressive companies in Lao PDR.

The original company specialised in importing wine and perfume from France, as well as alcohol and cigarettes from Singapore. The company also handled a wide range of household goods imported from Thailand and set up Dao Coffee in Thailand.

From humble beginnings in 1998, DHG was able to diversify into other products and begin exploring opportunities for producing coffee, tea, agricultural products and industrial goods. The success in these markets saw the group expand into the hospitality business.

Increased access to capital for further expansion saw DHG registered on the new Lao Securities Exchange and further raise the bar on international standard quality production for a Lao company.

Watch a teaser of this musical at http://www.YouTube.com/watch?v=Ggm6B8N4sv8.

AS HE walked slowly towards the podium from where he was to conduct San Carlo Orchestra on Wednesday night, maestro Zubin Mehta was showing his age. The minute he picked up his baton, though, the decades disappeared, his demeanour that of a man many years younger and his fluid movements reflecting the passion and love he has always had for his work.

Zubin Mehta’s wields his magic baton.

Now in his 80s, Mehta delivered a powerful and performance at Bangkok’s 20th International Festival of Dance and Music Festival leaving the audience filled with joy and grateful to have enjoyed this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Mehta’s schedule for the festival would have tired even a younger man: two performances of Teatro di San Carlo Naples’ opera “Carmen” and two wielding his baton for the orchestra’s recitals of “An Evening with Beethoven” and “Tchaikovsky’s Symphonies”. On each occasion, the Thailand Cultural Centre reverberated to the sound of applause and calls of “bravo” as the audience rose to its feet in appreciation.

The San Carlo Orchestra performed a programme of Beethoven’s symphonies.

On Thursday night, the San Carlo Orchestra, under Mehta’s direction, took on Ludwig van Beethoven’s grand symphonic work reflecting the drama of the opera, “Leonore Overture No 3” and his “Symphony No 9” featuring tenor Saimir Pirgu, soprano Federica Lombardi, bass Liang Li and mezzosoprano Veronica Simeoni along with a chorus from Teatro di San Carlo.

The last concert featured Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No 4” and “Symphony No 6” and was performed in the gracious presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

The Teatro di San Carlo opera company staged “Carmen”. 

Pirgu and Simeoni were also on stage for Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” in four acts with the former portraying Don Jose and the latter as Carmen. They were joined by baritones Vito Priante (Escamillo) and Enrico Maria Marabelli (Morales), soprano Lombardi (Micaela), and baritone Fabio Previati as Doncairo.

A long-time peace activist, Mehta saluted Beethoven in an earlier interview with The Nation, saying that he regards the “Ninth” as a symphony that belongs to the world.

“The lyrics that Beethoven adopted came from Friedrich Schiller, the great German poet: ‘All people are brothers.’ Everybody should read these words. He believed these words and we need this today, more than ever. People should take it very seriously, the words of this symphony,” he said.

The Teatro di San Carlo opera company staged “Carmen”. 

Beethoven was almost totally deaf when he composed the symphony, the last movement of which incorporates the poem, known in English as “Ode to Joy”.

The maestro brought that message to the audience as every member of the orchestra followed his powerful gestures. The performance was truly remarkable and the audience rose as one to its feet as the last notes faded away.

There was similar enthusiasm at the two performances of “Carmen”, one of the most popular operas in Teatro di San Carlo’s repertoire. The opera house, which appointed Mehta as its honorary music director in 2016, can trace its history back to 1737, and has been associated with some of the best-known maestri in the world, among them Gui, Serafin, Santini, Gavazzeni, Bhm, Fricsay, Scherchen, Cluytens, Knappertsbusch and Igor Stravinsky.

A local children’s chorus from Immanuel Music School was given the opportunity to performing with the leading maestro Zubin Mehta.

The opera itself was entertaining, the voices of the singers exceptionally beautiful and the sets glamorous with thousands of tiny bulbs glittering.

The production also incorporated contemporary techniques, highlighted by the tube-shaped neon lights carried by silent bearers or mimes. An unusual take for a classic opera, it had the unfortunate effect of disrupting the choreography.

The organisers of the festival, International Cultural Promotions, have long believed in inspiring young performers and giving them an opportunity of a lifetime and made good on this by bringing 60 Thai students to take part in “Carmen”. They included a chorus from Immanuel Music School, the non-profit school for underprivileged children living in Khlong Toei district, drama students from Chulalongkorn University, and young dancers from the Varaporn and Kanchana Ballet Schools.

Surachai posted a message on his Facebook wall that he was in Chumphon when he got the sad news.

Mongkol was one of four band members of the Caravan, which was formed in 1974 following the 1973 student uprising. The band called its songs “Pua Chiwit” (for life) as they mostly touched on social issues and injustice.

Mongkol was born in Phanom Prai district in Roi Et. He was a student activist and formed the Bangladesh Band while studying at Techno Korat, then known as North Eastern Technology College.

He played several musical instruments, including lute and mouth organ.

Mongkol composed several songs for Caravan, including Look Kheun Soo (Rise Up and Fight) and Kularb Daeng (Red Roses).

He participated in the 1970s campaigns against US bases in the Kingdom, and joined communist insurgents after the student movement was crushed in the Thammasat student massacre in 1976.

A bathing rite will be held at 3pm at the Wat Pak Nam Pibul Songkram in Nonthaburi’s Muang district.

MORE THAN 5,000 people crammed into Thunder Dome last Saturday for “Redmare in Bangkok”, Red Velvet’s first-ever concert in Thailand.

As the name suggested, the show was a dream of fantasy, mystery and music all brought to the audience by the five Red Velvet girls – Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy and Yeri.

“It would be like going into different worlds inside a theme park,” said the band’s leader Irene at the earlier press conference. And if that were not enough to excite Red Velvet’s fans, Seulgi added, “There will be fantasy, horror, and more”.

Red Velvet greets their fans at the Thunder Dome.

Like all followers of K-pop outfits, Red Velvet’s fans have their own name – in this case Reveluv – and they had been waiting for this Red Velvet concert since their favourite girl group made its debut in South Korea in 2014. The girls captured world attention earlier this year when foreign news crews filmed part of their performance in Pyongyang in front of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un.

Redmare in Bangkok was a sold-out event, with all seats in the Thunder Dome filled and every square inch of the standing zones taken.

Fans who managed to get hold of a ticket in time enjoyed some wonderful experiences. Every minute of the concert was great, as the girls put themselves wholly into entertaining the crowd.

The show started at 5pm sharp, opening with a VCR showing Red Velvet bumping into a robot at a theme park. Identified later as “Reve” (the French word for dream), it was a prominent part of the stage background and quickly introduced Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy and Yeri to the adoring crowd.

The Parade episode of Redmare in Bangkok

Dressed in white tops and red skirts, the Red Velvet girls started their performance with a cool rendition of “Russian Roulette”. The bright mood continued with “Power Up” and “Cookie Jar”, sending Reveluvs rolling with joy.

After singing three numbers in a row, the lively girls moved to the centre of the stage to greet their fans, drawing loud cheers with their few phrases of Thai including sawasdee kha. And even though they had to speak via an interpreter for most of the conversation, their happiness at receiving such a warm response from Thai fans was clear.

The girls then walked closer to the audience, melting the hearts of spectators in the standing zones.

Then came the tune of the remixed “My Second Date” with the five singers showing off their cool dance steps one by one. The momentum continued with “Mosquito” and “Look”, the latter number closing out the Fantasy Adventure segment.

The main stage then fell dark, as another clip appeared on giant screens and revealed four of the group being cornered by safari-costumed men.

Fortunately Joy was on stage to rescue her pals and as the lights came on once again, the five swung into “Mr E”, “Zoo”, and “Happiness”. Fans went wild as the opening bars of “Hit and Drum” blared out, bringing an ecstatic end to the Amazon episode.

Irene, the leader of Red Velvet, stuns the audience with her beauty.

Another clip showed Irene concocting and feeding magic potions to her fellow band members, with some becoming dwarfs and others turning into giants.

The next episode “Parade” saw all five Red Velvets dressed in fluffy flowery costumes, stealing hearts as they sang “Lucky Girl”, “Bad Dracula” and “All right”.

Then, it was time for another chat with the fans, and here they invited the audience to guess the animal each singer had chosen to represent in the previous episode. The puzzle turned out to be hard to solve but quickly became clear when the girls identified themselves –Joy as a chick, Seulgi a bear, Yeri a unicorn, Wendy a puppy and Irene a rabbit.

And to the delight of the Reveluv, the girls revealed they loved many things about Thailand, especially Thai food and Thai massage.

 Seulgi draws the first draft of Reve robot, which sits at the heart of Redmare.

Red Velvet then swung into “Blue Lemonade” and “About Love”, and as they brought the Parade segment to an end with “Moonlight Melody”, Thunder Dome suddenly glittered with lights, characters, and a heart symbol showing the love Reveluv have for Red Velvet”.

Irene was moved to tears while the other girls beamed with happiness.

Horror Adventure was the theme of the next episode and opened with a clip showing Red Velvet inside a Haunted Mansion. The girls returned to stage dressed all in black performing the hip-hop number “Bad Boy” and their much-loved hit “Peek-A-Boo”.

The screams reached their highest level when the girls danced like robots to the tune of a remixed “Dumb Dumb”.

Suelgi then answered the question on everyone’s mind – why the robot? The bot apparently was at the heart of the concert’s concept and she herself drew the first draft. Yeri then named it “Reve”, because its sound resonated with the term for Red Velvet’s fans – Reveluv – and its meaning went well with the “Fantasy” segment, an integral part of Redmare.

With time marching on and only two songs left to go, Red Velvet again expressed their thanks to the audience and wasted no time in moving into performance mode for “Red Flavour” and “Rookie”

The ear-splitting cheers and screams carried on long after Red Velvet had waved goodbye and disappeared from the stage, leaving them little choice but to return, this time with a clip showing Irene waking up her fellow band members and revealing that she herself was Reve.

Reveluvs turn Thunder Dome into a message of love for Red Velvet.

The girl group then performed “Ice Cream Cake” as fans waved a message saying, “Please be the smiles of Reveluv forever”. At one point, Irene could not hold back her tears of joy. She finally gave heartfelt thanks to the audience and told her fans that, “We can be on the stage here because of your love”.

To thank Reveluv, all five singers then sang ‘Day 1’, which talks about sweet love.

“Thank you and we love you,” Red Velvet girls shouted one last time, before the Redmare curtains finally came down on Reveluv’s dream.

ONE OF THE most disabling aspects of being blind is not the inability to see, but the limitations and low expectations often placed on the individuals concerned by others.

Amnart Srisang, though, is out to prove them wrong. The 16-year-old, who was born blind, has not only showcased his undoubted musical talents on TV reality show “The Rapper” but has just taken part in the “Exclusive Triathlon Training Session 2 by CIMB Preferred”.

“I need to prove that it is possible to have a successful and independent life without being able to see,” says Amnart. “I have often been dismissed because I am blind but I have never felt discouraged because my parents and siblings understand me and support me.”

 Sixteen-year-old Amnart Srisang is enjoying every minute of life. 

Born and raised in the northeast province of Buri Ram, Amnart didn’t fully understand what blindness meant until he started school and was teased by his friends.

At the age of eight, he was sent to the Bangkok School for the Blind to continue his studies and it was here that his love for music was sparked. A particular favourite was underground rapper Illslick.

“I listened to his five songs for months on end, loving the way he blended R&B and rap in a slow jam. Rapping in Thai is much harder than in English. But his songs aren’t hard to listen to because of the beautiful melodies,” the teenager says.

Amnart was 10 when he wrote his first love song and played it for a student he fancied to let her know he was sincere in his affections.

He continued to write, composing the music on his guitar and adding the lyrics. “I memorised 16 songs because I didn’t have enough money to buy something to record the on,” he laughs.

 Amnart challenges himself by participating in a triathlon event.

“Sometimes, I downloaded only the beats or backing track of a rapper’s songs then added my own lyrics. That’s quite common in hip hop and R&B culture.”

Amnart started listening to other genres, including Thai country folk when he joined the school band. At 14, he wrote “Khor Aphai Jai Ther”, and uploaded it to his YouTube channel under the penname Ozeeoos. The song earned more than 300,000 views.

“I learnt about writing songs from grooves and rhymes, as well as flipping and flowing, after listening to the recordings of several artists,” he explains”. I used my guitar to score ‘Khor Aphai Jai Ther’, which took me about half an hour to write.”

He admires foreign rap artists Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa but says Eminem is his favourite due to his straightfor- wardness and reflections on his life. “Hip hop is like a mirror that reflects the story of a man or his thoughts,” he reasons.

Under the name Ozeeoos, Amnart took part in reality TV show, “The Rapper” and performed a cover of Sek LoSo’s “Khuen Jan” during the audition. He passed the audition but was eliminated in the Battle Round against Singha Noi.

“My blindness is like the proverb Sen phom bang phukhao [When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras], and I accept that people have low expectations of the blind. Although I was eliminated in the Battle Round, I have continued to write songs and upload them to my channel,” Amnart says.

Last year, Amnart performed a live rap without music for his mother to mark Mother’s Day, a number he repeated on “The Rapper”. He also worked with fellow rapper Danm Sweet on “Mued” (“Blind Heart”) and has just released his self-produced new single, “Right Here”, which reached a million views on YouTube with one week of being uploaded.

“I would like to have a fixed income. I’m happy to work on my songs and really don’t want to hang around waiting for help. This reality show has made me better known and I have earned more followers and well as acceptance from other rappers. Right now I’m poised at one side of the bridge and need to cross over it so I can really get going with my Ozeeoos Production Studio. And I’ve received an email from American rapper Conscious asking me to join with him on a musical work,” says Amnart.

A keen sportsman since childhood, Amnart believes in pushing himself to the limits. At the age of six, he was selected for a junior national swimming event but refused to take part. Recently, he was a special guest at “Exclusive Triathlon Training Session 2 by CIMB Preferred”.

“I just wanted to prove to myself whether I could do it or not. A sporting career wouldn’t bring me stability, I know that. And anyway, I want to dedicate myself to studying and making music,” says Amnart.

You can catch Amnart Srisang in “The Rapper Concert” taking place at Hall 106 of Bitec Bangna on September 22 at 7pm, along with Joey Boy, Khan Thaitanium, Golf F–king Hero, Twopee Southside, UrBoyTJ, and Poojan Long Mic.

Tickets are now available |at Thai Ticket Major counters and online at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

Unlike the label, Three Man Down is not new to the scene, having formed five years ago and still featuring the same lineup: Krit Jeerapatananuwong on vocals, Peerapol “Toon” Iamjamras on guitar, Kijtimet “Ohm” Chanpanich on bass, Thaynan “Thay” Wongpreecha on drums and Witsarut “Seng” Pathomsiripaisal on synthesiser. The band participated in many competitions as it tried to get a foothold in the recording business.

“We signed a contract with Gene Lab after taking part in the Band Lab contest,” says singer Krit.

“The single was written by our guitarist Toon and the lyrics talk about a man who is secretly in love and hopes that one day the woman of his dreams will notice him.”

Keep updated on the band’s movements at Facebook.com/threemandownofficial and Facebook.com/genelabrecords.

Aussie on the Throttle

Australian producer Throttle – one of the hottest names in dance music – will make his debut show in Thailand at Levels on Sukhumvit Soi 11 on October 4.

The show starts at 9. Tickets are Bt300 for men and Bt200 for ladies, both with one drink.

Book a table at (082) 308 3246, or visit http://www.LevelsClub.com/events.

Krafty Kuts, a multi-award winning DJ and producer from the UK, will make his show at The Club at Koi on the 39th floor of Sathorn Square Tower on Sathorn Road this Saturday night from 9pm to 2am.

Kuts, who has been named “Best DJ” by Breakpoll and “Best International DJ” by DJ Mag, will spin a bass-heavy multi-genre mix of hip-hop, bass, breakbeats, funk, drum & bass and electro.

Tickets cost Bt300 with one drink at the door. Find out more at (02) 108 2005.

Music for a cause

Back To Life and Help Thai Foundation are joining forces to create an international music event at De Commune of Liberty Plaza Thonglor next Thursday night from 9pm to 2am to raise funds for an as yet unspecified good cause.

Guests include Pauli The PSM, the former drummer for Gorillaz and Sampha, and Khalil, who has performed at the prestigious Boiler Room, and is the co-founder of the London’s “Livin’ Proof” party series. They’ll be supported by Kade and DeLorean.

Tickets cost Bt300 available at the door. For more information, call (085) 330 8775 or visit Facebook.com/helpthaifoundation.

Idols in Khorat

Thai idol girl group Sweat 16 head up to Nakhon Ratchasima on Sunday for a mini concert on the stage of “Japan Discovery” at The Mall Khorat.

The 13-girl group will also visit radio stations NNK FM100.50 and 89.75 Sweetwave.

For more information, please visit official fanpage at http://www.Facebook.com/SweatSixteen.

Unlike their modern, glossy black, lacquered heirs, the instruments dating from the 19th century also boast rich brown hues of varnished wood.

The makes and models include some of the favourites of the prolific 19th-century Polish-French pianist and romantic composer, who died in France aged 39 in 1849.

Now 30 pianists from around the globe, taking part in Poland’s first International Chopin Competition on Period Instruments, can pick and choose from among the pianos.

“They all date back to the 19th century and Chopin played on each of these models,” Artur Szklener, director of the Warsaw-based Fryderyk Chopin Institute told AFP, referring to five grand pianos gracing the stage of the Warsaw Philharmonic among the special collection.

“His favourite was the Pleyel, but we also have Erard, Buchholtz and other period pianos,” he added, saying that they were borrowed from various collections, including his institute.

Unlike today’s standardised grand pianos, models created during a period of technical innovation during the 19th century vary widely in their construction and quality of sound, giving each instrument its own individual personality.

Depending on the model, the brand and year of manufacture, “it feels like you’re listening to a lot of different sounds, lots of different pianos,” said Claire Chevallier, a specialist in antique pianos and a jury member at the competition in Warsaw.

‘Extremely demanding’

Chevallier said she wanted competitors to “be at one with what each instrument can offer” so they can express “very personal things, very adapted to the instrument and its quality of sound.

“At the same time, there should be a little bit of novelty in the music of Chopin that is heard so often,” she told AFP, as the competition got under way.

The use of the historic pianos makes the event that runs from September 2-14 with a first prize of 15,000 euros ($17,400) unlike any other in the world, according to the Chopin Institute.

The competition is modelled on the venerable International Chopin Piano Competition, launched in Poland in 1927 and held every five years since 1955.

Winning the prestigious event opens doors to international careers.

But winning a competition with period pianos poses perhaps an even greater challenge to musicians accustomed to standardised modern instruments.

“These instruments are extremely demanding at the technical level, the level of listening and the level of managing the acoustics of the instrument, not to mention the acoustics of the room,” according to Chevallier.

“They are unforgiving. For example, they have very uneven musical scales, while on a modern piano the transition between scales goes totally unnoticed,” she said, referring to octaval changes being much less fluid on antique pianos for technical reasons.

– ‘Organic’ –

Like his competitors, French pianist Benjamin d’Anfray, 30, is well aware of this.

“Every era has its own style of piano and its own technique, so we can’t play these instruments in the same way that we play a large concert Steinway.

“We can’t be heavy-handed, we can’t use the pedal in the same way, we focus more on the keyboard,” he told AFP, after his first recitals on the Buchholtz and Pleyel models most favoured by Chopin.

“The Pleyels have exceptional singing qualities, that we’ve lost in our modern pianos.

“When we play them we can be sucked into another world, we can have sound sensations and worlds of sound that are completely different,” d’Anfray said.

Finding these revered pianos is by no means a simple task.

“Very old pianos in good condition are very rare but when you find one, it’s paradise,” d’Anfray remarked, pleased that there are 20 period pianos available for the pianists to explore at the competition both on stage and in rehearsal rooms.

According to Chevallier, there is also an ecological and social note to the event.

“It’s really organic, I mean we’re recycling existing instruments and that could create an extraordinary market and a lot of work for many restorers and tuners.”

At 82, Zubin Mehta – a living legend to devotees of the classics and phil¬harmonic performance – remains as passionate about guiding orchestras through their charts as he was at 25.  He always looks forward to the next concert, he says, and, to the great for¬tune of his fans in Thailand, his next series of concerts is taking place in Bangkok tomorrow through Saturday.

The shows at the Thailand Cultural Centre will add considerable appeal and lustre to the ongoing International Festival Dance and Music, with the great Indian conduc¬tor bringing the Georges Bizet opera “Carmen” and popular selections from Beethoven and Tchaikovsky to the proceedings.

Already in the capital last week¬end, Mehta told The Nation that the Bangkok appearance was especially important to him because, for health reasons, he’s had to cancel a planned world tour this year and is only able to perform here and in France.

It certainly makes the occasion special for local admirers – a chance to hear one of the great stars of classi¬cal music interpret “Ode to Joy”, lead¬ing the renowned San Carlo Opera and San Carlo Orchestra from Naples, Italy.

Excerpts from the interview:

This is only your second visit to Thailand since you last performed here five years ago?

No, I’ve been here many times. The first time was in 1984, with the New York Philharmonic. We did a free concert for refugees and your princess came to the concert. This hotel [the Mandarin Oriental] is like my home!

I also came with the Israel Philharmonic, at least three times. We have never forgotten the concert that JS Uberoi [chairman of International Cultural Promotions Ltd] organised in front of the Grand Palace five years ago.  It was quite unbelievable – the whole stage was filled with flowers and there were airconditioners under the seating!

Mr Uberoi is Indian but a great friend of Thailand. I wanted to do that concert for his adopted country. So I come whenever he invites me.

Tell us about the programme this time.

We’re doing two performances of “Carmen” with the opera singers. Then we are doing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, the “Choral”, and Overture No 3, “Leonore”, at two shows, and at the other Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony in F minor and Sixth Symphony in B minor – the “Pathétique”.

I spent a week in Naples rehears¬ing and we worked very hard, so we are prepared. We only have to get used to the theatre here now.

Share with us your deepest feelings about Beethoven, whose music you’ve played so often.

The Ninth is a symphony that belongs to the world, with the lyric that Beethoven adopted by Friedrich Schiller, the great German poet – “All people are brothers.”

Everybody should read these words. He believed these words and we need this today, you know that. People should take it very seriously, the words of this symphony.

You’ve often said your father, Mehli Mehta, was your greatest inspiration. What exactly did you learn from him?

My father was a great disciplinarian, very strict. He conducted in Bombay, played many concerts on violin and then with his youth orchestra in California. He trained musicians that are today in most of the great American orchestras. And they got their discipline from him and I got it too, which is very important in music. We don’t improvise.

This is a very good orchestra from Naples. We played the Ninth last year in the huge cathedral in Milan, in front of 5,000 people.

You conducted an imaginary orchestra when you were five years old, and now you’re still travelling the world conducting many great orchestras. Who do you thank for this?

First of all, my father: He had a big collection of recordings of Toscanini that I grew up listening to.

Then I went to Vienna to study with Hans Swarowsky, who was also great disciplinarian. And I started to play in orchestras. I started quite early professionally. I was 25 when I got my first jobs, in Montreal and in Los Angeles at the same time.

It just happened. I didn’t ask for it. There in these two cities, I learned repertoire – all the pieces I had in my head. So I learned much from that.

What do you hear when you close your eyes?

Only the music. The message of the composer is very important, whether I do Mozart or Beethoven or the later composers. We have to analyse the music. We have to look at what the masters intended and read between the lines. We have to know their styles and imagine, given our knowledge, what Beethoven intend¬ed in his music, and Mozart the same. Haydn was another great master.

What would you say about Stravinsky? 

I started with Stravinsky, very early in my life. When I go to Naples I’ll do “The Rite of Spring” with this orchestra. We’ll also be celebrating the birth centennial of Leonard Bernstein, who was the great 20thcentury musician.

Does popular music affect your perception of music in general?

No. I always appreciate jazz. I don’t play it, but I appreciate it. As a student in Vienna, I liked listening to Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie. In Los Angeles I knew some of them, as well.

And of course another great inspi¬ration was Ravi Shankar, a great musician of the last century – and now his daughter Anoushka plays with me! Next year will be the 100th anniversary of Ravi Shankar’s birth and we’ll celebrate in London, with his music played by her. I’m still very close to the family.

The great Indian tabla player Shakil Hussain will also come to Florence to play with me. His father used to play with Ravi Shankar.

You were an Asian pioneer in Western classical music. What do you think of today’s young Asian musicians?

Asian music is developing and evolving very well. For Asians to become conductors, they have to study. Nothing happens by itself.

Anybody who wants to be a pro¬fessional in classical music has to work hard. They have to go to Europe or America and study. Without studying, nothing will happen. Through study, you get the opportu¬nities. Vienna, London and New York are very good places to study, with very good teachers.

They have to have a love for the music – they must be obsessed. I was from my youth obsessed about want¬ing to conduct the sym¬phonies of Brahms, but I had no idea how. So I lis¬tened, I studied and then lit¬tle by little you get the opportunities that you have to take advantage of.

There are more women in orchestras nowadays.

The orchestras are full of young ladies! Fifty years ago there weren’t many.

These days we hold orchestra auditions behind curtains, so the judges don’t know if it’s a man or woman playing. And usually it’s the lady who wins the seat in the orches¬tra. They’re very good!

You have been conducting for six decades. Is it still fun?

Yes, 60 years. I started when I was 25 and now I’m 82. And yes, it’s fun – I still look forward to every concert.

– As part of Bangkok’s International Festival of Dance & Music, Zubin Mehta will con¬duct the San Carlo Opera of Naples in the opera “Carmen” on Wednesday night and again on September 14 at the Thailand Cultural Centre.

– On Thursday he will lead the San Carlo Orchestra through “An Evening with Beethoven”, and on September 15 through two symphonies by Tchaikovsky.

– Seats are now on sale at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3191.

– Find out more at http://www.BangkokFestivals.com.