The performance “Os Portugueses – The Portuguese” will mark the opening of the festivities celebrating the long-lasting Thai-Portuguese relationship.

The upcoming concert will be Leao’s debut in Thailand and for this very special occasion, the artist will present a variety of his work in Portuguese along with the instrumental written for the TV documentary series “Portugal – A Social Portrait”, a seven-episode documentary about the evolution of Portuguese society during the last 50 years.

On stage, Leao will be accompanied by the Mozambican singer Selma and a lineup anchored in a string suit (violin, cello and viola), as well as a multi-instrumentalist set that will allow him play back the multiple sound environments of the original recordings.

Rodrigo Leao was one of the musicians and composers behind the extraordinarily successful Portuguese ensemble Madredeus and stayed in the band for nearly 10 years before focusing on his own solo career.

He composed music for and performed in Wim Wenders’ “Lisbon Story” (1994), and composed the soundtrack for the Lee Daniels’ Oscar-nominated historical drama “The Butler” (2013) starring Forest Whitaker.

Rodrigo’s 2004 album was titled “Cinema”, and from then on his backing group became known as the Cinema Ensemble. As he moved further in his exploration of instrumental textures, he felt the need to return to the simplicity of the pop song. He has collaborated with Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, The Divine Comedy’s Neil Hannon and Tindersticks’ Stuart Staples and also performed with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Ludovico Einaudi.

Admission is free but reservations are required by email to ambassador@embassyofportugal.or.th

For more information, call (02) 234 2123 extensions 404 or 403.

Spanish tenor Israel Lozano, who debuted in Southeast Asia with “Madama Butterfly” nine years ago, will play Radames, and Mexican mezzo Grace Echauri will perform as Amneris, the vengeful Egyptian princess, while Nancy Yuen, artistic director of Singapore Lyric Opera, takes the title role.

Yuen has been in more than a dozen roles with Opera Siam, including the title roles in “Mae Naak” and “Butterfly”, as Mimi in “La Boheme” and as the Empress in Somtow’s “Dan no Ura”.

“In a sense this feels like an Opera Siam production – except there’s a real budget and real preparation time,” Somtow says of “Aida”. “Singapore’s ‘Aida’ is budgeted at five times the cost of the average opera in Bangkok.”

Somtow says there are numerous differences in working in the two cities.

“There’s a serious work ethic in Singapore. There’s a really heavy rehearsal schedule. And it gives the opportunity for the stage director, Covent Garden’s Andrew Sinclair, to delve really deeply into the characters and to come up with a quietly revolutionary interpretation of the opera.”

Somtow’s 2005 production of “Aida” in Bangkok was described as a revelation. “It is still one of the productions I am most proud of,” says Richard Harrell, the guest stage director from San Francisco Opera.

Instead of being set in Egypt, the production was given the look and feel of ancient Siam, at war with Burma, in the milieu of Suriyothai and Naresuan, giving the audience an interesting series of local metaphors.

In terms of look and feel, Singapore’s “Aida” is more traditional, in that it is set in Egypt. But in other ways it, too, is revolutionary.

“After a five-minute conversation with Andrew Sinclair, we discovered, amazingly, that we were on the same page,” Somtow says.

“We were both fatigued with the epic, monumental ‘Aidas’ we see frequently, and we could see another ‘Aida’ inside the spectacle – an intimate family tragedy of people caught up in a sweeping history they can’t control.”

Somtow’s take on the music digs deep under the crust of “epic splendour” to try to pull out Verdi’s “intimate drama”.

He’s been working with Singapore Lyric Opera’s orchestra to bring out the music’s exotic, subtle colours. He’s removed dozens of “traditional” exaggerations that singers have overlaid onto Verdi’s score, and eschewed the monumentally slow tempi of some interpreters for a much more exciting pace.

Check out the programme at Sistic.com.sg.

The winning band will receive Bt200,000 cash to be divided equally between them and their school plus shoes for every student of the school from Gold City Footwear. Applicants must be part of a high-school band with less than 12 members. Download the application form at http://www.GoldCityShop.com and send it by email to goldcity.tbk2018@gmail.com, together with a link to a live video clip of a newly written song in MP4 format to arrive no later than July 20. Find out more at Thailand Band Knockout’s fan page on Facebook.

It’s a dog’s life

Have fun with adorable pooches at the Thailand International Dog Show being held at Halls 12 of Impact Convention and Exhibition Centre, Muang Thong Thani from July 5 to 8 between 10am and 8pm. The international dog competition consists of “Dog Agility Zone”, “Pitbull Playground Zone”, “Dog Parade in a Colourful Party”, and “Dog Clinic – free check up”. Canine products will also be on sale at discount prices and visitors can enter a lucky draw to win an IPhoneX and a precious pendant. For more information, go to http://www.ThailandDogShow.com or Facebook.com/ThailandInternationalDogShow

Partying with the Third

London-based duo Third Party is coming back to Bangkok and will play Levels Club & Lounge on Sukhumvit Soi 11 next Thursday from 9pm until late. The DJ duo are best known for their remix of the UK #1 chart hit “Nobody to Love” by Sigma and their collaboration “Lions in the Wild” featuring Martin Garrix.

Book a table by calling (082) 308 3246 from 29pm or (095) 248 3897 from 9pm onwards.

When the moon shines bright

SangSom holds the latest in its Fullmoon Party Live series at Bitec Bang Na on June 7-8. The DJ lineup on June 7 features 22 Bullets, Gail Werner, Ghost, Pixzy Ploy, Monster P & DJ Sunny, RL Grime, and Humbornoize, while on June 8 Timmy Trumpet, Salvatore Ganacci, Berg, Make You Freak, and Paka will man the decks.

Tickets are Bt1,800 and Bt2,500 (VIP) at http://www.EventPop.me/blogs/43fullmoonpartybkk2018

So you wanna be a star?

Dreaming of being a popular artist in South Korea like 2PM’s Nichkhun or Got7’s BamBam? Then sign up for the K-Pop Audition 2018, which is inviting applications from Thai boys and girls aged between 13 and 22 with a passion for music and who sing and dance in songs in Thai, English, Korean and Japanese language. The winner will be guaranteed work in Thailand and also sign an artist contract with a music label in Korea and Japan. Check it out at Line @kpopaudition before June 13.

Fans around the world are expecting the band’s current lineup featuring Nuno Bettencourt, Pat Badger, Kelvin Figueiredo, and Gary Cherone to perform hits from every era of the band’s history such as “More Than Words”, “Hole Hearted”, “Rest In Peace” and more.

The legendary American rock band reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Among some of Extreme’s musical influences are Van Halen, Queen, Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin. The band played at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992 and Cherone joined Van Halen in 1996. The band has described their music as “funky metal” in the early days, but it would evolve much more in the mid-1990s by blending classic rock influences with post-grunge and alternative rock.

Extreme was formed in Massachusetts in 1985 by vocalist Gary Cherone and drummer Paul Geary formerly of “The Dream”, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt of “Sinful” and bassist Pat Badger of “In The Pink”.

After their Thailand gig, Extreme will go to Taiwan on June 17.

Tickets are Bt2,000 and Bt3,000 at Thai Ticket Major. Call (02) 262 3456 or visit http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

BTS’ third and most recent album “Love Yourself: Tear” has been sold to over 54 countries from April 18 to May 18 on Gmarket Global Shop, the online retailer operated by eBay Korea announced Tuesday.

Orders continue to flood in despite the album’s steep price, 65,000 won ($60.4), Ebay Korea said.

The largest portion of purchases originated from Taiwan at 20 percent, while China took up 11 percent of the sales, the statistics revealed. Malaysia and Thailand came in next at 11 percent and 8 percent, respectively. Customers from other Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, the Philippines were also among the top buyers.

“Consumers from countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where K-pop products relatively did not sell well in the past, are also using Gmarket Global Shop to (buy the albums),” said an Ebay Korea executive. “Consumers from European countries such as France, Germany and Sweden, where it is difficult to procure K-pop products, are also using the shop.”

Gmarket Global Shop currently runs sites in English and Chinese and offers payment services for foreign credit cards and Alipay.

“We’ve tried to minimize inconveniences in payment and shipping for global fans,” said Moon Ji-young, head of eBay Korea’s global business department.

On Monday, the album became the first K-pop album to earn the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 Chart, which ranks the most popular albums in the US.

The concert, which falls within the framework of the Italian Festival in Thailand 2018, will see the choir accompanied by the Immanuel String Orchestra performing one of Vivaldi’s most renowned pieces, “Gloria”, followed by the chorus from popular Italian operas including “The Humming Chorus” from “Madama Butterfly” and “Va, pensiero” from “Nabucco”.

The Bangkok Music Society is one of the oldest groups in Thailand and has provided musical opportunities to people living in Bangkok for more than 40 years. It was established by one of Thailand’s foremost architects, Amnad Khitapanna – himself an accomplished singer and pianist – to promote classical music of all genres. The BMS Choir was launched in 1991 and has performed some of the world’s most beautiful music to audiences across the city. Open to singers of all abilities and nationalities, the Choir prepares three major concerts per season (August to June) with several smaller and more intimate gigs for charities and its sponsors. The guiding principles of the choir haven’t changed in 26 years with a continued emphasis on enthusiasm and commitment. Through the BMS, the Choir has formed strong links with the Immanuel String Orchestra as well as the musical ensembles of Silpakorn and Mahidol Universities. The choir has performed several concerts with these excellent groups, notably Vivaldi’s “Gloria” in December 2016 and a concert dedicated to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, where they performed Mozart’s “Requiem in D Minor”.

Find out more by joining the conversation at Facebook.com/ItalianFestivalThailand.

Danai Thongsinthusak, the guy behind the success of labelmates Retrospect and Sweet Mullet, produced the new single and drummer Ritamnaj “Jazz” Kwanthong handled rapping duties.

“The song’s about those impossible loves that could never become stable relationships,” says singer Tunwa “High” Ketsuwan. “But, even though you know it’s impossible, you don’t want to lose the girl.

“It’s kind of post-hardcore mixed with synthesisers, electronica and R&B. It’s got Jazz rapping and Kitsakorn ‘Yok’ Chanthakasemkhun does a guitar solo. There’s ambient sound added to mimic the feeling of being a loser. And we recorded the whole thing in my bedroom, except for the drums, which were done in the studio.”

The music video features a bartender falling in love with a woman who dates multiple other men, and he feels like he’s getting punched in the face every time. Nevertheless, he keeps smiling through the pain.

Keep up to date with the band at “PaperPlanesTH” on Facebook and “paperplanesbandofficial” on Instagram.

Khunpa get cracking

Indie band Apartment Khunpa pack more their rock and roll, blues and funk onto their fifth studio album, which shares the group’s name, and the first single, “Yud Kham Khuen Wai Tong Na Ther Ja Dee Mai”. They’re on GMM Grammy subsidiary label Sanamluang Music.

Frontman Tul Waitoolkait says the single about an imaginary love blends folk rock and country, rippling with the soft sound of a Hammond organ.

The music video is about a man travelling into the lush jungle, where a woman in a red dress catches his eye – as she would in a jungle. But what happens next is even more surprising than that.

Formed in 2002, Apartment Khunpa also has Piyanart “Pump” Jatikasathira and Gun “Ball” Rujinarong on guitar, Pukan “Mai” Sansuriya on bass and Tassarirk “Ja” Limsila on drums.

Keep caught up at Facebook.com/ apartmentkhunpaa and Facebook.com/ SanamluangMusicOfficial.

Srisalai set for dual concerts

Singer Srisalai Suchartwut isn’t slowing down at age 74. She’ll be onstage at Impact Arena in Muang Thong Thani on June 30 for a pair of afternoon concerts titled “Chua Fah Din Salai”.

The name is the title of one of her hits, which she’ll be singing along with “Rak Kham Khob Fah”, “Kep Rak”, “Khid Ja Pluk Ton Rak Aik Kor” and “Chong Rak”.

Joining Srisalai on the stage will be Songsith “Kob” Rungnoppakhunsri, Uthane “Thay” Phrommint, Nop Pornchamni, Anuwat “Boy Peacemaker” Sanguansakpakdee and Apiwat “Stamp” Eueathawornsuk. The Royal Thai Navy Orchestra provides the accompaniment.

Srisalai will be wearing outfits designed for the occasion by National Artist Somchai “Kai” Kaewthong of Kai Boutique.

Proceeds from ticket sales will purchase equipment for treating heart disease at Somdech Phra Pinklao and Queen Sirikit Naval hospitals.

The seats cost Bt2,500 to Bt3,500 at http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com and (02) 262 3456.

It’s the boys from CN Blue

Singer-songwriter-guitarist Lee Jong Hyun and singer-rapper Lee Jungshin from South Korean pop-rock band CN Blue will perform as “J vs J” at Central Lat Phrao’s BBC Hall on May 27.

Tickets are from Bt5,000 to Bt2,000 available at Thai Ticket Major (02) 262 3456 and visit http://www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

Follow the action at https://Ticket.achi.co.th, ACHIACTIVATION on Facebook, @achiactivation on Twitter, AHI_ACTIVATION on Instagram and @ACHI_ACITIVATION on Line.

With tourism down in the coastal resort of Pattaya now that the low or green season has arrived, the Tourism Authority of Thailand is giving the city a shot in the arm by organising the Thailand Cultural Music Festival this weekend at Bali Hai Bay.

“The festival is a component of our ‘Open to the New Shades’ campaign that utilises music as the medium to promote tourism. Thailand’s dynamic music industry is really growing into one of the country’s greatest assets,” says Sujitra Jongchansitto, deputy governor of Tourism Authority of Thailand’s tourism products and business.

“It also helps build brand recognition for Thailand as a tourist destination as it is undoubtedly one of Asia’s best musical and cultural event destinations. We are putting it together now to stimulate tourism during the low season. We are also following the government’s policy on promoting the Thai way of life, which is an important selling point for tourism and covers arts and culture, food and, of course, music. Local artists and bands, many of whom have performed overseas, will be blending their local sound with Western music instruments,” she adds.

Pol Maj Gen Bandit Khunchak, Pattaya City’s deputy mayor, echoes those sentiments, saying: “We are honoured that the TAT is staging this music event in Pattaya for the first time, especially at Bali Hai, which has undergone major landscape improvements costing more than Bt100 million. We have prepared security measures, traffic control and a large parking lot to cope with the influx of visitors. Pattaya organises many activities and events to encourage tourism but the Thailand Cultural Music Festival is a new innovation. I believe this music event will be able to draw crowds from Bangkok and the surrounding provinces as well as foreign tourists.”

The festival is the first event being hosted by Bali Hai Bay since the renovation works were completed and features an all-star lineup, who will take the stage tonight from 5 until late.

Among them are The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, known for its modern take on traditional morlam (Isaan music), indie luk thung (Thai folk) singer Zak Chumpae whose song “Kham Pang” has been viewed over 400 million on YouTube and electronic reggae and folk outfit Ga-Pi & The Thai Dub Mafia. Also entertaining the crowds are reggae band Mocca Garden with disco artist Burin Boonvisut, Phatthalung Band, whose song “Mahalai Wua Chon” has been viewed over 200 million times on YouTube, fusion jazz band The Infinity, Urboy TJ with Day Thaitanium, and luk thung artist Kong Huayrai with morlam singer Kanittha “Bell” Baolorpetch.

“It will be a musical phenomenon and the greatest ever show in Thailand with its blend of East-Meets-West music. It isn’t easy to book these well-known bands, who are on a tight show schedule, but we’ve managed it,” Sujitra says.

Between them, these bands represent all four regions of Thailand and many of them are also featuring acts typical of where they live. For example, the Phatthalung Band from the South is featuring the Khai Liem manorah troupe, while Paradise Bangkok will be joined by Rasmee of “Isaan Soul” fame. Also coming to town is Chaiya Mitrchai’s likay troupe.”

“We will have a small stage along the beach road with shows by local bands starting at 4pm,” Sujitra adds.

“I’m honoured that we’ve been invited,” enthuses Nattapon Siangsukon, aka DJ Maft Sai, founder of The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. “For those who don’t know us, we are a gathering of musicians fascinated by morlam. We all have different backgrounds but have helped each other to develop morlam into a modern sound that the new generation can understand and enjoy. We’re putting our new album together and will be playing some tracks at the concert.”

Actors Louis Scott, Tanawat “Pope” Wattanaputi, and Ramida “Noon” Prapasanobon, stars of the hit Channel 3 period drama hit “Buppesannivas” will also appear on stage.

“Music is the lifeblood of culture, although people from other foreign countries, especially China, don’t understand it. We’ll perform some of the soundtracks from the drama and Noon and I will sing live for the first time on the number for which I wrote the rap part. We are educating the new generation to learn about and understand this kind of folk music,” says Louis.

The Thailand Cultural Music Festival endeavours to promote tourism in Chon Buri and neighbouring provinces while promoting local experiences that could later be developed on a regional, national or international, the TAT says.

With that in mind, festival-goers will also be able to sample the culinary delights of each of Thailand’s four main regions, have their faces painted, buy tattoo stickers and take part in “Snap and Share”, sharing 3D images of Thailand’s attractions from the TAT’s extensive gallery of photographs, or posting them on other social media platforms using the #thailandculturalmusicfestival or #amazingthailand tags. The prize is a colourful raincoat.

Music for the masses

– Admission is free.

– For more information, dial the call centre at 1672 or visit http://www.TourismThailand.org/thaifest.

“This first festival has all the makings of a great Asian music experience. TAT is proud to be involved in the organisation and support of yet another world-class event in Thailand, and one which is expected to further broaden Koh Samui’s appeal to Thai and international visitors alike,” said Noppadon Pakprot, the TAT’s deputy governor for Domestic Marketing.

The picturesque, tropical island setting for the Samui Asia Music Festival 2018 is Phru Chaweng on the island’s northeastern shore.

Find out more by calling the TAT Koh Samui office on (077) 420 504 and (077) 420 721 or email: tatsamui@tat.or.th.

Sony signed a deal with Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala to buy its 60 percent holding in EMI, giving the Japanese firm an indirect stake of approximately 90 percent, Sony said in a statement.

“We are thrilled to bring EMI Music Publishing into the Sony family and maintain our number-one position in the music publishing industry,” Sony boss Kenichiro Yoshida said in a statement.

He said the music business had “enjoyed a resurgence in the past couple of years” driven by subscription-based streaming services.

EMI is the second-largest music publishing company by revenue and either owns or holds the rights to 2.1 million pieces of music.

It either owns or administers some two million songs, including classics by the likes of Queen, Sam Smith, Pharrell Williams and Drake.

As for Sony, it already owns 2.3 million copyrights, including the Beatles catalogue.

The deal values EMI at $4.75 billion, the Sony statement said, adding that “the closing of the transaction is subject to certain closing conditions, including regulatory approvals.”

Sony will later Tuesday unveil its latest strategic plan under new CEO Yoshida, expecting to focus more on content than hardware.

The electronics and entertainment behemoth last month reported record annual profits worth $4.5 billion, a roaring recovery supported by better sales across the board and helped by box office blockbusters like its Jumanji reboot.

Those figures were seen as a fitting send-off for Kazuo Hirai, who recently stepped down as the firm’s chief executive after spending the past six years pulling the firm out of deep financial troubles.

Hirai led an aggressive restructuring drive at Sony, terminating thousands of jobs while selling business units and assets.

Investors appeared dubious about the acquisition however, with Sony stock down around 0.6 percent in the first few minutes of trade, underperforming the wider Japanese market which was flat.