Stock: 
Format: 
Release Date: 16-01-2005
Label: Celestial Harmonies
Catalog Number: 13237-2
Barcode: 13711323726
Musical Style: World
Track Listing:
| Disc 1 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sathukar [04:05] | 6 | Cheut Reay [04:49] |
| 2 | Trak [02:38] | 7 | Khlom [05:00] |
| 3 | Kaman [08:19] | 8 | Chamnan [00:57] |
| 4 | Bathom, Lea, Smoeu, Rua [09:05] | 9 | Krao Nai, Lea [14:27] |
| 5 | Cheut Chheung [09:32] | 10 | Yav, Rev, Lea [14:35] |
Description:
Homrong by CHUM Ngek captures a rare performance of the twelve sacred songs that are pivotal to the Khmer classical music tradition known as pin peat. Prior to this release, the renditions contained on this CD have existed nowhere else in the world, except, literally, in CHUM Ngek’s mind and body. The term, Homrong, refers to the entire series of pieces preserved on this recording. The sequence contains a complex body of Khmer artistic and cultural knowledge in condensed form.
Homrong was many years in the making. The artist conceived the project in the mid-1990s when he realized that his life as an immigrant to the United States had simultaneously saved and put at risk his abundant musical knowledge. That he made it to the U.S. at all after nearly four years of life in Cambodia under the genocidal Khmer Rouge offered promise for the future of the three genres (pin peat, mohori, and phleng kar) he had mastered by the age of eighteen. CHUM was among the few fortunate and highly talented musicians to have escaped execution during the 1970s.
Biography:
CHUM Ngek is one of the few living Khmer music masters worldwide who possesses a vast repertoire and command of multiple instruments across various genres. Born in Battambang Province, Cambodia, he arrived in the U.S. in 1982. Since his arrival, he has been advising, teaching and performing across the country. He has been a valuable source for research and educational materials that document Khmer music, including projects that have helped to revive traditional music in Cambodia. He performs regularly at venues such as the Kennedy Center, Smithsonian Institution, and National Folk Festival; provides music for Khmer traditional weddings and religious ceremonies; and performs for and teaches weekly at the Cambodian American Heritage, Inc. in Virginia and Cambodian Buddhist Society Inc. in Maryland.
CHUM’s role in these organisations and other's across the country extends far beyond mere performance: As the bearer of an endangered tradition, he is the consultant for them, providing guidance about appropriate repertoire and style for each event.
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