A CULTURAL exchange featuring piano music and Myanmar vocal accompaniment will be heard at the Festival du Lind’ Art 2008, on July 24 and 25 at Lake Montriond in Haute-Savoie, France.

The concert is being organised by Association Music et Montagne and Communication Services Group (Myanmar).

During the concert, two Myanmar pianists, three French pianists and one Myanmar singer will play and perform in both Myanmar and French songs.
The participating Myanmar artists are Sandaya U Yi Nwe, Sandaya U Ni Ni and singer Daw Htar. The French pianists are Ms Martine Pitté, Ms Claire Désert and Ms Bernard Fauchet.

The managing director of Communication Services Group (Myanmar), Daw Grace Swe Zin Htike, said she hopes that the concert promotes a cultural exchange, adding that she hopes to learn a few things herself.

“As an audience member, I’ve noticed that our [Myanmar] piano techniques differ slightly from those of the French players. It’s also very different to our traditional instruments.

“Our main repertoire consists of traditional classical music, the Maha Gita, which was the traditional repertoire until the end of the Myanmar’s monarchy era.

“I hope we can show our traditional methods through the concert and learn some of theirs as well,” she said.

To hold a piano concert in collaboration with French pianists was also a dream of the late renowned pianist, Gitalulin Mg Ko Ko, Daw Grace said.

“One of the French pianists, Ms Martine, made two trips to Myanmar in 2003 and 2005. She said ‘I want to learn the traditional Myanmar piano repertoire’, so I introduced her to Gitalulin Mg Ko Ko and she did two one-month courses under his direction.

“She also made put on a workshop in 2005 with him in Yangon,” she added.
In 2006, Ms Martine held a piano concert at Strand Hotel and played together with Sandaya U Yi Nwe and Sandaya U Ni Ni.

Daw Grace said that she feels really happy to have been able to organise the concert, which she knew was something that Gitalulin Mg Ko Ko had wanted to achieve.

“Although I’m not sure that I’ll organise any other concerts in France, I hope that he knows I’ve fulfilled one of his dreams by staging this performance,” Daw Grace said.

The Myanmar program includes Sandaya U Yi Nwe and Sandaya U Ni Ni playing the piano with Daw Htar accompanying with vocals in parts of the Maha Gita and Kalabaw (contemporary music) segments. There will also be long piano solos.

In the French program, the pianists will perform two repertoires, using a different style in each.