Korphai Ensemble, Korphai or kor phai (, , ) which literally means a 'bunch of

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

', is an ensemble of traditional Thai

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

music."Percussion Festival"
(Austria) It was established in the 1980s by Anant Narkkong, the present musical director of the ensemble, who is a professor of

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the multidisciplinary study of music in its cultural context. The discipline investigates social, cognitive, biological, comparative, and other dimensions. Ethnomusicologists study music as a reflection of culture and investiga ...

and

composition Composition or Compositions may refer to: Arts and literature *Composition (dance), practice and teaching of choreography * Composition (language), in literature and rhetoric, producing a work in spoken tradition and written discourse, to include ...

at the Faculty of Music at

Silpakorn University Silpakorn University (SU.) (; ) is a national university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Tuscan–born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri when he became a Thai citizen. It began as ...

."Meet the Thai Music"
'' Diario Diplomatico Online'' (Chile), retrieved 5 December 2007 He also airs a

radio program A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...

of Thai music at the

National Broadcasting Services of Thailand National Broadcasting Services of Thailand () (NBT) is the public broadcasting arm of the Government Public Relations Department (PRD), a division of the Thai Government. It operates comprehensive media services comprising radio, public televisi ...

Music

The group plays Thai classical, or ''

piphat A ''piphat'' () is a kind of ensemble in the classical music of Thailand, which features wind and percussion instruments. It is considered the primary form of ensemble for the interpretation of the most sacred and "high-class" compositions of t ...

'', as well as Thai contemporary music. Throughout the past 20 years, Korphai has released a number of albums and performed in numerous public concerts in Thailand, including a performance with the

Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

. The group has also performed abroad, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. The groups is also involved in the music used in Thai films, documentaries, theatres, plays, and festival presentations, such as "Thai Percussion Days 2004" in Vienna. Their music was used in the Thai films, ''

The Legend of Suriyothai ''The Legend of Suriyothai'' () is a 2001 Thai film written and directed by Chatrichalerm Yukol, which portrays the story of Queen Suriyothai, who died in battle in the Burmese–Siamese War of 1548 sacrificing herself to save the life of Ki ...

'' (2001) and ''

The Overture ''The Overture'' ( or Hom rong) is a 2004 Thai tragic-nostalgia music-drama film. The film is a fictionalised account based on the life story of Thai palace musician Luang Pradit Phairoh ( Sorn Silapabanleng), which follows the life of a Thai ...

'' (2004). ''The Overture'' won Best Music with Kor Phai named as co-recipient in Star Entertainment Awards 2004 and

Bangkok Critics Assembly Awards The Bangkok Critics Assembly Awards (; "Entertainment Critics Club Awards") is a film award based in Thailand. It is given by the Bangkok Critics Assembly (, ), an association of professional film critics, to local feature film productions on an an ...

. In 2005, at the concert dedicated to the 55th anniversary of Thai-Cambodian diplomatic relations at the Chaktomuk Theatre, the performance of the ensemble "won accolades from members of Cambodian royal family", ''

Bangkok Post The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...

'' reported.

Discography

*2007 – ''Korphai : Bamboo Songs Bamboo Sounds'' *2004 – '' Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: The Overture''''Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: The Overture'', liner notes *2003 – ''Homrak Hom Rong'' (''The Delightful Overture'') (Label: Nong Taprachan) * ''Ratree Pradap Dao''

Awards

Korphai Music Genres

1. Traditional Thai Music: Piphat, Mahoree, Kruangsai Ancient repertoire and selected compositions from famous Thai composers. 2. Folk-Pop music Variety of songs; ranging from Thai folks to international popular music. 3. Fusion Jazz music Variety of Thai songs rearranged in fusion style. 4. Asian-mix Musics of Southeast Asian; rearranged in flexible performance style including stage movements. 5. Experimental music Improvisations & Compositions from modern Thai composers plus multi-media presentations. 6. Theatre Music / Film Music

Korphai musicians

References

External links

Korphai profile
at the Cultural Projects Factory
"Korphai Colourful Thai Percussion"Electroacoustic piece
{Dead link, date=February 2020 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes at the Mahidol University library. Commission by Patravadi Theatre, Live Premiere at Konzerthaus Wien, Austria in 2004 by Korphai Ensemble Thai musical groups