CHOPIN IN SINGAPORE

Chopin amid the palms.

Statue of Frederic Chopin 

at the Singapore Botanic Gardens,
a work by Polish sculptor Karol Badyna.

This is believed to be the only statue
of a composer in Singapore.

A close-up of Chopin's hands.

What is Chopin playing?

His Polonaise in F sharp minor, Op.44.

The inscription reads:

Frederick Chopin (Szopen) 1810 – 1849
The most eminent of Polish composers
This sculpture is a gift of 

the people of Poland to Singapore,

in memory of music's greatest tone poets
Made possible by the generous support of:
Halina and Miroslaw Pienkowski and the

Embassy of the Republic of Poland

in Singapore, October 2008

By the look of Chopin's demeanor and posture,

he should have been playing one of his Mazurkas.

CONDUCTOR'S AUTOGRAPHS: In Memoriam LUKAS FOSS, SIR EDWARD DOWNES & ERICH KUNZEL

LUKAS FOSS (1922-2009) was the German-American pianist, conductor and composer who is best associated with the Buffalo Philharmonic and Brooklyn Philharmonic orchestras. He was a one-time student of Paul Hindemith and Fritz Reiner. He conducted the Asian Youth Orchestra in Mahler's Symphony No.4 (with Elly Ameling) in August 1992 at the Singapore Conference Hall.

Here is an anecdote he related as I drove him back to his hotel: As the ensemble pianist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra in his youth, he was present at the World Premiere in December 1944 of Bela Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra conducted by Serge Koussevitzky. Sitting next to the composer, he brashly stated that finale had ended too abruptly for his liking. Heeding the young man's comments, Bartok rewrote the ending of the work, which is the version we are now familiar with. (The original version may be heard in the RCA Victor recording by the Saint Louis Symphony conducted by Leonard Slatkin).

Gossip: His wife was for several years in the 1960s the mistress and live-in partner of Glenn Gould. "You'll be back," the Maestro said, and he was right.

SIR EDWARD DOWNES (1924-2009) was the Director of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom he made some wonderful recordings of orchestral music of Ottorino Respighi and Reinhold Gliere on the Chandos label. I attended a concert at Royal Festival Hall in October 1989, where he conducted the BBC Philharmonic in Brahms' Symphony No.3, Schoenberg's Violin Concerto (with a very young Christian Tetzlaff) and the Prelude and Liebestod from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde.

ERICH KUNZEL (1935-2009) was the long-time conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, which has made tons of recordings on the Telarc label. He conducted the orchestra at the Esplanade in October 2005 as part of its Asian tour celebrating 40 years at its helm.

An Interview with CONRAD TAO, 15-year-old Chinese American Concert Pianist

AN INTERVIEW WITH

15-YEAR-OLD CHINESE-AMERICAN

CONCERT PIANIST CONRAD TAO

A 15-year-old who is a concert pianist, violinist and composer might sound like some reincarnation of Mozart or Mendelssohn, but Chinese-American pianist Conrad Tao, who performs at this year’s Singapore Sun Festival, insists that he is uncomfortable with being labelled a child prodigy.

Speaking in a telephone interview from his home in New York City, Tao exudes a wisdom and maturity of one double his age. “There is too much misplaced attention on musical prodigies, and I do not like the connotations that go with it. Where I grew up, there were many kids who played the piano and I did not feel any different from them. Even though I started performing at an early age and have more experience, it does not change me as a person. So it really isn’t a big deal,” he said.

He was also never subjected to the same kind of parental pressure that plagued the early years of former prodigies like Lang Lang. “We had no musical background in my family. My father is an engineer and my mother a research scientist. My elder sister, who is now studying economics, played the piano and that was the only reason why we had a piano in our home. Not being familiar with the music business, we had no pre-conceptions or expectations of what a musical career was about,” he added.

What was evident was a musical gift, when he picked out the melody of Mary Had A Little Lamb on the piano at the age of 18 months. He also had perfect pitch, which helped his first music lessons – on the violin – just before he turned three. Half a year later, he learnt to play the piano. His mastery of both instruments saw him performing both Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor and Piano Concerto No.1 at concerts in Florida earlier this year.

He has however made a conscious decision to focus on the piano, while playing violin at a more casual level. “Having double majors is very tricky to manage, but has its rewards too. I got to play lots of chamber music and in an orchestra, something which most pianists do not often get,” he reasoned.

When did he decide to make performing his life? “That must have been my first concerto performance with a professional orchestra in Texas when I was eleven. It was the sheer thrill of playing, and giving something back to the audience that made it a wonderful experience,” he mused. For the Singapore Sun Festival, Tao will perform Rachmaninov’s Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini with the Netherlands Radio Philhamonic Orchestra under Jaap van Zweden’s direction on 9 October 2009.

Composition is the third important facet of Tao’s musical life. “I wanted to compose from the very beginning. I was always making up simple melodies – resembling children’s tunes – before starting composition lessons at five” he recounted. Today, he studies with Christopher Theofanidis (left) who is on the composing faculty at Yale University. His compositions have included instrumental, chamber works and a piano concerto, The Five Elements, completed at the age of 13.

What is his compositional style like? “Musically schizophrenic,” he joked, “My style changes with every week and month and I do not yet have a specific voice. I try to find new inspirations and not sound derivative.” When pressed to cite possible influences, he reveals Minimalism and the chamber music of Shostakovich. “I strongly empathise with his music, especially the string quartets and Second Piano Trio. I would say my music is quite atypical, not very lush in orchestration, but stark and spare in quality.”

At 15, a whole world of possibilities awaits. International piano competitions are emphatically not one of these. “Having had so much exposure and concert engagements, it would be unfair of me to compete with other pianists for these performing opportunities. My teacher Veda Kaplinsky and I have decided very early not to go down this route,” he advised.

Outside of music, does Tao have any absorbing hobbies? “Living in New York City, there are so many fun things which can I do, like walking, reading and watching movies. What was the last movie I watched? District 9!” What does the future hold for Conrad Tao? “Music has been and will be in my life forever, but if my interests do change, I am not going to stop pursuing those!”

CD Reviews (The Straits Times, September 2009)

CHOPIN Complete Works 

GARRICK OHLSSON, Piano et al 

Hyperion 44351/66 (16 CDs) 

Rating ****1/2 

The piano is central to every piece of music that Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) wrote, and this handy box-set by American pianist Garrick Ohlsson, winner of the 1970 Chopin International Piano Competition, includes every single note. Virtually all his solo piano music is heard regularly these days, but the odds and ends including an enjoyable piano trio, small body of cello music, Polish songs and a solitary flute work remain rarities. Are these worth listening to? Yes, that is because Chopin – like Mozart - is one of those sensitive souls for whom beauty is an essential and little is ever routine. 

Ohlsson also marks himself as Chopin interpreter par excellence, even if aficionados may already have their personal favourites like Argerich (in the Préludes), Perahia (Études), Pires (Nocturnes), Lipatti (Waltzes), Zimerman (Concertos) and Rubinstein (in pretty much everything else). 

The recordings date mostly from the 1990s, originally issued by the now-defunct Arabesque label. The singular biggest draw here is its price; $99.95 at HMV works out to about $6 a disc or under 9 cents per minute of unalloyed pleasure. Hard to resist?

DEBUSSY / POULENC Cello Sonatas 

JEAN-GUIHEN QUEYRAS, Cello 

ALEXANDRE THARAUD, Piano 

Harmonia Mundi 902012

Rating ****1/2 

Two 20th century French icons Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) are united on this disc with the common goal of reviving French values in music. What may these be? For starters, it is the avoidance of dense counterpoint as espoused by the Germans, and steering clear of Wagner’s “modernism”. Secondly, a conscious return to the dance-forms of an earlier age, represented by the likes of Couperin and Rameau. Debussy’s Cello Sonata (1915) is the epitome of conciseness and clarity, all 11-minutes of it. Its middle movement Serenade is an evocation of evening minstrels and midnight trysts. 

Poulenc’s Cello Sonata (1948) joyously espouses the concept of “exquisite bad music”, one that does not take itself too seriously. Its third movement is entitled Ballabile, which literally means “danceable”; it is a gay, unpretentious and light-hearted romp. This album also includes Debussy’s “slower than slow” waltz La plus que lente, Poulenc’s Suite Francaise (based on 16th century dances) and two shorter pieces. Totally delectable.

JOSEF SUK Asrael Symphony 

Malaysian Philharmonic 

Claus Peter Flor, Conductor 

BIS SACD-1776

Rating ***** 

The Czech composer Josef Suk (1874-1935) is best known as the son-in-law of Antonin Dvorak and grandfather of the great violinist of the same name. His popular Serenade for Strings has been making its rounds, but the undisputed masterpiece is the 5-movement symphony Asrael of 1906. Named after the Islamic “Angel of Death”, it was borne of tragic circumstances; both Suk’s young wife and Dvorak had died within a year of each other. 

Running just over an hour, its musical language is influenced by Wagner and owes a debt to Mahler and Richard Strauss, while leaving Dvorak’s folksy symphonies in its wake. The quiet opening looks forward to Sibelius’ Seventh Symphony, while the tense and eventful scherzo predicts Prokofiev and Hollywood composers. Those seeking a sumptuously orchestrated canvas to wallow in, look no further. The Malaysian Philharmonic, conducted by its new Music Director in their first recording together, is on sizzling form.

Singapore Symphony Orchestra gets its first bad CD review

It had to happen sooner or later. The Singapore Symphony Orchestra has just received its first bad CD review, in the hands of Donald Vroon, the usually vitriolic Editor of American Record Guide. Below is his stinging review which appeared in the Aug/Sep 2009 issue of ARG.

(Click on image to enlarge)

Here are two sweeping statements that floor me:

"... but this is not a great orchestra. Almost any American orchestra of the top 19 would make it seem dull and inexperienced - would reveal far more beautiful tone and phrasing... But, as often, the Asians will strike westerners as utterly dispassionate."

Asians are utterly dispassionate? Is this man racist or what? Is he for real?

This is in complete contrast from the glowing ARG reviews by Gil French and Robert Markow in previous issues. The latter had this to say about the SSO in the Mar/Apr 2007 issue of ARG:

"Today, it unquestionably ranks among the world's best... A world-class orchestra than can switch between such radically divergent styles with virtuosic ease."

Which of these should we believe in?

One major difference: Both French and Markow have heard the SSO "live" in concert for themselves, and can probably attest that the SSO is as good as any of the 19 top American orchestras. Editor Vroon should come down from his ivory tower and visit Singapore sometime for himself. 

The Chamber Players: Bach to Bach / Review

BACH TO BACH
The Chamber Players
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concert Hall
Sunday (20 September 2009)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 22 September 2009.

If a definitive history of Western classical musical performance in Singapore were written, The Chamber Players would at least merit a page or two, because it is the longest existing amateur chamber ensemble today. Formed about 30 years ago from remnants of the defunct Singapore Philharmonic Orchestra, it also united players from the Singapore Chamber Ensemble and old Singapore Youth Orchestra.

Today, it is a rejuvenated and dynamic young group, still playing without a conductor, but boosted by professional musicians in key positions. Having not performed for almost two years, one wondered how they would sound. Just three words: very much improved. The musicians have gotten better individually, and the general ensemble is cohesive and well focused. Weak, anaemic string sounds and hesitancy of co-ordination seem very much in the past.

The mostly-Bach programme began with the Second Orchestral Suite in B minor (BWV.1067) the closest thing Bach wrote to a flute concerto. With just ten string players and harpsichord, the ensemble ably supported flautist Mohamad Rasull (left), one of Singapore’s very few Malay Western classical musicians. His performance was a generous Hari Raya Puasa treat, full of verve and vibrancy, capped with an exuberant Badinerie, which displayed delightful touches of his own.

The two soloists in Bach’s Double Violin Concerto (BWV.1043), Seah Huan Yuh and Mathias Oestringer (left), were well matched but tended to keep their tone on a subdued side. Although both had independently different parts, they mostly breathed as one. The slow movement, in particular, had an aria-like seamlessness that was pleasing.

The full orchestra came together for Schubert’s light-hearted Fifth Symphony in B flat major. For a conductor-less group of nearly forty individuals, the togetherness was admirable. Relying mostly on subtle cues from concertmaster Seah Huan Yuh, a healthy full sonority was generated. The performance was very direct, fresh like the morning dew, and devoid of ego or idiosyncrasy.

There was however some instability in the Trio of the third movement’s Minuet, where a conductor’s guiding hand would have helped. No matter, as the finale hurtled swiftly and where some element of risk-taking was apparent, the Players came through with flying colours.

The Chamber Players’ policy of free concerts (with donations accepted at the door) is totally laudable, and one hopes they were as justly rewarded as the audience it entertained.

Singapore Symphony Orchestra: Mahler's Resurrection Symphony / Review

MAHLER'S RESURRECTION SYMPHONY
Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Esplanade Concert Hall
Saturday (19 September 2009)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 21 September 2009.

Every performance of a Mahler symphony counts as a special event, and when a large chorus is involved, as in three of his symphonies, the ante is upped. This is the third time that Mahler’s Second Symphony “Resurrection” has been performed by the SSO since 1994, and also its best.

The orchestra has matured greatly since the last performances of the work in 2003, during Esplanade Concert Hall’s opening season. Fine-tuning of the auditorium’s acoustics has also transformed the sound from being over-reverberant to near ideal. So when low strings introduced the symphony’s opening funeral march, there was genuine depth to the bass and a palpable shudder.

Much of the credit goes to the American conductor John Nelson (left), last heard here in Mahler’s Sixth Symphony in 2005, who coaxed from the orchestra and combined chorus a performance which had unusual refinement above the obligatory dramatics. The first movement developed steadily and arch-like, with any temptation for histrionics and hysteria kept tightly in check.

Control was close to perfect. There was a massive fortissimo that evaporated into the ether in a microsecond without any part losing its place. The second movement’s folk-like Ländler was kept simple and unhurried, gently increasing in detail and intensity with each run. The ensuing Scherzo was spot-on in its comic turns, revealing its grotesqueries without resorting to caricature. Attention to fine details such as these do a great performance make.

The vocal soloists were also excellent. Mezzo-soprano Patricia Bardon had more to sing, radiating gratifying warmth in the fourth movement Urlicht (Primal Light) like some nascent morning sun. Blame Mahler for scoring so little for the soprano, for Nicole Cabell’s diamond-like voice emerged from and shone through the choral firmament laser-like, one of many moments to die for.

The brass department worked overtime in the cataclysmic finale, with its members marching on and off the stage, delivering their messages of doom and salvation from four corners of the hall. Many heads turned to witness this aural spectacle, which was crowned with a stupendous showing by the chorus corralled by Lim Yau, which began in restraint and quiet awe its opening words Auferstehen (Arise), before erupting into joyous soaring redemption.

There can hardly be a soul unmoved by this overwhelming musical experience.

Diametrically Divergent Reviews for Hamelin's Haydn on Hyperion

Has there been a piano recording that has received more diametrically divergent reviews than Marc-André-Hamelin's latest instalment of the Haydn Sonatas (on Hyperion)? Read on...

The review by Bryce Morrison, Gramophone (October 2009)

(Click on image to enlarge)

Raves:
"...even more dextrous, magical and enriching."

"Hamelin exhibits a coruscating wit and brilliance known to a few pianists."

"...a marvel of precision, grace and fluency."

"...leaving me to pray that Hamelin will continue his Haydn series..."

Here is the review from Graham Lock, International Piano (September/October 2009)

(Click on image to enlarge)

Invectives:

"Hamelin (for me) gets it all wrong."

"...among the least engaging or sympathetic performances of Haydn's sonatas I've heard."

"...featureless and monochrome - an unforgivable sin".

So which review are you inclined to believe?
Be the judge for yourself and buy the discs!

ERIK T. TAWASTSTJERNA Piano Recital / Review

ERIK T. TAWASTSTJERNA Piano Recital

Yong Siew Toh Conservatory Concert Hall

Thursday (17 September 2009)

This review was published in The Straits Times on 19 September 2009.

The piano music of the great Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) is hardly ever heard in these parts, so it was a pleasure to have his compatriot and authority Erik T. Tawaststjerna present these in concert. Unlike in the symphonic works, the pianistic Sibelius was best as a miniaturist. His salon-like morceaux are masterful character pieces, filled with simple charm and unusual colour.

Tawaststjerna’s selection of three varied Impromptus (from Op.3) displayed a variegated palette of shades, from solemn chords projected with an organ-like sonority, through folk-like rusticity to scintillating finger work recalling some limpid brooklet. The repeated note technique in the Caprice (Op.24 No.3) also suggested Sibelius might have been familiar with Moszkowski’s Caprice Espagnol.

Perhaps better known is the Romance in D flat major (Op.24 No.9) with its hymn-like melody, brilliant cadenza and epic climax, which Tawaststjerna delivered with great aplomb. Sibelius’ (left) own piano transcription of his biggest hit Finlandia was probably fiscally motivated. The heavy chords, rumbling tremolos, cascading arpeggios and dizzying trills could never replicate its orchestral glory, but its central chorale (Be Still My Soul or Finland Awakes, whichever language one sings it) had a touching poignancy.

The Scandinavian first half closed with Grieg’s early Sonata in E minor (Op.7), which sounded overlong by half, but salvaged by a lovely slow movement that had the same innocent and timeless quality as his Lyric Pieces.

The Chopin selection was the least successful part of the recital. While dark clouds and an inner rage distinguished the Nocturne in C sharp minor (Op.27 No.1), its counterpart in G major (Op.37 No.2) sounded stodgy and laboured. Lapses and missed notes blighted the three Waltzes (of Op.64, including the supposedly facile Minute Waltz), ample proof that there is no such thing as easy Chopin.

Liszt fared better; the Third Consolation displayed clear lines and a certain nobility, while St Francis Walking On The Waves (from Two Legends) thundered imperiously in its heroic but effortful strides. For the final word in simulated bravura, Manuel de Falla’s Ritual Fire Dance reveled in mesmerising trills and stamping chords.

Sonic gold dust returned in the sole encore, with The Spruce (Op.75 No.5) by the man of the hour, none other than Sibelius. Simply delectable from Tawaststjerna’s hands, one wished more of this Finnish finesse.

RACHEL CHEUNG Piano Recital @ The Joy of Music Festival 2006 / Review

RACHEL CHEUNG has just been awarded the 5th Prize at the Leeds International Piano Competition 2009. She made history by being the first pianist from Hong Kong to reach the final of this competition. Here is the review of her solo piano recital in 2006 which I wrote for The Flying Inkpot.

RACHEL CHEUNG Piano Recital

@ The Joy of Music Festival 2006

14 December 2006

Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall

The Joy of Music. What a great and totally appropriate name for a music festival! TJOM is a 10-day piano-cum-chamber music festival organised by The Chopin Society of Hong Kong, the very same people who inspired the first Hong Kong International Piano Competition held in September 2005. Ambitious, all-encompassing, eclectic and inspirational were just some adjectives that came to mind to describe the scope of this very commendable enterprise that attempted to inject some culture and sanity in a metropolis trapped in the frenzied throes of festive shopping and hyper-commercialisation.

My healthy dose of pre-Christmas musical sustenance began with a solo recital by Hong Kong’s pre-eminent young pianist, 15-year-old Rachel Cheung. She was the 1st prizewinner of the Gina Bachauer Junior Artists Piano Competition in 2004, and her photograph was splashed on the pages of International Piano. In 2005, she also became the youngest pianist ever to give a solo recital at the Hong Kong Arts Festival.

Was she up to all the hype? Yes, very much so. With a confident stage demeanor, impeccable deportment and totally winning musicianship, Rachel could be described as every piano teacher’s dream.

Beginning her recital with Mozart, the Fantasia in C minor K.396 was characterised more by the polish of the playing rather than sheer interpretive insight. It was more Romantically inclined, with generous use of the sostenuto pedal and not a little rubato. And she does not shy away from making a big sound. 

The Sonata in D major K.576, Mozart’s last, highlighted a fine and fluid technique that found her most comfortable with the running notes in the outer movements. The song-like slow movement “flowed like oil”, but and she could have done more to vary her tonal colour as her well-spun notes remained on much a single plane. It is said that Mozart Sonatas are too easy for amateurs but too difficult for professionals, and Rachel has just about crossed that threshold.

Her Liszt selection posed some questions of balance. Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude (from Harmonies poetiques et religieuses) is one of Liszt’s greatest and most sublime works. In this lush slow extended movement, her right hand filigree was just about ideal, maintaining a finest pianissimo possible while the left hand baritone melody struggled – in vain – against sounding stodgy. Although she managed to bring the work to an impassioned climax, the overall impression was a mixed one. Perhaps she is not totally ready for this piece. The great Claudio Arrau also had similar problems in his recording, so Rachel is in good company.

No ifs or buts in the Two Concert Études, the second of which – Gnomenreigen - received a totally stupendous performance. Staccatissimo e scherzandissimo, Rachel’s goblins are of the supersonic kind, progenitors of the wildest and naughtiest antics, and capable of leaping over Victoria Harbour and IFC 2 (HK's tallest building) in a single bound. I cannot possibly imagine it being better played.

Rachel Cheung with her teacher

Eleanor Wong (right) and Annarosa Taddei.

(Photo taken in December 2007)

The second half showed the same promise. In Schubert’s Three Pieces (Drei Klavierstücke, D.946), she alternated between muscular, big-boned playing and lyrical beauty of the cantabile kind, with all the contrasts well brought out. In the third piece, there was drama and humour, suggesting that she is fully immersed in and has a full measure of Schubert’s idiom. More of the same please.

The obligatory Chopin included Four Mazurkas Op.24, which despite their beguiling simplicity, housed a world of nostalgia and deep-seated emotions. “Cannons in flowers” was Schumann’s aphorism and Rachel did much to reveal their melancholy, mystery and a muted kind of playfulness. 

The large work, Ballade No.4 in F minor (Op.52), however felt too deliberate. Refusing to go headlong into rapturous elaborations of the main theme, Rachel remained on a slow boil throughout until the climactic three chords just before the tumultuous coda. Unfortunately, the tightly wound-up spring had gotten loose and the desired impact had slipped away. She has no problems technically with the piece, but will need to work on its delivery. Like a good stand-up comic, always keep the audience hooked on your story and later slay them with a totally wicked punchline.

The recital proper ended with Poulenc’s Trois Pieces (composer pictured left). Her dreamily impressionistic vision of the languorous Pastorale suggested she might revel in Szymanowski, while the triumphant chords of the Hymne pointed to her probably having heard and enjoyed Poulenc’s Gloria (If not, she ought to!). But it was the sewing-machine prestidigitations of the Toccata that seemed to impress the most – there is hardly any technical difficulty that fazes Rachel – even if the memories of Vladimir Horowitz or Pascal Rogé are not effaced.

There were two encores: a ubiquitous Chinese melody (Autumn Moon on a Calm Lake) and more sewing machine music - Poulenc’s Mouvement perpetuel No.1 - played with the keen spirit and verve that distinguishes the young.

Rachel Cheung is by no means a finished artist. And that is the good news. Her teacher Eleanor Wong is doing a fine, fine job. She will – with the further guidance, inspiration and in her own time – grow and further develop as a musician. The sky’s the limit for her, so it would be a total pleasure to witness her again in three to five years.

Rachel Cheung's début solo recital CD will be issued on the Alpha Omega Music label in October 2009.

CATS: Bangkok, September 2009

Cats sleep everywhere, on the table, on the chair...

Serene Siamese cat at War Suthat.

Frail-looking kitten at Wat Ratchanada.



Confident looker at Loha Prasat.

The Loha Prasat (Iron Castle)

is home to many felines.

Playful cats at Loha Prasat.

Cat family in the grounds of Wat Ratchanada.

Poor white tiger cubs bred in captivity,

for tourists' amusement, at the

Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm.

Finally, a lone Chao Phraya

River crocodile at Wat Chakrawat.

BANGKOK 9-13 September 2009

WAT'S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT BANGKOK?

Here's wat, a short trip off the beaten track

in the magical city of angels and wats.

Dramatically rising above a sea of Bangkok

skyscrapers is the Golden Mount of Wat Saket

(as viewed from the Loha Prasat).

The Golden Mount of Wat Saket

seems to defy gravity.

Climbing the 300-odd steps of the Golden Mount.

The cast-iron spires of Loha Prasat (Iron Castle)

at Wat Ratchanada makes it unique in the world today.

The Giant Swing (Sao Ching Cha)

outside Wat Suthat.

The serene Wat Suthat hardly gets tourist hordes.

The Buddha-lined cloister at Wat Suthat.

Looks like Wat Arun but it isn't.

Prang at Wat Chakrawat, a temple

better known for its crocodiles.

The unusual boat-shaped Wat Yannawa

by the Chao Phraya River.

Not the real thing!

A scale-model of the Khao Phra Wiharn

(Preah Vihear) at Muang Boran Ancient City.

Doorway at "Preah Vihear"