Drawing inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland — a tale of transformation, curiosity, and navigating unfamiliar territories — this evening’s performance invites you into a creative “Wonderland” where familiar rules no longer apply. Here, musical boundaries dissolve, genres and traditions intertwine in surprising ways, and the process of transformation becomes both the journey and the destination. As artists — dreamers by nature — we wonder, investigate, and wonder even more.

We begin with Moondrunk, from Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, where moonlight becomes a heady wine, intoxicating the dreamer and blurring the line between reality and fantasy. Its surreal poetry, atonal colours, and haunting Sprechstimme capture the essence of stepping into unknown artistic territories — a first step down the rabbit-hole that opens the way to deeper reflection.

Next piece in the performance 'Frank Bridge's Lament'  links to a proposed presentation, 'Wondering and Wandering', but evolves to explore a related topic, specifically the potential complex relationship between a piece of music (Lament for Catherine) and the sinking of the Lusitania (torpedoed out of existence in 1915), on which were 23 pianos. Exploring concepts of the ocean liner as a Wonderland and the piano as a looking glass, this performance seeks to tease concepts of truth and story-telling through a multimedia reflection on different moments (now, then, before and more recent).

The proposed performance builds on two previous sharings — Schultz's Sea-Change of 2023 and Debussy's 10th Etude of 2024 — drawing also on Lin Xiangning's 2024 exploration of the social history of the piano.

How many stories might one piece tell? Do stories inevitably accrue through time? Why might reflections on such a piece be relevant in Southeast Asia in the 21st Century? Are we left wondering more than ever in consequence of such evolutions? Does the increased complexity leave us wiser or more confused?

From the reflective to the ritualistic, we now enter The Aurea Terra Project, initiated by composer Prach Boondiskulchok — an artistic investigation of Piphat musical traditions through a historically informed lens, yet with an ear toward a “de-orientalized” synthesis with European contemporary art music. This work-in-progress, based on the Burmese-inspired Thai song Burmese Dance of the Blades (พม่ารำขวาน), channels the percussive energy and ceremonial precision of the original into a new cross-cultural sound world, marking the project’s first residency in Bangkok, jointly hosted by PGVIM and the Goethe-Institut Thailand.

We conclude with Alisa in Nusantara, a collaborative creation between Anant Narkkong (and his and A.I) and Rasmi Paoleungthong, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and reimagined as a journey through a fractured Southeast Asian archipelago. Thai Pi Phat and Indonesian Gamelan traditions weave together to mirror the shifting landscapes of this story, accompanied by digital shadow puppetry in the style of Wayang Kulit. This blend of music and imagery reflects the region’s cultural identity while provoking questions about political conflict, environmental degradation, and the possibilities of renewal. Alisa must navigate a land of beauty and crisis, confronting powers that threaten both its environment and its spirit — a reflection on Southeast Asian musical cultures and histories that is both a celebration and a critique.

Curiouser and curiouser!

Like Alice stepping through the looking glass, each work tonight invites us to cross thresholds — into unfamiliar sound worlds, unexpected histories, and reimagined traditions. To be an artist is to remain a dreamer: to wonder more than ever, to investigate further, and to keep wondering still. And perhaps, like Alice, we may find ourselves going “down the rabbit-hole” into places where the rules no longer apply — and in doing so, discover the very heart of our own artistic journey.

Performers

Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire

Phongphairoj Lertsudwichai (Violin/Viola)

Niratda Manochart (Flute/Piccolo)

Jirapat Nilarthi (Clarinet)

Porntawan Phetchad (Cello)

Narisada Chantarasuphasang (Voice)

Frank Bridge's Lament

Bernard Lanskey (Piano)

Jirapahn Khaokham (Violin)

Burmese Dance of the Blades (พม่ารำขวาน)

Prach Boondiskulchok  (Piano and Artistic Direction)

Somnuek Saengarun  (Pi Nai) 

Thaweesak Akarawong (Ranat)

Jenna Sherry (Violin) 

Athita Kuankajorn (Cello)

Anusorn Prabnongbua  (Percussion)

Alisa in Nusantara

Anant Narkkong, 

Rassamee Phaoluangthong 

and Ensemble