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Southeast Asia Birmanie: Musique du théâtre classique / Burma: Classical Theatre Music. 2010. Archives internationales de musique populaire AIMP 96-97. Disques VDE-Gallo VDE CD-1317/1318. Recorded by Philip Yampolsky. Annotated by Ward Keelor. Edited by Renaud Millet-Lacombe. 44-pp. booklet with notes in French and English. English translation by Isabelle Schulte-Tenckhoff. 2 colour photographs. 2 compact discs: 13 tracks (66:16), 10 tracks (63:04). Recorded in 2005.
The release of a new recording of music from Burma is always good news. True, a few recordings have been making their way out since the self-imposed isolation of the country in 1962, and in spite of the continued control exercised by a tyrannical military dictatorship. There have been recordings of the neo-pop music played on Burmese radio. There have also been a number of releases produced by Rick Heizman, all beautifully recorded and excellently performed. In the latter, however, unorthodox vocal-instrumental combinations, not usually heard in Burmese music, sometimes give an odd impression of the music for first-time listeners.
The 2003 Smithsonian recording, Mahagita (also produced by Heizman), featuring the...