After the success of Musica Felice's last show at the Sofitel Phnom Penh Phokeethra, the charismatic Miwako is the artist everyone is talking about in the capital. Cambodge Mag invited her for an interview about her feelinga about the show and...the new Topaz business lunch.
While remaining rather humble about the success and the enormous amount of work that went into this recent performance, Miwako makes no secret of her satisfaction at seeing her hard work rewarded, and at the warm response from the large number of fans who turned out for the occasion.
Interview
Your last show was a great success, how do you feel about it?
The last concert gave me a very special feeling because, first of all, there were over 900 people, young people, lots of families, so it was a very special moment.
Secondly, in terms of the stage and the show, we had 19 different nationalities, people who were very involved. These were people who wanted to sing, but who also wanted to support a worthy cause through their music. It's heart-warming because they have committed themselves to rehearsing for many hours over many months.
This time you've included some theatre in the concert, tell us a bit more about that.
For each new show, I try to offer a slightly different programme to attract the audience, both regulars and newcomers. This time I wanted to do it through theatre. We had a meeting with the artists six months ago and we had a chat, by which time I had already devised the musical part, we had a beautiful venue with the Sofitel Phokeethra Phnom Penh and enough sponsors.
So I thought it was time to do something together and I wanted to show other people, a lot of people, that there were talented theatre people here.
Was this your first time?
I've collaborated on a lot of things and I've also sometimes taken part in British musicals. Last year we produced Les Misérables, but that was more of a musical, so it's nothing to do with this latest show, but it's hard to find artists in Phnom Penh who can really do both, acting and singing.
However, we were lucky enough to have two people, Catherine Isaacs and Dasrizal, who could sing and act, and we staged this story about the Dream Girls.
How did the audience react?
Very warm. I felt very comfortable and they really got into the show. You know, the laughter, the applause, I always encourage the audience to join in, sometimes clapping or even dancing, and they joined in straight away. So I was very happy.
I'm also delighted that everyone enjoyed the show. When I create a new programme, I always try to do my best. The audience isn't there to please me, but to applaud a show they've enjoyed, because there's a lot of work and passion behind it. But, once again, I was surprised by the number of people who came, it was a really nice surprise.
What next?
I start again with a new project, usually from January onwards. I do the first auditions, then I see, and it depends on the members, the singers... I have a small idea but I don't know what I want yet, but I always like teamwork, so I need a bit of time to think and come up with new ideas.
What is your relationship with cuisine?
I'm Japanese, but I lived in Europe for a long time to study music. After that, I travelled to many European countries and had the opportunity to taste the cuisine of different countries.
So I like Japanese food, but also Khmer food when it's not too spicy. That's why I really appreciate fusion cuisine, the mix of genres.
What did you particularly enjoy today?
Oh, everything was different and I was impressed. At first, the starter was very colourful with finely chopped vegetables. Also, I like the real effort of presentation with the bright red and green of the avocado, not forgetting to mention that it was ‘super good’.
The main course was interesting with this dish usually associated with meat, but offered here with a rather fine and sophisticated assortment of fresh vegetables, I really liked this originality.
Finally, the dessert was succulent, with several mixtures of chocolate, it was quite incredible. Again, it was excellent and the presentation was incredible.
About Musica Felice
The choir was founded in 2016 and is made up of people from all over the world who live and work in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Although they come from different countries, backgrounds and professions, they all have one thing in common: a love of classical music.
Musica Felice performs classics from the sacred to the secular, music from the Renaissance, early Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods. The group was founded by Miwako Fujiwara, who arranges piano pieces and also says she enjoys composing contemporary music for traditional Khmer instruments.
All proceeds from performances are donated to charity in Cambodia.
About Miwako Fujiwara
Miwako studied piano and harpsichord at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague, the Netherlands, with Ton Koopman and Tini Mathot, taking the Docente Muzicus diploma from 1989 to 1995.
She has toured the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, the United States and Japan. In 1995 she founded Il Quadrifoglio, and since then she has been active in the field of concerts, CDs, television and radio recordings.
In 2002-2003, Miwako became a member of Music Sacrum Leiden, where she performed ‘Royal Entertainment’ with the Netherlands Historisch Dans en Theater Ensemble. She also plays jazz and performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague in 1997.
She now devotes her time to teaching piano and organising charity concerts. She joined Bella Voce, which ran for seven years, and has also contributed to a local amateur theatre company, the Phnom Penh Players.
Subscribe to the Thalias newsletter for exclusive offers, invitations to events and culinary news. Subscribe here
Discover our culinary world in more detail. Visit our website
コメント