While the world is being flightened by the conflict and violence. Many places were bombarded by powerful weapons, the audience in the Intellectual Tea at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bangok was enjoying another aspect of the power. It’s the power of music.
Yesterday evening, November 18th, 2015 – The Russian Embassy hosted a warm Intellectual Tea party which is an event organised regularly under various topics. This time, the topic is Music is Powerful and the guest invited as the speaker was Frank Herrgott, a talented French musician who is now working in Bangkok. He is a pianist, a composer, a music producer and a teacher at Rangsit University.
“The first thing I have learnt when I want to be not only a musician without any goal is I have to know what music is for. If you don’t need to play music or don’t have any devotion in it, don’t be a musician. I want to play music for people. I want people to be moved by my music.”
Durimg the party, Mr Herrgott shared his experience as a musician and the difficulties that musicians have to overcome. Unlike other professions, the crucial key to succeed one own duty as a musician is to express ‘something’ inside without criticising and concerning on any surrounding matters. The concept is rather an abstact and inexplainable beauty than just playing the notes as they are described on a music sheet. In other words, music is spiritually powerful.
“Music in the ancient time could made great things yet you can get bored from music that you hear everyday on the media. Music can also stimulate people to join the demonstration and tell them to fight. Music is a language, the language of the sound. That’s why when you play the music , you don’t have to think and it’s the most difficult thing for an artist. Just love what they do and don’t ask themselves a question.”
As the program was moderated by H.E. Kilill Barsky, the Ambassador of Russia to Thailand, Mr Herrgott talk was switched randomly by Q&A session from the audience and live piano performance from Mr Herrgott and his friend. The event was surrounded by a casual yet fascinating atmosphere. One of the questions from the floor mentioned back to the recent Paris attack wondering if there is any music that really make peace happen in this world. Frank Herrgott admitted that no matter how powerful the music is, if you do not “listen” on it, the determination to make a big change by music to this world will hardly occur.
“It’s not about the music notes and the sound but the way to communicate the language of music. Sometime people are not ready to perceive it. I will give you an example; I was invited to have a gastronomic meal in an Italian restaurant. While I was absorbing the taste and texture of the food, people on another side of the room did not really care about the food in front of them and turned to pay attetion on something else. Obviously, peole don’t have the same capacity to appreciated the same matter. We sometime are not ready to hear. Some people do not hear the message of peace in this world.
