Traditional music and dance
There are three main families of orchestras in the Cambodian musical tradition: Pinpeat, Mohori and Khmer phleng . Not far removed from the Indonesian gamelan and somewhat analogous to Thailand's piphat, the Pinpeat orchestra is the ensemble that plays the ceremonial music of Cambodia's royal courts and temples. It can also be found accompanying shadow plays, the famous Sbek Thom.
The orchestra consists mainly of wind and percussion instruments, most often two roneat (curved bamboo xylophones), a pair of kong thom (gongs), skor thom (huge drums), samphor (another common drum), chings (cymbals) and sralai (oboe), with a solo singer or choir alternating with the instrumental parts.
The music played by a Mohori orchestra is also that of the royal courts, but it has no religious significance and is only played for entertainment and ambiance. Unlike the Pinpeat, which uses a wide variety of different instruments, the Mohori uses mainly strings (zithers, hurdy-gurdies, lutes) and a roneat.
Rounding out this trio is the folk music played by Khmer phleng ensembles at weddings.
Another emblematic Cambodian traditional practice, the Chapei Dang Veng was included on the list of intangible cultural heritage in 2016. Accompanied by a chapei (a kind of two-stringed lute with a very long neck), these songs set to music traditional poems, folk tales or stories inspired by Buddhism. In addition to the purely artistic aspect, this tradition fulfils several functions in Cambodian communities, such as transmitting knowledge and social, cultural and religious values, or perpetuating the ancient Khmer language while bringing generations closer together and thus helping to strengthen social cohesion.
While Cambodia cultivates its own unique musical traditions, it's in the field of dance that we find one of the country's epinal images, the Khmer Classical Ballet. According to ancient legends, the Apsara - the celestial nymphs of Indra's paradise - revealed the secrets of divine choreography to the Khmers. While the veracity of these facts is doubtful, they do bear witness to the millennial age of Khmer classical dance - which is said to have acquired its main characteristics during the reign of Jayavarman II (802 - 850). Originally, its performances accompanied royal ceremonies and events such as weddings, funerals and Khmer festivals. A precious art form revered by many Cambodians, it narrowly escaped annihilation in the 1970s during the Khmer Rouge regime. This is fortunate, as the art is not considered an emblem of the country by chance. It conceals and tells a great deal about Cambodian civilization, particularly in its Indian, Javanese, Burmese and Thai influences.
A treasure trove of refined gestures - the mastery of which requires years of intensive training - this dance uses each of its movements to convey an emotion or a thought, and to tell a story. In fact, Khmer classical dance is a veritable gestural language of thousands of words. In addition to the choreography, refinement also lies in the sumptuous costumes that contribute to the discipline's renown. Each role or family of roles has its own costume and jewels, while the women's outfits are sometimes sewn directly onto the dancers, requiring several hours to dress. Their make-up varies very little: rice powder on the face, reddened lips, black eyebrows... while the male roles generally wear masks.
Khmer classical dance was originally a tribute to gods, heroes and kings. Today, its repertoire immortalizes the founding legends of the Khmer people, bringing to life the great episodes. The great theme of Khmer dance is, of course, the Ramayana. This great Indian epic - fundamental to Hinduism and Hindu mythology - had a huge impact throughout Southeast Asia, including Cambodia. However, it's impossible to depict it in its entirety, as the episodes are too numerous and intertwined, so we generally content ourselves with staging the best-known episodes, such as Ravana's abduction of Sita, Rama's great battle against Ravana, or the struggle between the army of giants and that of the monkeys.
As previously stated, the Khmer Rouge genocide, the fall of the Khmer empire and the French protectorate all but wiped out the complex and refined art of the Royal Ballet of Cambodia in the 1970s. But thanks to the determination and dogged patience of several members of the royal family, a corps of dancers following the ancient traditions to the letter rescued these sacred steps - and some 4,500 hand gestures - from oblivion: the Sacred Dancers of Angkor. With 40 dancers and over 60 tableaux, the epic legends of the Mahabharata and Ramayana are brought to life here. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this timeless show is one of Siem Reap's main attractions, and can be seen at The Divine Sala theater, one of the town's most iconic venues. Acclaimed the world over, this troupe usually performs twice a week.
Also rescued from oblivion, the lakhon khol is another popular form of dance. Performed exclusively by masked men, lakhon khol was originally performed for ritual purposes, usually in connection with agricultural cycles. Today, it is performed on stage, notably by a famous troupe based at Wat Svay Andet - located 10 kilometers east of Phnom Penh on the Mekong River.
Although a little touristy, it's worth noting a colorful Phnom Penh address for traditional dance performances: Plae Pakaa. On the program: superb costumes, beautiful choreography and spellbinding music in a beautiful setting. In short, a show well worth the trip.
Popular music
Over the past few years, the Khmer pop scene, with its light-hearted lyrics, has enjoyed a boom, with videos blossoming on YouTube - from stars such as Preap Sovath and Aok Sokunkanha - exceeding millions of views. But many years before this scene was born, the word "pop" meant something radically different in Cambodia. In the 1960s, between independence and the Khmer Rouge insurrection, the country's young people were looking for their place artistically. It was the American military occupation of neighboring Vietnam - through its military radio - that helped them find it. At the time, a whole scene fusing Khmer folklore with American garage rock, soul and pop suddenly began to blossom. Two big stars in particular were taking the lion's share: Pen Ron, a prolific songwriter whose incredible octave-rise voice and casual attitude made him a household name, and Ros Sereysothea, nicknamed " the Queen of the Golden Voice " because of her clear soprano voice. These two artists are featured on the excellent compilation Songs of the City of Four Faces - Cambodian Pop Music of the 1960's released in 2020 by Australian label Metal Postcard Records, perfectly documenting this particular era in Cambodian music.
It also features Sinn Sisamouth, the " Cambodian Elvis ", and Yol Aularong, a punk before his time. So many artists who disappeared under the Khmer Rouge regime, possibly murdered and their music largely destroyed. If you're interested in this story, don't miss the 2014 documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten : Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll, directed by John Pirozzi, which takes an in-depth look at this sad and rich history. The American label Dust-To-Digital has also released an excellent compilation of the documentary's soundtrack.
Theater
A pillar of Cambodian cultural identity and, like the Royal Ballet, considered a sacred art, Sbek Thom is Khmer shadow theater. Projected onto a screen or white sheet, it stages episodes from the Reamker (the Khmer version of the Ramayana) using large, non-articulated leather puppets (up to two meters high). Large-scale productions can feature up to 160 puppets in a single show. Over time, a more popular version of shadow theater has emerged. Themes such as everyday life, love, jealousy and so on are evoked, often in a comic tone.
In recent decades, the ranks of shadow theater companies have shrunk to a trickle. A small handful are keeping the art alive. Such is the case, for example, of young Frenchwoman Delphine Kassem's Sovanna Phum, a genuine Cambodian troupe based in Phnom Penh, which has restored the prestige of an art form that richly deserves it. Now led by former artistic director Mr. Mann Kosal, the company continues to put on much-appreciated shows.
