CPK always needed musicians
Day to Day, July 14, 2005 · "I cannot tell you how or why I survived; I do not know myself."
So begins the book Music Through the Dark, the remarkable story of how Cambodian musician Daran Kravanh survived the under the Khmer Rouge regime.
Kravanh came from a musical family of 11, but at 21, his tranquil life as an accordion player ended as the Khmer Rouge stormed the capital on April 19, 1975. Followers of Pol Pot singled out anyone educated, professional or "capitalist," meaning Westernized.
Kravanh, then a college student wearing a collared shirt and tie, was singled out and marched into the forest with others to be executed. He escaped and tried to reach Thailand, but chose not to risk the minefields along the border. He surrendered to the Khmer Rouge and was put to work in the camps, farming without tools.
Then, a miracle: He discovered an accordion on a tree stump and began to play. The soldier who owned the accordion told him to keep playing, and soon he and other musicians were performing in festivals glorifying the new regime.
So begins the book Music Through the Dark, the remarkable story of how Cambodian musician Daran Kravanh survived the under the Khmer Rouge regime.
Kravanh came from a musical family of 11, but at 21, his tranquil life as an accordion player ended as the Khmer Rouge stormed the capital on April 19, 1975. Followers of Pol Pot singled out anyone educated, professional or "capitalist," meaning Westernized.
Kravanh, then a college student wearing a collared shirt and tie, was singled out and marched into the forest with others to be executed. He escaped and tried to reach Thailand, but chose not to risk the minefields along the border. He surrendered to the Khmer Rouge and was put to work in the camps, farming without tools.
Then, a miracle: He discovered an accordion on a tree stump and began to play. The soldier who owned the accordion told him to keep playing, and soon he and other musicians were performing in festivals glorifying the new regime.
posted by SJ Otto @ 8:12 PM
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