The present review is on the compact disc entitled Aganggamarsura, containing eight audio tracks, featuring Mr. Ngek Chum (Khmer master and lead musician specialising in Khmer tuned ideophones, and living in the Metro DC area, USA) and the Maryland-based pinn peat ensemble, with jacket notes by Dr. Joanna Pecora. I would like to emphasise that this is a music production that is done outside Cambodia.

This compact disc is definitely an invaluable addition to the existing court music repertoire inside and outside of Cambodia. It provides the first more complete story of Aganggamarsura in the Khmer court dance tradition. It is useful for the benefit of documentation and preservation of the pinn peat or court music in particular, and Khmer culture in general. Besides, the production is definitely a valuable and useful source and material for further study, particularly for the next generations to come.

On this note, there are many questions and points necessary for me to highlight (but too lengthy to elaborate here) for the sake of clarification and further understanding, appreciation, and respect for the culture and tradition in review.

1. 1. Khmer court versus folk music must be addressed fairly. Are they the same or different?

2. 2. Classical versus neo-classical characteristic of the work: Should it be called classical or neo-classical when the tradition and form are changed so much from the original? One should be clear about it. Are we conscious about it, or does it matter?

3. 3. The Khmer Royal Ballet (Court Dance) and the Khmer masked play are two distinct forms. The former is a female tradition, and the latter is a male tradition; the former is historically an inner court tradition, the latter is an outer court or village tradition. (See Cravath Reference Cravath1985, Reference Cravath2007)

4. 4. In the Khmer practice in Cambodia, there is something that we pay close attention to, i.e., acceptability by the (old) masters (arguably, the guardians of tradition).

5. 5. The pinn peat versus mohori ensembles are two different and distinct forms; the former is court music, and the latter is folk music by Khmer definitions. They should be made clear when alluding to them.

6. 6. Principal versus secondary roles and characters: In the Khmer traditional practice of court dance and masked play, there are elements that could be modified/altered and others that cannot, especially pertaining to the principal or secondary roles and characters.

7. 7. As the Khmer community is relatively small in the USA, they experience shortage of Khmer artists and musicians on the issue of demand and supply. I had actively performed with Master Ngek Chum and some other musicians in the ensemble for some two decades when I lived in the USA. I have also produced several compact discs (CD), digital video discs (DVD), and a VHS video with Master Ngek Chum (see references).

8. 8. Should we respect and follow the documents that the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts of Cambodia submitted to UNESCO for the enlistment of the Khmer Royal Ballet (Court Dance) in 2003? How, how much, what, why? What does the UNESCO designation of Khmer Royal Ballet mean towards the authenticity, innovation, change, and practice of the designated and enlisted tradition?

9. 9. What do we call the form for which the compact disc serves? We should clearly determine what it is.

10. 10. There is a history of the switch from female monkey to male monkey (HRH Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (Reference Norodom2018).

In doing this review, I also personally spoken to Khmer master court and folk musicians and dancers, several of whom had lived in the royal court in Phnom Penh. It also depends on where we/they are coming from as tradition, knowledge, and the level of awareness and respect. The old Khmer masters worry more about losing the trace while fully realising the importance of conservation, preservation, innovation, development, and change itself.

As words of caution, we should be aware of and clear about the views of the old versus those of the young. Without fully realising and being conscious about it, writings could also create misunderstanding, confusion, including the unclear and blurry determination of a form, i.e., court dance versus masked play. Indeed, the issue of authenticity pertaining to Khmer court dance is more of a concern in Cambodia than outside of it for various reasons. I, personally, would like to point it out rather than make a value judgment, and would like to leave it to readers to contemplate and draw their own conclusions on it.