Contemporary music for Viola and Piano - Elebhant King's Journey
The Elebhant King’s Journey (The Legend of Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep) for Viola and Piano is an original composition by Chaipruck Mekara inspired by a foundational narrative of Northern Thai Buddhist heritage. According to the legend, an Elephant King was entrusted with carrying the sacred relics of the Buddha in search of an auspicious site for their enshrinement. After traversing the forested slopes of Doi Suthep, the elephant came to rest at its final destination, cried out three times, and died — marking the site upon which Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep was subsequently established by royal decree.
The title’s deliberate orthographic variant — Elebhant rather than Elephant — is not an error but a compositional cipher: the dominant pitch classes of the work are E, B♭ (bH), and B, representing the initials of the Buddha’s name. The piece is dedicated to Michael Hall.
The work is approximately ten minutes in duration. A recording is available here: YouTube
Sheet music is available here.
Other contemporary works by Mekara available on this site include: Glorious for orchestra, ViewPoint for solo viola, Kheak Choen Joaw Fantasy for concert band, Kheak Rumwong for clarinet quartet and other ensembles, Twirl for various duet combinations, Three Kabuan for solo piano, Fall for clarinet, cello, and piano, Temple of Peace for clarinet solo, and Rachapruck for flute solo, among others.
