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Journalism of Courage
A British pianist performed classical music for hundreds of wild monkeys in Thailand’s Lopburi in an attempt to soothe them.
The video of the performance that was held on November 21 shows several macaque monkeys gravitating towards Paul Barton as he played “Greensleeves,” Beethoven’s “Fur Elise” and Michael Nyman’s “Diary of Love” on a grand piano.
The video also shows monkeys running up and down the piano keys, and climbing on the instrument as the 59-year-old focused on playing.
Barton played at four venues in Lopburi, a province famous for its marauding monkeys, including at an ancient Hindu temple, a hardware store and a derelict cinema.
“We need to make an effort to make sure that they eat properly. And when they eat properly they will be calmer and will not be aggressive,” said Barton, 59, a long-time Thailand resident.
Here’s how people on social media reacted to the performance:
https://twitter.com/Nullis_sum/status/1330989432305020929
https://twitter.com/Stevemancini9/status/1330988365659901952
https://twitter.com/LastWarrio/status/1330987648001990659
Monkeys are Barton’s latest audience. He has played Bach, Schubert, Chopin, and Beethoven for more than a decade for elephants at retirement sanctuaries, Reuters reported.
Barton hopes to raise awareness about the monkeys’ hunger while also studying their behavioural responses to classical music.
(With input from Reuters)
