culture vulture
MORE MAHLER
- Published: 30/01/2010 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: Muse
Last year's Thai premiere of Mahler 5 by the adventurous Siam Philharmonic Orchestra received warm attention. Stan Gayuski of the International Mahler Society said: "I thought the performance was quite good and I, for one, hung on every note. I liked the solo aspects you drew out, and heard the symphony anew for that reason. Tam-tam was excellent and audible, which is not always the case. The brass and winds cannot be faulted. The trumpet stole the show. I have since been listening to M5 with Bernstein/Vienna. Although his performance was stronger in the violins and more forceful all around, I found myself enjoying it less than the results you drew from your own orchestra."
Said the maestro Somtow Sucharitkul, "Inaugurating a planned complete Mahler Cycle that will take place over the next three to five years, the Siam Philharmonic and I have worked hard to arrive at a philosophical reading of Mahler which draws as much from Buddhist thought as from the passions of the European late-Romantic tradition."
But help is needed. Join the "Gustav's Angels" sponsorship programme for 5,000 baht and be one of the 100 special people who help to make the Mahler Cycle a reality. For information, visit bangkokopera.org/Site/GustavsAngels.html.
JAZZ EXHIBITION
The "German Jazz" exhibition reflects the history of German Jazz, from the Berlin jazz scene in the 1920s to the persecution of jazz musicians during the Nazi era, and from postwar developments in East and West Germany to the musicians, labels and festivals of the 21st Century.
The rarely seen photographs from private and public archives are complemented by CD samples that feature recordings from the last 80 years. The accompanying text panels contain articles about the development of this music form in the social and political history of Germany. You will also have the opportunity to listen to German Jazz music throughout the exhibition with MP3 players.
The exhibition was produced by the Goethe-Institut with the help and assistance of Dr Wolfram Knauer, director of the Darmstadt Jazz-Institute, and will continue until February 17 at the Goethe-Institut.
Call 02-287-1829 or email info@bangkok.goethe.org.
Contact the Culture Vulture at wilgus@gmail.com.
