The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra entered the new decade in spectacular fashion earlier this month, when it gave a wonderful performance in honour of the birthday celebrations of the orchestra's royal patron, HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya.
In attendance for the concert, which was entitled "Flowing Passions Of Pride", the Princess was first greeted with Igor Stravinsky's special arrangement of Happy Birthday. Composed in 1955, the brief and quirky piece lasts less than a minute, but is always guaranteed to set a genial atmosphere.
The programme proper then opened with Smetana's tone poem Vltava (The Moldau), immediately displaying all departments of the RBSO in the best possible light. Deft woodwind intertwining, initially between the flutes, began the descriptive narrative of the fabled river's journey. A well-timed pedal-note entry in violas expanded the tonal range, with flowing 16th notes following, moto perpetuo-style, as upward and downward scale patterns then propelled the music forward with an irresistible urge.
The lush melody for violins, oboe and bassoon was then shaped beautifully, before the sound of hunting calls for the French-horn section built up an impressive level of energy. The contrasting central section, calm and enchanting, was equally well-managed. Describing river nymphs as they bathe in the night-time moonlight, a silky smooth texture for the entire string section balanced perfectly with gentle counter-melodies for flute and clarinet. The fast rippling effect then returned at a slightly more urgent pace, leading to the famous rendition of St John's Rapids as the Moldau approaches Prague. This well-known orchestral showpiece was dispatched with much brilliance by the RBSO.
The orchestra and Tilkin were then joined on stage by the radiant, youthful and engaging personality of French-born concert pianist Hélène Tysman, for a most memorable performance of Chopin's Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Opus 21. A truly superb Chopin specialist with acclaimed CDs to her credit, Tysman interpreted the intricate score impeccably from start to finish. Her note-perfect rendition, without one single blemish, was further distinguished by the lightest of delicate touches on the Steinway keyboard. Quicksilver runs of right-hand filigree in particular were a delectable feature of the whole piece, and they perhaps found their most captivating expression in the gorgeous central larghetto movement. Its hushed introspection, even recalling parallel moments in Beethoven's famous slow movements, was a wonder to behold.
She emerged as a finalist and Distinction Prize Winner of the prestigious International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland, having already won First Prize at the Darmstadt International Chopin Competition in 2010.
Flowing Passions of Pride RBSO
For an encore, Tysman gave an equally assured performance of Chopin's Nocturne In B Major, Opus 32 No.1. This time without the orchestra, the entire Thailand Cultural Centre was drawn into her mesmerising piano universe. This was surely pianism of the very finest order -- a privilege to experience.
The second half of the concert consisted of a varied selection of movements from Prokofiev's three suites from the ballet Romeo And Juliet, focusing primarily on Suite No.2, Opus 64c. Montagues And Capulets began the enjoyable sequence, with two menacing, dissonant harmonic progressions in the brass vanishing to leave a warm bed of soft sound in the string section.
The ensuing dotted arpeggiation passages demonstrated a powerfully tight ensemble, after which a wistful flute/viola octave glissando interlude was executed expertly.
Juliet, The Maiden came next, echoing the scherzo movement from Prokofiev's Classical Symphony written two decades earlier. Sparkling orchestration was fully brought to life here, the changes of mood once again negotiated with skill. The far more reflective Friar Laurence followed, with some noble-sounding pizzicato supporting a lovingly played bassoon theme. The cellos then excelled in some notably high thumb-position melodic material, the other strings also contributing to a gorgeous wash of sound.
The Parting Of Romeo And Juliet gave the woodwind players plenty of freedom to express themselves, leading to an extended passage where all front-desk string principals enjoyed exposure with solo moments. They blended well within the overall texture as they exchanged their respective entries. The far more turbulent Death Of Tybalt is taken from Suite No.1, Opus 64b -- an extremely good choice here for the abrupt change of tempo. The movement contains the famous sword-fight music, delivered here with such impassioned bravura that the audience felt compelled to reward this movement alone with enthusiastic applause.
The Grave Of Romeo And Juliet was perhaps the heart-wrenching highlight of the entire performance, its spellbinding, awesome power leading to the final Death Of Juliet, taken from Suite No.3, Opus 101. After more rapturous applause, Tilkin announced a special surprise encore for the Princess, Tchaikovsky's Pas De Deux from The Nutcracker, commenting that the Princess has a special liking for classical ballet music. A most fitting finale to a highly successful season opener.
