The way we listen to music has changed dramatically over the last decade. Music in the physical format has become almost redundant and collecting vinyl, a privileged piece of nostalgia. We can now access any genre of music, from anywhere in the world, without owning it. We can find out the name of an unknown song via a mobile app and then stream the whole album for free.
Paye Srinarong, left, and Poom Prommachart.
So it is only natural, believes renowned classical violist Dr Paye Srinarong, that in this digital age — an age of immediate gratification — that the way we listen and experience classical music must also evolve.
Paye and pianist Poom Prommachart, Thailand’s only international Steinway Artist, are performing a recital, the 7th Princess Galyani Vadhana Concert at Phya Thai Palace, this Sunday, and it is the duo’s first step in their mission to make classical music more accessible for the masses.
The two musicians, both with long lists of awards, accomplishments and prestigious diplomas, are recipients of
a scholarship set up by the princess, who loved and supported Western classical music, for talents to pursue an education in music.
Paye, who is several years senior, and Poom had an early start in music and pursued classical music both academically and professionally abroad, having both spent a significant amount of time in the UK.
Since his return to Bangkok, roughly five years ago, Paye has been channelling efforts into essentially bringing classical music to the mainstream; arranging impromptu classical music performances in Bangkok shopping malls — a sort of flash mob classical performance — for example. It’s a daunting task, he admits, especially at a time when orchestras all over the world, especially the UK and the US, are entertaining dwindling numbers, with some even going bankrupt.
Although classical music may seem as elitist as ever, Paye and Poom believe it needn’t be. For them, it is not the music itself that has been marginalised, but rather the expectation of how the classical music is presented, and expected to be experienced.
“Mozart and Beethoven didn’t compose their music for concert halls. Many songs were written to be performed in salons and to be enjoyed while dining and entertaining. It is people of today who have decided that classical music is for glamorous, gilded concert halls; that you have to dress up in suits to go and listen,” says Poom.
Although in a sense classical music was the pop music of its day, the pedestal that classical musical was, and is still, placed upon is completely grounded, Paye believes, adding that it very much deserves to be.
“Classical music is the basis of everything. The concept of modern musical notations which we understand and use today was born from Western classical music. It created this universal language of music that records the intentions of the composers almost in their entirety,” explains Paye.
“Pop music today borrows from Bach, from as early as the late 1600s. You can trace it. To create something new, you always look towards the old.”
And one doesn’t have to look too far to find those who they have influenced. Consider 20th century classical composer Karlheinz Stockhausen on the cover of The Beatles’ Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, or the scores of Philip Glass in films like The Hours, The Truman Show and the visual essay Koyaanisqatsi. References in pop culture goes some way to raising awareness and bridging the divide, Poom and Paye believe, but the general public are still quick to see the music as difficult to access and understand. It is for this reason that they strive to create an ambience where the music can be appreciated, to interact with the audience as in a pop concert, to guide listening and to find and present the genre in a culturally-relevant way, that caters to contemporary life.
They want to eliminate the false notion that classical musicians fit into an old-fashioned, nerdy mould and to create a mutual understanding of the music.
“Poom is the perfect embodiment of the new generation of contemporary classical musicians,” says Paye. “He leads the life of a regular modern man, but simply chooses to make a career out of what he loves, which is piano and classical music.” Paye believes it is the responsibility of the performers to find the right way to communicate the medium; to draw the audience in, to enchant them.
“Performing classical music is like acting in a play. Playing a piece requires a deep connection to it; an understanding of what the composer was feeling when he created the piece, what environment and mood it was inspired by,” he says. “A good performer channels that understanding, like a good actor becoming the character he plays.”
The concert this Sunday, “Paye & Poom Live”, promises to be elegant and lavish, eccentric and lively and most importantly, accessible to all.
- “Paye & Poom Live”, the 7th Princess Galyani Vadhana Concert will take place at the Thewarat Sapharom Hall of Phya Thai Palace on Sunday, 7pm.
- Tickets available at The Phya Thai Palace Preservation Foundation.
- Tel: 02-354-7732, 02-354-7987.
