Around 15 years ago, Somtow Sucharitkul made a promise to Princess Galyani Vadhana that he would endeavour to conduct all of the Mahler symphonies in Bangkok. He now has only Mahler's Symphony No. 2 left to perform. The last work put on at the Thailand Cultural Centre was Symphony Of A Thousand: The Eighth Symphony.
Grace Eschauri sings, while Somtow Sucharitkul conducts the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra, last week at Thailand Cultural Centre.
That was in July 2013, with choirs and musicians from several countries taking part. Mahler's Symphony No. 2 requires a large contingent of performers. Although it was planned to be performed this year, many potential musicians declined because of the political instability. Instead, Somtow decided to put on Das Lied Von Der Erde: Song Of The Earth, which took place at the Cultural Centre last week.
The song cycle was composed by Mahler in the early years of the 20th century. Although Beethoven had produced his Ninth Symphony using Schiller's Ode To Joy, the use of a song cycle pushed back boundaries and was followed by other 20th century composers. Although regarded as a symphonic work and following Mahler's Eighth Symphony (1906), it was not numbered. The Ninth Symphony, followed Das Lied Von Der Erde.
The original source was a series of Chinese poems and other works, translated into German by Hans Bethge, with some words added by Mahler. He composed the work in 1908 and 1909, aware he was suffering from a heart condition and not long after the death of his daughter, so he was probably acutely aware of his own mortality.
There are six songs — Drinking Song Of Earth's Sorrow, The Lonely One In Autumn, Of Youth, Of Beauty, The Drunken Man In Spring, The Farewell — for two singers to alternate in performing. Mahler specified a tenor and alto (or baritone). In this performance, however, Somtow used a mezzo soprano. This has been done by other conductors, including Daniel Barenboim. The mezzo soprano for the performance was Grace Eschauri, a regular performer at Opera Siam who was one of the soloists in Mahler's Eighth Symphony. The solo tenor, was Javier Agulló who has previously appeared in Tosca, as well as in Otello and Massenet's opera, Thaïs.
Before the performance began, Somtow explained to the audience how the Mahler cycle came about. The arrival of the two soloists signalled the start of the performance and the audience settled down. Although much publicity for the event had billed the performance with the English title of The Song Of The Earth, I was relieved that the soloists sung in the original German.
Das Trinklied Vom Jammer Der Erde (The Drinking Song Of Earth's Sorrow) was sung by Javier Agulló who began after a few strong bars from the orchestra. His voice initially sounded slightly faint against the music, but the venue's acoustics may not be the best and my seat (off to the right) may have lost some of the voice output. Nonetheless, the balance between orchestra and soloist improved as the song progressed and Agulló's voice came through beautifully.
With Von Der Jugend (Of Youth) his voice flowed during this third song. In Der Trunkene Im Frühling (The Drunken Man in Spring) the orchestra began quite strongly and Agullo responded with a forceful rendition, particularly as he neared the climax of the song where his power filled the auditorium.
The Siam Philharmonic is a great orchestra and — especially with that fifth song — it felt that the mainly young performers were very satisfied with their performances. I was particularly impressed with the woodwind section, especially the clarinet and oboe, which were accurate and mellifluous.
With Mahler compositions, horns are incredibly important and while most of the output was immensely powerful, there were hints of weakness in the quieter sections. The Siam Philharmonic strings section rarely disappoints and that night was no exception, with particular note going to the double basses off to the right.
Grace Eschauri has also never disappointed and with Der Einsame Im Herbst (The Lonely One In Autumn) her clear and honey tones were a pleasure to hear. With Von der Schönheit (Of Beauty) again her tones were able to convey the ideas of love and sentiment.
During the final song, Der Abschied (The Farewell), there was a beautiful melodic opening from the orchestra and then Eschauri began with a gentle, yet respectful approach, building as the piece progressed. As befits the original source for the texts, the woodwind section hinted at mystery and the Orient. The clarinet featured heavily here and, much like at other times, was played with delicate precision.
Quieter passages showed the strength of the ensemble, who appeared to have the audience spellbound in certain passages, until the final two words, "Ewig. Ewig" (Farewell. Farewell) and the performance ended, to much justified applause.
It has been clear for a few years that Bangkok has a world-class orchestra in the Siam Philharmonic. The Mahler cycle in memory of Princess Galyani Vadhana is a classy endeavour.
Not only is it producing young Thai musicians who are going on to perform abroad, but those who see the performances are commenting on them with much praise. Bangkok music-lovers are lucky to have such talents easily accessible.
