When it was advertised that Clara-Jumi Kang, a Korean-German violin wunderkind, would return to perform for the second time at the Thai Cultural Centre on Feb 28, there duly spread a buzz of anticipation throughout the ranks of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Foundation. One year ago it was her Mendelssohn's E Minor Violin Concerto which entranced the audience as she made her very recently acquired violin Guarnerius del Gesú "ex-Moeller" 1725 (on loan to the virtuoso from Samsung Music Foundation Korea) sing so movingly on that night. One year on it was simply fascinating to hear another titan of the romantic repertoire — Saint-Säens' Violin Concerto No.3 In B Minor — played on the same fine antique instrument now that she has had the time and space to really become acquainted with its tonal possibilities and character.
Star musicians often only get the opportunity to practice and perform for extended periods of time on such an instrument if they have truly proved their artistic pedigree. Kang earned the privilege to forge an intimate four-year bond with a Stradivarius (once own by the legendary Josef Gingold) by winning the 2010 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. One of the competition circuit's highest accolades, Kang decided that she would now only enjoy the view, musically speaking, as an established soloist. After reluctantly handing the Strad back in New York — which Kang has stated in interview as having a "feminine" nature about it, with a particularly special E-string tone for high notes — she was swiftly lined up on the same trip to the Big Apple with her current stellar instrument, the equally famous aforementioned del Gesú, which on its second visit to Bangkok last Sunday shone by turns powerfully and blissfully in a blistering account of the robust Saint-Säens No.3.
According to Kang, this instrument has a more "masculine" character, visually more dark in its varnished hues and aurally a little more dense and thicker in tone across the four-octave range, which is explored thoroughly throughout this concerto from the harsh G-string opening drama to the final jubilant ascent to the higher reaches of the E-string's fingerboard.
This is an even more busy work in terms of musical material than the more famous Mendelssohn, with far more notes to negotiate and technical hurdles on a more challenging scale. Kang dispatched all passage work with a fluid ease and control in the highly impassioned first and third movements, whilst in the delightful middle slow movement there was a quite breathtaking atmosphere of serenity in some of Saint-Säens' most sublime writing. The sweetest section of bell-like artificial harmonics for the solo violin is the coda for this Andantino Quasi Allegretto, supported by a hushed texture of static string-section chords, and every single crystalline overtone rang exquisitely, and so very gently — a perfect match between virtuoso player, top-notch instrument, and composer's ethereal vision.
Last year the TCC didn't have an encore from Kang, but after so many enthusiastic curtain-calls for this return visit she kindly obliged with J.S. Bach's Sarabande from the D minor Solo Partita. Singing her heart out on the precious violin, one was reminded that both her parents are known as opera singers themselves, and that when her own journey began this singing background would inform her playing style for life. It is to be hoped that this young marvel of the concert stage (now still only in her late 20s) will come for a third consecutive appearance next year and perform yet another of the great Romantic violin concertos with the BSO, an orchestra with which she clearly enjoys an easy rapport.
Another rising Asian classical star, the UK born and educated conductor Jason Lai steered the BSO effectively though Ravel's opening Ma Mére l'Oye (Mother Goose Suite, an orchestral masterwork of utter fairy-tale genius and image-conjuring power which got the concert off to a wonderful start) and Dvorák's jovial Symphony No.8 In G Major, as well as the centrepiece concerto itself. The warhorse symphony featured some convincing and impressive playing, including a nicely focused cello section led on this occasion by guest principal Jaime Calvo Marillo Rapado, whilst the brass relished the generous scoring afforded them by Dvorák in this louder-than-average work, especially the finale which provided a joyous and rousing ending.
