The Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Foundation has been very enterprising by programming a boldly eclectic variety of musical styles in its continuing "Great Artists Concert Series".
Photo courtesy of Bangkok Symphony Orchestra
Last month at the Thailand Cultural Centre, a full house was entertained by the enticingly titled "The Best Of Tango Argentina", featuring Argentinian bandoneon maestro Rudolfo Mederos.
Carlos Gardel's sultry tunes Volver, and of course, the universally known Por Una Cabeza (think of blind Al Pacino dancing in Scent Of A Woman) opened the concert with the large BSO string group alone, producing under the meticulous direction of young Venezuelan conductor Carlos Izcaray a sensuous, warm body of sound, which remained a chief characteristic of Mederos' arrangements throughout the programme. Nowadays amounting to Gardel's signature tune, By A Head was rendered in rather slow guise, the occasional vagueness of the iconic theme itself a reflection of Mederos' much earlier experimental work with 1970-80s avant-garde fusion group Generacion Cero, itself well-known for pushing boundaries.
Noche Portea (Nights From The Port Of Buenos Aires) was the theme of the tastefully presented evening, with the approximately 100 years of tango history being covered by representative compositions from each of its distinct periods. Old Guard Tango' standards La Biblioteca, El Cabure and El Porteito (by Berto, De Bassi and Angel Villoldo) featured additional brilliant, energetic dance routines by renowned choreographers of Tango Argentino, Julieta Biscione & Roberto Castillo. The often vulgar Villoldo is sometimes referred to as "the father of the tango", and during a very brief pause in The City Person Mederos exclaimed a hearty "Hey!" in response to the hyper-lively dancing, punctuating that this exuberant and unbounded art form might be more associated with tavernas than auditoria.
Aside from the passionate dancing itself, the visual aspect was impressively developed by simple but effective use of uniform single colour lighting, hues morphing very slowly from ambient blue to purple, orange, then blood red for the explosively exciting (and often atonal) Mederos composition Memorias y Olvidos, and finally to a more sedate green for his slowly unwinding and morose El Hombre Que Suea, concluding proceedings with an emphatic climax. House lights were turned down for this concert and pit stands used by the orchestra, further contributing to a convincing overall sense of theatre.
Circa 1940 golden-period "Middle Guard Tangos" Nostalgias (Cobian) and Nunca Tuvo Novio (Bardi) featured a visual highlight at the end of the latter when Mederos stretched his bandoneon out to full extension (quite a sight!) leading into the central sequence of original nuevo tango arrangements by Piazzolla himself. By turns often quirky and eccentric, Milonga Ael Angel and Luz y Sombra utilised a wider orchestral palette with solos for glockenspiel, xylophone, flute, oboe, harp and piano, whilst audience favourite Oblivion was hauntingly nostalgic, Mederos beginning and ending on almost imperceptible, desolate G and C naturals respectively.
All was designed as a build up to the concert's denouement, however, and Mederos' own compositions further demonstrated clever scoring for brass, timpini, celeste, xylophone, clarinet, oboe and bassoon. The final applause grew into a standing ovation for the seasoned maestro, enough appreciation to warrant two Carlos Gardel encores, providing a neat symmetry with the show's opening. In El Dia Que Me Quieras Tiptan again shone on violin, and a repeat of the charming Melodia De Arrabal gave principal cellist Apichai Leamthong another nice solo spot, the dancers also returning fittingly to join the whole united ensemble.
