In celebration of the auspicious occasion of the birthday of HM Queen Sirikit The Queen Mother on Aug 12, and in collaboration with B.Grimm, the Department of Cultural Promotion and the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra gave an appropriately magnificent performance recently at the Thailand Cultural Centre.
Under the experienced direction of regular guest conductor Douglas Bostock from England, the star of the evening was French harp soloist Emmanuel Ceysson for a stimulating performance of one of his instrument's best-loved concertos -- that of Russian/Soviet composer Reinhold Glière. An imaginative, prolific son of German and Polish descent, he certainly deserves wider recognition internationally.
The concert opened with a world premiere written especially for the occasion by Thai National Artist Prof Dr Narongrit Dhamabutra, titled Khon Overture – War Of Solaris.
As the composer of an impressively extensive output including nine symphonies and 13 concertos, this spectacular new work continues and develops further his well-honed personal style of fusing Thai and contemporary classical influences, this time specifically utilising elements of khon dance music as played by the traditional Piphat ensemble.
Presented in the manner of a tone poem, the narrative describes the character Solaris who fights with Rama the King, but in failing to successfully acquire "magical glasses" from Brahma, ultimately succumbs to Rama's arrow and perishes.
The score was full to the brim of Narongrit's customary orchestration wizardry and thematic brilliance, the rhythmic vitality balanced in equal measure by alternating harmonic dissonance/consonance, which kept the audience on the edge of their seats until the final exulted cadence.
Conductor Douglas Bostock.
Admittedly, the "harp concerto" isn't a genre that is overloaded with masterworks -- it is, after all, an instrument which sits more comfortably as an integral part of an orchestral ensemble -- but that said, Glière's piece certainly does take the listener on a wondrous musical journey due to the composer's deft touch with regard to sensitive orchestration.
As RBSO chairman Harald Link pointed out in his written introduction, this concerto "symbolises Her Majesty The Queen Mother's grace and elegance in her gentle gestures that touch deeply upon all walks of life".
Glière sought extensive advice for the solo part from compatriot harp supremo Ksenia Aleksandrovna Erdeli, herself the founder of the Russian harp school, to such an extent that he happily considered her a joint composer of the opus.
But practical/technical issues aside, Glière's ebullient, glowing voice was absolutely forefront from the word go as broad arpeggiations in the solo part were accompanied by a softly rippling bed of string section texture.
The conclusion of this opening section was signalled by a smooth harp glissando leading to the orchestral statement of the joyous theme, a lush, lengthy passage of polite charm. Then followed the considerable cadenza, which expertly utilises the whole range of the harp in a fantastical exploration of arpeggiation and harmonic wonder.
A rich, sonorous rising viola line then ushered in the tutti reprise, featuring a beautifully played oboe solo by Nuttha Kuankajorn and more incisive, sympathetic accompaniment to the unfolding harp solo part -- not least the four warm-sounding French horns, which are a particularly judicious choice in the orchestration as a whole.
The ethereal Tema Con Variazioni is an extraordinary movement simply by virtue of its exceptionally rare key signature of seven flats, denoting the very seldom used key of C-flat major. This is a decided challenge for string players in particular, and the ranks of desks did a good job of negotiating this potential minefield of dissonance, not least the viola section who, in particular, retained an integrated timbre through multiple enharmonic transitions.
A jovial finale of relative simplicity rounded off this highly enjoyable concerto as Ceysson continued to display his exceptional instrumental technique, resulting naturally with the audience demanding an encore after multiple curtain calls, the soloist duly obliging with a mesmerising transcription of The Girl With The Flaxen Hair by Claude Debussy.
Symphony No.1 by Jean Sibelius ranks amongst the most miraculous symphonic debuts in the entire repertoire, and Douglas Bostock did a fine job of encouraging the RBSO to explore its deepest secrets. A work of fervent support for his Finnish national heritage, this once again resonated with the concert's dedication to Her Majesty The Queen Mother's devotion to Thailand -- fitting in the extreme.
