The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra Foundation, under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya – and in collaboration with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and B. Grimm Group Ltd. – will tour Europe in May 2023 and appear in three major cities – Vienna, Munich, and Paris.
Emergence of the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra onto the world stage of orchestras is a key central objective and goal of HRH Princess Sirivannavari. This year the orchestra will undertake a truly ground-breaking tour, appearing on May 18 at the legendary ‘Golden Hall’ of the Musikverein in Vienna (the world’s most prestigious classical venue), on May 20 in Munich in another immaculate ‘shoe-box’ design concert hall, the Herkulesaal (likewise renowned for its superior acoustics), and on May 22 in Paris at one of the great examples of modern concert hall architecture, La Seine Musicale.
The high-profile tour will generate added special interest as it will feature brilliant, recently composed original works by HRH Princess Sirivannavari herself – the fantasy for piano and orchestra Le Mariage de Minuit, and a Concerto for Violin and Orchestra entitled Nefreretta. Both of these fresh new concertos were premiered on November 25 and 26, 2022, at the Thailand Cultural Centre in honour of His Majesty the King Rama X’s 70th birthday celebrations. The programme for the European tour will be completed by The Moldau by Bedřich Smetana and Symphony No. 8 in G major by Antonin Dvořák, two classic masterpieces frequently performed by the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in recent seasons.
The two soloists who interpreted these valuable new additions to the repertoire were the Greek concert pianist Titos Gouvelis and the German violinist Niklas Liepe, respectively, who will both also perform in the upcoming European tour this year. Le Mariage de Minuit and Concerto for Violin and Orchestra have already been recorded by the RBSO and soloists at Bangkok’s renowned Studio 28, conducted by Belgian maestro Michel Tilkin, who will also be the conductor for the tour. This important milestone is filling all connected with Thailand’s most celebrated orchestra with the greatest inspiration and hopes for the future.