Siam Philharmonic serves up a passionate masterclass
For the past few months, the Siam Philharmonic has performed only in events commemorating the late King Bhuminol Adulyadej, notably the performance of the Royal Anthem in Sanam Luang in October. Last Tuesday, the orchestra and its conductor, Maestro Somtow Sucharitkul, emerged from seclusion and presented its first concert of standard classical repertoire in its fifteenth season.
The concert, titled “Exotic Love”, was electrifying. Three of the most challenging works in the repertoire were presented. The Siam Philharmonic may have been away from the concert hall for a while, but it hasn’t lost any of its passion.
An added bonus were the entertaining introductions by the conductor, who talked about how the surging emotions of the very repressed societies of the 19th century could only find outlets in music. Showing how this music is relevant and meaningful, Somtow told tales of sexual obsessions and serial killing sultans to an intense, warm audience.
Strauss’ Don Juan was presented as part of the SPO’s project to present all 10 of the Strauss tone poems in Bangkok. The SPO’s reading of the work couldn’t be faulted. Somtow is a very old-school interpreter of German romantic works, very fluid in his tempi and very conscious of the large-scale architecture of the music. This fluidity carried through in his reading of Tristan And Isolde. This was a sensitive, nuanced interpretation, with more “air” than one frequently hears these days. The first half of the evening, then, was inspiring, with the conductor entirely in his element and the orchestra very assured. The second half had a few technical issues in some of the connections between sections, but once it got going was almost unbearably exciting.
The ending was one of the faster versions this reviewer has heard, bringing the audience to its feet in a protracted standing ovation.
Specially of note was the soloist Min Yang, formerly of the London Symphony. While the first impression she gave, with her bling-laden shoes and glamour-model like demeanour, was like someone who had stepped out of the pages of a fashion catalogue, her playing proved she is no lightweight.
She played the intricate solo effortlessly, with soaring lines and with great delicacy. Power, too; she dominated the ferocious orchestra much as the beautiful Scheherazade managed to quell the raging sultan of the Arabian Nights.
Delayed from several months, this opening concert of Siam Philharmonic’s season proved once again what an unpredictable force this orchestra and this mind-blowing maestro are in Thailand’s music world.
Stan Gayuski is a member of the International Mahler Society, now based in Thailand, who writes about classical music for international publications.