RBSO’s principal clarinettist takes centre stage
The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (RBSO) opened their 2018 season brilliantly with “Classical Concert No.1” inside the Small Hall of the Thailand Cultural Centre on Jan 25, showcasing a star player from their own ranks — principal clarinettist and esteemed soloist Yos Vaneesorn. The return of much-admired visiting Japanese conductor Hide Shindori was also a welcome choice, inspiring the RBSO to perform with much energy and commitment.
Well-thought-out programming is definitely of the essence when it comes to designing an effectively balanced concert which will satisfy an entire audience. Enough contrasts are required to keep listeners engaged over the course of a whole evening, yet at the same time some tangible thematic or historical links between the different works are equally necessary to convey an arching sense of overall coherence.
Such a successful programme was presented on this occasion, with music by Romantic-period French, Modern-period Spanish and Classical-period Austrian composers satisfying both of these criteria. George Bizet’s Carmen Suite No.1 is a selection from one of the 19th century’s most dazzling operatic gems, and with this Shindori got things off to a flying start with his riveting attention to detailed orchestral balance. This was indeed his third collaboration with the RBSO in as many years, and the reasons he is being invited back annually are becoming ever clearer with each return visit. He exudes constant excitement and an intense engagement with the music at hand, and has ample technical skill for communicating his strong interpretative ideas to an orchestra.
Displaying an almost balletic persona on the podium, he was able to muster a large array of moods and atmospheres in Ernest Guiraud’s arrangement of Bizet’s miraculous score. Immediately achieving heightened dramatic tension with the forceful string tutti tremolo of the Prélude, which speaks of the ultimate mortal fate of the heroine Carmen, and seguing straight into the lively Spanish dance Aragonaise, which bristled with energy and tambourine colouring, there was a crystal-clear tautness of rhythmic unison which had obviously been carefully prepared in rehearsal.
The delicate Intermezzo followed with some beautifully shaped flute phrasing by Supachai Jongchanachai, his tone wonderfully mellifluous as gentle harp arpeggiation played by Ema Mitarai gave solid support. The first violins and cellos continued in octaves, hovering at the top of the texture with a sublime, smooth theme which was moulded lovingly. Les Dragons D’Alcala then marked a complete stylistic change, as confidently played and perky bassoon writing described a somewhat more light-hearted scene from the opera. The rumbustious Les Toréadors concluded the suite with all the thrilling theatre of the bullring, setting the stage perfectly for Clarinet Concerto No.2, by the young contemporary Spanish composer Oscar Navarro.
Written as recently as 2012, this hugely listenable and enjoyable 20-minute modern piece The ‘RBSO Classical Concert No.1’ opened the 2018 season.
was quite a revelation, and gave Vaneesorn every opportunity to display his renowned technique and musicianship. Starting bravely with a hushed cadenza, the composer’s stated aim of emulating the human voice was scored explicitly when the soloist executed a long, breathy gesture like a huge stereophonic zephyr, just as the bell of his
instrument described a large semicircle in the air from stage left to stage right.
Rich orchestration was a feature throughout, with a conspicuously large harp part and a whole battery of percussion, including a vibraphone, which began the piece with an enchanting harmony. An exhilarating Flamenco-infused section followed, with the novel feature of having the woodwind/brass portions of the orchestra handclapping like castanets to create an exotic, Mediterranean rhythmic effect.
Vaneesorn’s brilliant dexterity led us into a meditative middle section, with minimalist elements in the vein of Michael Nyman casting a spellbinding sense of calm, before jazzy walking-bass lines in the lower strings drove the work to a spectacular conclusion.
If national style linked the music of Bizet and Navarro in this concert, then it was personal traits that linked Bizet to Mozart, whose Symphony No.41 In C Major (aka the Jupiter Symphony) was interpreted superbly after the interval. Bizet became known as the French Mozart due to his incredible genius, and also had in common with the great master an almost identical lifespan, both of them dying tragically in their mid-30s. The choice of Mozart’s last, defining symphonic masterpiece therefore made for a very pleasing symmetry in the concert.
Shindori achieved a wonderful cleanliness of texture, with the famous combination of five distinct themes in counterpoint at the work’s very conclusion coming across with a powerful and majestic clarity. The audience gave the RBSO a deserved ovation after the final triumphant chords, with the second violin section being singled out for praise as Shindori brought them to their feet — a reward for their admirable work in some notoriously challenging passages, not least the rapid string-crossing at the outset of the finale.