The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (RBSO) presented a varied programme of masterworks on Aug 4 in celebration of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit's 85th birthday anniversary. Much-respected Thai conductor Vanich Potavanich directed impressive performances of the wide-ranging styles of Classical, Romantic, and Modern period composers from no less than five different countries: Germany, England, Czechoslovakia, Austria and Russia.
What added even more to the generous programming was that not one but two of the RBSO's eminent musicians were featured as soloists in two contrasting concertos. Long-serving concertmaster Siripong Tiptan played Dvorak's emotional Romance in F minor, while Israeli-American cellist Iris Regev performed Haydn's elegant Cello Concerto In D Major.
The sold-out concert began with Mendelssohn's turbulent Hebrides Overture. This showed off the impressive technical credentials of the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble that was once again in fine form. Well-known for semiquaver passage work, particularly for the strings, Potavanich set just the right tempi in order to achieve clean articulation, and the transitions from quieter/slower sections to louder/faster ones were managed effectively.
The string section of the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra then displayed their finesse in Sir Edward Elgar's elegiac Serenade For Strings, a work from his early composing period which has endured as one of his most treasured compositions. Elgar was himself an enthusiastic violinist, and his clever writing for string instruments is revealed in the score by numerous divisions within the individual parts. This demands great attention to detail from the players, and as an assured performance unfolded it was apparent that much care had gone into rehearsing and preparing this piece.
Tone quality rang out from the instruments with a sense of great yearning, starting with the viola section's famous opening dotted rhythm of the Allegro piacevole, then continuing with beautifully shaped phrases of hushed reflection, and finally building to a lush and full-bodied outpouring of passionate expression at the end of the first movement. The following two movements proceeded in a similarly well-controlled manner, with the famous open G-string sonority of the Larghetto setting a quite-exquisite atmosphere, and the closing E-major chord of the finale Allegretto perfectly tuned. This is difficult to achieve because of the chord's wide spacing.
Violin soloist Siripong Tiptan then took to the stage for Dvorák's Romance In F Minor, a miraculous work of beauty which displayed above all else his gorgeous singing. There were also moments of technical bravura, including up-bow staccato and double-stopping, which Siripong executed with confidence and accuracy.
Meanwhile, Potavanich and the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra accompanied with sensitivity, keeping the dynamics suitably low when needed to let the solo line cut through the texture, but also emerging with force in a sempre marcatissimo episode where the violin section played with powerful precision.
Siripong's tone was warm and lyrical throughout, with judicious use of portamenti and a wide and impressively penetrating vibrato, while his sense of the occasional moments of drama inherent in the piece was also communicated well to the audience. This delectable music gave Siripong a platform, once again, to demonstrate why he is among the most highly regarded violinists in Thailand. For an encore, he returned to impress the audience further with Paganini's G-minor Presto Caprice.
Cello soloist Iris Regev, a relatively new member of the RBSO, was then showcased in a magnificent performance of Haydn's Cello Concerto In D Major, a work among the most technically difficult in the repertoire. From her first entry, it was perfectly clear why Regev had chosen to perform this concerto. She is a consummate master of her instrument, and had no problems in negotiating the demanding virtuoso part, which lies for a high proportion of the time high up the fingerboard in thumb position. Double-stopping is frequently employed, and one could only marvel at the pinpoint accuracy of Regev's intonation, particularly in the challenging octave writing.
Her sense of tasteful phrasing was no less ingratiating, inspiring the RBSO to match her shaping of the symmetrically balanced themes. This was especially the case in the first movement, where the basic tempo is often subject to subtle fluctuations, requiring keen attention from everyone.
Potavanich concluded this memorable concert with a real treat. A complete contrast of period and style, Stravinsky's amusing, brief and infectious Suites Nos.1 & 2 For Small Orchestra in fact expanded the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra a little bit to include bass-drum, tuba, trombone and pianoforte. Highly entertaining in their ingenious early exploration of the possibilities of neoclassicism, many instruments had short moments in the spotlight, but special mention should be made of the principal flautist's dexterity in the Valse movement. The final rousing Galop then received tumultuous roars from a delighted audience.
