In the run up to this year's Valentine's Day, the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra served up rousing masterworks of appropriately pitched emotional content on Feb 8 at the Thailand Cultural Centre. "Romantic Variations" was a cleverly imagined programme title for three vastly contrasting compositions from Russia, France and England in terms of national temperament, yet they all shared the overriding universal theme of sentimental love.
Tchaikovsky's by turns turbulent and impassioned Romeo And Juliet Overture is of course concerned with Shakespeare's ill-fated fictional lovers (indeed the most famous of all love-struck teenagers), while Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No.3 In B Minor, which followed, has no such extra-musical narrative. Simply absolute music of the most lovingly crafted and tuneful kind, with brilliant French soloist Fanny Clamagirand bringing out all of its sublimely etched textures on the sweetest sounding of instruments, a precious Matteo Goffriller violin made in Venice in 1700. Sir Edward Elgar's miraculous 1899 creation Variations On An Original Theme (Enigma Variations) evokes in highly affectionate fashion one or other personality trait of 13 of his closest associates and friends in succession, the most intimate of all being his beloved wife Caroline Alice, who is the "character study" of the very first variation. The concluding 14th is a celebratory self-portrait, thereby bringing his elusive Enigma design full-circle. (The eternally indefinable "meaning of life" question itself is perhaps the closest sense we will ever have of his own secret musical riddle.)
Orchestral virtuosity is called for in the Romeo And Juliet Overture, with the first violin section in particular given a thorough semiquaver-passage workout in the higher register of the E-string. The section did itself proud in this respect, and also shone when the climactic love theme ultimately arrived, with a pleasing sensual sheen projected as the six desks of violins shared a focused tonal unity. The difficult tuning of the very opening woodwind chorus was well managed, and string tutti pizzicato delivered with clean metronomic precision. Safely delivered arpeggiation in the harp then led to a taut ratcheting up of the tension into the accented allegro giusto section, which so perfectly describes the duel between the Montagues and Capulets.
First Prize winner of the 2007 Monte Carlo Violin Masters, and supported in her career by Anne-Sophie Mutter and Vladimir Spivakov, Clamagirand then came to the stage to give a lovely performance of perhaps her own country's finest violin concerto. The virtuosity was all in place and the tone attractive, although she could have projected more in the big hall. Such are the orchestral forces employed that balancing is always an ongoing issue in such situations, but on the whole the RBSO responded well to her dynamic needs, with maestro Tilkin supporting sympathetically. The ebb and flow of the first movement's multiple tempo changes came across convincingly, extreme rubato very much a part of the idiom.
The andantino quasi allegretto is Saint-Saëns at his most endearing, with a gorgeous barcarole lilt supporting a Sicilian melody. Moments of the quietest reflection were achieved and cast a spell in the auditorium, not least at the end of the movement that featured perfect octave unison arpeggio tuning between principal clarinettist Yos Vaneesorn and the ringing artificial harmonics of Clamagirand. The driving urgency of the finale's main theme itself then gave way to the sublime, solemn chorale section, ultimately leading to a truly triumphant conclusion. As an encore Clamagirand then returned to play Gavotte En Rondeau from Bach's E Major Partita BWV 1006 -- the cleanliness of the playing here a reflection of the first-rate coaching she must have received at institutions such as the Konservatorium in Vienna and the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole in Italy.
When Elgar's breakthrough opus was performed by the then BSO in 1996 at the Chulalongkorn Auditorium, this newspaper reported on that occasion, "Love is Elgar's Enigma". The affection the composer clearly had for his many companions is certainly the overriding theme of the piece, with his endlessly colourful orchestration demanding the utmost attention to detail. From the quality of the ensemble playing across the sections of the orchestra, it is possible that members had been made aware of a Facebook musician's meme that has been widely shared recently: "The purpose of a rehearsal is to learn everyone else's part … never your own! Your own preparation is your welcoming gift to your colleagues!" Sobering words to put it mildly for any instrumentalist, and the profound significance of this was echoed to positive effect by what had clearly been meticulous careful preparation for this impressive performance.
The cello and viola solos were played with cool-headed control by Apichai Leamthorng and Atjayut Sangkasem respectively, and it was especially pleasing to hear the entry of Elgar's additional organ part at the ecstatic conclusion, played to crowning effect by Sasipa Rasmidatta.
