Tama Shiminkan is a small civic hall with barely 900 seats in western Tokyo but it recently hosted what many said was a great show from Thailand.
The Feroci Philharmonic Winds from Silpakorn University made a name for itself in this part of the Land of the Rising Sun when it flew a troupe of 46 musicians to give a celebratory show titled the "130th Anniversary Of Japan-Thailand Relations Concert" to the audience of both Japanese and Thais two weeks ago.
This was the first performance outside the Kingdom by the ensemble which primarily consists of the faculty members and their talented students. It was founded four years ago by Damrih Banawitayakit, dean of Silpakorn's Faculty of Music, who is also an active composer, conductor and principal oboist.
"I wanted to see a professional wind orchestra in our country," Damrih said, recalling his inspiration for founding the troupe.
The band was named after Silkpakorn University founder Corrado Feroci, or Ajarn Silpa Bhirasri, for a reason.
"He was the leader of Thai contemporary art so the Feroci would create art work in the form of music. That's why our concept is to include Thai contemporary music, folk music instruments, or international music with elements of Thai music in every one of our shows," he said.
The band has so far given seven concerts in Bangkok under the baton of world-renowned conductors including Japanese maestro Yasuhide Ito who, this time, returned to perform with them right in his homeland.
Their Japan debut concert gracefully opened with the exciting tunes of Royal Guards March and the patriotic music of Kwam Fan An Soong Sood (The Impossible Dream). They are two of the 48 royal compositions by the late King Bhumibol.
Next on the programme was Songs Of Rattanakosin, which surprised the audience with the appearance of two guest soloists clad in traditional Thai outfits, performing three traditional Thai musical instruments.
Internationally-renowned Anant Narkkong blended the mellow tones from saw u (Thai alto fiddle) and rhythmic beats from taphon (Thai drum) with the loud sounds of the wind band while master Somnuek Saeng-arun showed his brilliant art of making varying sounds with pi nai (Thai oboe). Both are top-notch musicians with expertise in Thai classical music.
This 12-minute piece, which was adapted from an old Western-style melody called Wiranda Ode by composer Yos Vaneesorn, reflected the band's endeavour to fuse Western and traditional Thai musical instruments.
"Thai music is very beautiful and it is interesting to find it a place to perform with the wind band," explained Yos of his experimental addition of the instruments to his creative work.
"I wish that this song would show our Japanese audience the uniqueness of Thai music which is second to none," added Yos who is also the band's concertmaster and principal clarinettist.
The concert also featured two other solo instruments performed by two guest soloists from Japan. Notable Hisae Hirako stunned the hall with her excellent performance of Miramba Concerto composed by Hirokazu Fukushima. Her constant rapid strikes of two and four mallets on the wooden bars produced strong resonances against the vibrating sounds of the wind instruments, giving the audience a rush of adrenalin for nearly 20 minutes.
Nobuto Yamanaka, a master player of the tsugaru shamisen, pleased our ears with the outstanding sounds rendered from the three-stringed traditional Japanese instrument in Concerto For Tsugaru-Shamisen And Band. The piece was written by conductor Ito who is also a renowned composer.
All the wind performers on stage were then taken to a slower pace to provide a soothing background for Pla Nil, the only score on the programme that came with lyrics.
Composed exclusively for this show by Damrih who also took to the podium to conduct the band, the song recounts the impressive story about the relationships between the monarchs of Thailand and Japan in the mid 1960s when the then-crown prince Akihito gave the Nile tilapia fish (or pla nil in Thai) to King Bhumibol as gifts so that he could breed and distribute them to his people.
The song was soulfully sung by a Thai male vocalist, followed by the Japanese version which equally captured the hearts of many when it was sung with a crystal-clear voice by a Japanese female singer.
The band once again transitioned back to the usual fast tempo for a nearly 15-minute showcase of the last song. The 2107 version of The Year Of The Dragon by Philip Sparke was loyally chosen to celebrate the succession to the throne of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun of Thailand.
Judging from a long round of applause that filled the hall at the end of every song, it was not difficult to tell how the audience felt about the show. It was more like a friendship concert with a well-selected repertoire that allowed top musicians from the two countries to present the charm of their traditional music through their impressive skills.
However, it was seriously directed by the energetic and powerful conductor who could earn the trust, and probably the souls, of the band members who had unanimously unified under his baton throughout the two-hour show.
It remains a mystery which piece of feedback pleased the band most, from "This is the best concert of the year!" many Japanese spectators shared with the conductor or the one Ito expressed right after the concert. "This is the fourth time I've performed with them. They are a professional band."
