Conductor’s Father Rescues Rossini

Bangkok, Thailand. April 2, 2010. Somtow Sucharikul, Thailand’s eminent classical musical personality, has a knack for programming classical music firsts for Thailand, and for this we can be thankful, especially because the works he selects are not often played elsewhere as well. In this tradition, he discovered a Rossini rarity, the Petite Messe Solenelle, and with chorus and orchestra, Kh. Somtow showed how much we’ve all been missing. Using the Catholic Latin Mass as his text, Rossini wrote a gorgeous piece of music. The Latin Mass has inspired composers as diverse as Beethoven (Missa Solemnis), Verdi (Requiem) and Leonard Bernstein (Mass), and in Rossini’s formulation, the music is suitably reverential without being worshipful or liturgical; parts could just as well appear in a Rossini opera.

There were, however, a few problems with the performance. Although the Siam Philharmonic Orchestra was appropriately not at its full complement, it still overpowered the singers at times. Rossini originally scored the Petite Messe Solenelle, for two pianos and organ, which is the version I have on CD, which allows the chorus and soloists to be better heard. The soloists in Friday’s performance at the Thai Cultural Center, were somewhat weak, with the exception of the Thai countertenor, Jak Cholvijarn, who gave a stunning performance in the Agnus Dei section, and the tenor Antoine Garth, who has a powerful oratorio voice. Kh. Somtow provided the leadership and inspiration to make this a beautiful evening of musical pleasure.

After the performance, Kh. Somtow related to the audience that this performance almost didn’t take place, and that his father, by a quick trip to the bank, rescued the event. This bought the audience to its feet in the only standing ovation of the evening, as flowers were presented to Kh. Somtow’s father.