The Thailand Philharmonic Plays French Music

College of Music Auditorium Mahidol University.  Nakhom Pathom, Thailand.  June 8, 2013.  One of the many nice things about attending TPO’s concert series is its willingness to program music not otherwise regularly heard, along with standard repertory items.  TPO’s “French Music” concert was a perfect example of this interesting approach to programming:  A cello concerto by Offenbach, a symphony by Albert Roussel, and the often-played Ravel’s La Valse. 

Swiss conductor Claude Villaret (left) and German cellist Peter Bruns (right) greet the audience after the concert.

I had no idea that Jacques Offenbach had written a concerto for cello, which, on this occasion, was played by the very excellent German cellist Peter Bruns.  It was a welcome respite from the very few cello concertos that are so frequently performed (e.g., the Elgar, Dvorak, Boccherini, Haydn), but as pleasant as it was, it is not a memorable work.  I don’t suppose it could have been played better than it was under the capable bow of Bruns, who made as much out of it as could be accomplished.  Yes, it was a somewhat light work, but a nice prelude to the heavier works to follow.

The exciting part of the concert was Symphony No. 3 by Albert Roussel, a French composer (1869-1937) about whom I’ve heard, but I can’t remember listening to any of his works, although I suspect that I have at one time or another.  This late work (1930) was very modern, but structurally was classical.  It was fast, loud, and immediately listenable, although I had downloaded it several days before the performance and went through it three times before the concert, an effort that greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the performance.  This symphony is just the type of piece that the TPO invariably performs very well because it gives its youthful and talented performers an expansive platform to ply their trade, without too much emphasis on orchestral groups and soloists, which is a risk to all but the most seasoned of orchestras.  

The concert concluded with Ravel’s La Valse, in a beautiful reading of this popular work, conducted by principal guest conductor, Claude Villaret, in his typical top form.