Poom Poommachart Brings the Russians to Bangkok

Brilliant Thai pianist Poom Poommachart with a bouquet of flowers traditionally presented to an artist after a performance in Thailand.

Siam Society Auditorium.  Bangkok, Thailand.  August 7, 2013.  The brilliant young Thai pianist, Poom Prommachart, who is beginning to make his mark on the international scene, returned to his Bangkok home for the summer, and brought the Russians with him:  Medtner, Scriabin, Prokofiev and Rachmaninoff.  Perhaps this is the influence of his Russian piano teacher at the Royal College of Music in London, Dina Parakhina, with whom he gave a joint recital at Mahidol College of Music on July 31, playing the two Rachmaninoff suites for two pianos, a recital I was unable to attend.  Just how much I missed was made clear by the marvelous solo recital Poom gave in Bangkok on August 7.

Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951), roughly a contemporary of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin, is not nearly so well-known, but many pianists have played his works on the recital stage, formerly, Richter and Gillels, and currently, Sudbin and Hamelin, and there are numerous recordings of his piano music (Medtner wrote exclusively for the piano, sometimes with other instruments).  It was a real treat for me to hear, for the first time, Medtner’s Second Variations, opus 47.  It is not always easy to listen to a complex work like this theme and 16 variations, which take about 30 minutes to perform.  Fortunately, when someone as talented as Poom makes the trip first, delves deeply into the work giving it mature consideration and figuring out exactly what the music means, we can go along for the ride and enjoy it, even if it is new to us and not particularly accessible.  Each variation, to all of which Medtner supplied a name (e.g., Winged Dancers, The Threat, Enchantment) is a miniature tone poem and retains its own individual character.  Obviously difficult, this is beautiful music, sensitively and beautifully played by Poom.  I can’t say that I’m running out to listen to Medtner’s Second Variations again soon, but the experience of hearing Poom play them makes me receptive to becoming more familiar with this work. 

After two short and nicely played Scriabin preludes, Poom tackled the difficult Prokofiev Sonata No. 6, the first of Prokofiev’s three war sonatas, conceived of by the composer in 1938, before Russia entered WWII (Prokofiev returned to Russia in 1938 and never left again).  The sonata is percussive, vehement, propulsive, and hard-driving, but it is not without its softer and lighter moments, and has some of the melodic “wrong notes” characteristic of Prokofiev.  It goes without saying that this towering work from one of Russia’s two 20^th century giants (Shostakovich being the other) is no pushover.  It is so easy for the pianist to lapse into loud, louder and loudest, resulting in some undeniable moments of frisson, but ultimately into boredom during a work that takes 30 minutes to perform.  Whatever the difficulties and pitfalls of performing the 6^th might be, Poom avoided them all by bringing to this performance, not only his impeccable technique, but his deep appreciation of the music and a concept of its structure that makes it understandable.  While this sonata can and is played differently (I have recordings by Richter and Behzod Abduraimov), it is not played better.  When Poom gets his first recording contract, his Prokofiev 6^th Sonata must be on it.

A Concert of Colors and Senses from the French and German

Goethe-Institut Auditorium.  Bangkok, Thailand.  August 8, 2013. If anyone thinks that a recital with good music has to be an uber-serious affair (you just read my only German), they should h

ave attended the musical pastiche presented at the Goethe-Institut by three very talented and attractive Thai musicians, which they subtitled “From the the French and German.”  All three are studying at various advanced music schools in Switzerland, hence the German and French.  Thank goodness for summer vacations, which bring them and others back to Thailand to show us remaining here, once again, just how good budding Thai musicians are. 

With important help from Mendelssohn, Debussy and several other renowned German and French composers, Krit Niramittham (piano), Siwat Chuencharoen (piano), and Sivipa Propiriya (soprano), fashioned an evening of solid performances of serious works, replete with commentary, staging, lighting, acting, props and poetry.  It was totally their creation and, as they say on Broadway--“it worked.”  These very attractive and accomplished musicians, through both their beautiful playing and their inventiveness, created an evening so full of pleasure that it would have been hard for even a Horowitz or a Maria Callas to warm their audiences as did Krit, Siwat and Sivipa.  I hope they do something along similar lines next year; by then I’ll be more than ready to smile again.

Thai pianist Siwat Chuencharoen (left) with his noted teacher and pianist Jun Komatsu (right)

Thai pianist Krit Niramittham

Soprano Sivipa Propiriya (It never hurts in music performance to be beautiful)

 

This delightful pastiche made use of props to good effect

The 3rd Thailand International Piano Competition

Left) Luca Toncian (Romania), (middle) Gun Chaikittiwatana (Thailand), (right)

Yun-Ho Chen (Taiwan)

Music Auditorium.  College of Music, Mahidol University.  Nakhon Pathom.  July 26-August 3, 2013.  Piano competitions get their share of criticism and I must say that I agree with some of it, but they are so firmly established in the musical firmament that their existence is beyond discussion.   After all, the venerable Chopin competition has been around for 86 years, and the renowned Tchaikovsky and Van Cliburn competitions now have the status of piano Olympics, where wins in either are almost certain roads to fame. 

I have attended four competitions in the last few years and from a piano-lover’s perspective, that is, one who is retired and has lots of time to attend, a competition provides a unique opportunity to hear a lot of the piano repertory played by excellent pianists over a concentrated period of time.  Besides, the competition element alone provides excitement; one can’t help having favorites and rooting for them.  We are living in the golden age of piano playing and the performance level of those who actually get accepted into the competitions after rigorous screening, is uniformly high.  Although there may be an occasional flub or misstep, the listener is guaranteed to hear marvelous, deep, and professional performances. 

This year was the third time that Mahidol’s very excellent College of Music has organized a piano competition, and based on this year’s and the competition in 2011 (I didn’t attend the first competition), the Thailand International Piano Competition is well on its way to establishing itself as an important place for young pianists, especially from Asia, to compete.  Seventeen pianists from Thailand, China, Korea, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Australia and Romania, journeyed to Mahidol University to perform before an impressive panel of six judges from Italy, Germany, Russia/UK, USA and Thailand.  Both the quality of the competitors and the judges were far greater than one had the right to expect from a competition only six year old.

There were several aspects of the 3^rd Thailand International Piano Competition that differentiated it from other competitions I’ve attended.  First, the competitors were very young, being restricted to ages 15 through 25.  Since one of the notable features of most of Asia is its young populations, this was very much within the mood of the region.  More important was the fact that the final round included six pianists, rather than the more common three.  This was made possible because the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, which devoted one of its regular concert pairs to the competition, provided the opportunity for six pianists to play concerti with the orchestra for the final round.  Also, by restricting the final solo round to 20 minutes each, I was able to hear all six finalists perform during one afternoon.

There were so many highlights of the competition that it is not possible, and perhaps unfair, to single any out, but my memory focuses on the ravishingly beautiful performance by Yun-Ho Chen (Taiwan) of Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit, the exciting, large rendition of Ginastera’s Sonata No 1, by Luca Toncian (Romania), and the controlled and concentrated performance of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, by Gun Chaikittiwatana (Thailand), a performance which captured the architecture of the concerto perfectly.

Of the six finalists, I totally agree with the judges’ decision for the top three places.  As far as I’m concerned, any of the three deserved first place.  However, this is a competition, so I can’t be faulted for rooting for the home team and cheering when Thailand won.  Gun, who is now only 15-years of age, will do the competition proud.

 

Brave New Burma -- A photographic book by Nic Dunlop

Book cover for Nic Dunlop's new photographic book "Brave New Burma."

Nic Dunlop at the FCCT

Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand.  Bangkok.  July 30, 2013.  Nic Dunlap is what you might call an old “Asia hand.”  That he is well-known and liked was evidenced by the fact that the book launch of his new book of photos, Brave New Burma, the type of event which usually sees only sparse attendance at the FCCT, brought with it a very full and enthusiastic crowd.  His black and white photos, taken over many years in Burma, are a stark and vivid record of life there under the harsh military dictatorship, which while still in ultimate control, has ceded some power to an elected representative assembly and executive.  Dunlop’s sober oral commentary accompanying the projection of his photos, added a dimension to his work which, of necessity, would be absent from the book itself.  An altogether worthwhile and enjoyable evening.