Tour of the first plan: the main orchestra of Thailand has arrived in Russia

The flavor of the East combined with the academic symphonic tradition. A dialogue between the musicians of the two countries. The work of representatives of one of the world's oldest monarchies is interpreted by brilliant professionals. All this is about the concerts of the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in Russia. The tour of Thailand's most famous band started at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (tickets were sold out long before the event) and will continue at Moscow's Zaryadye Hall. Izvestia did not stay away from the event and gathered details about the long-awaited tour.

Despite the earthquake

The Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1982 and over the past four decades has become one of the leading academic ensembles in Asia. Naturally, his first tour in Russia was the final event of the cross-cultural exchange year between the two countries.

Alexander Beglov, the governor of St. Petersburg, told the press that the orchestra's visit was long-awaited and stressed that the musicians had arrived despite the earthquake in their homeland (the epicenter of the disaster was in Myanmar, but the disaster also affected neighboring countries, including Thailand). The mayor spoke words of support to the guests of the city.

In turn, the Ambassador of the Kingdom, Sasivat Wongsinsawat, thanked Alexander Beglov and stated:

— All the music that the orchestra will perform represents the culture of Thailand.

This is a really important feature of the program.: Thai musicians brought only works by their own composers to Russia. Which is a great value for music lovers, because you can hear classical Western European repertoire in many places and in a variety of performances, but it is unlikely that you will be able to get acquainted with the work of living authors from the southeastern state, associated with the general public, first of all, with the warm sea and exotic nature, but not with music. also (except in Bangkok itself).

Between East and West

The first section featured a very recent (late 2024) composition by one of Thailand's leading contemporary composers, Narongrit Tamabut. He is also the artistic director of the team. Siamese Soundscapes (Siam is the old name of Thailand) combine a modern, sometimes rather avant—garde musical language, summarizing many achievements of 20th century music, with a vibrant national flavor, motifs that create an expressive image of Narongrit homeland.

The band was led by their permanent conductor, Vanit Potavanit. It was felt that the musicians under his leadership were acting as a single flawlessly debugged mechanism. And, of course, Russian music lovers can be sure of the accuracy and authenticity of his interpretation of Thai compositions. He is the very flesh of the flesh of this tradition.

But it is important that the maestro entered the stage of the famous St. Petersburg hall, having already managed to walk around the city and was very impressed, as he confessed to Izvestia.

— There are so many things to say about this city, it's hard to put into words! I'll just say it's fantastic. Unbelievable. I've never been here, I've only seen St. Petersburg on TV, but it's even more incredible in person. Thanks for the invitation! I am very pleased to be here," the musician did not hide his emotions.

Princesses can do anything

One of the highlights of the program is the writings of Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana Rajakanya of Thailand, daughter of King Rama X. Of the representatives of the current monarchies, she is the only one who has won recognition in the field of academic music. Moreover, Sirivannavari began her creative career in another field — the fashion industry.

The princess made her debut as a fashion designer in 2004, when she was only 17 years old, and in 2008 she participated in the Russian Fashion Week. It was for the fashion show of her brand Sirivannavari that the princess began composing music. Her compositions have been featured in shows since 2016 — and at some point went beyond the catwalks, becoming an independent phenomenon. The princess became the patron-trustee of the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and became deeply involved in its activities, creating also a number of works for this collective.

Two of them were heard in Russia. These are the Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra Le Mariage de Minuit and the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Nefreretta. In terms of style and genre, these are examples of programmatic symphonic music: despite the lack of text, both opuses are based on plots that the orchestra "tells". So, the heroine Nefreretta is an archaeologist girl who went to study tombs and recognized herself as an ancient Egyptian princess. In terms of form and material, Sirivannavari's music follows Western European classical traditions, in particular, the symphonic poems of Richard Strauss. But the author's cultural and national roots are felt in the melody.

The princess's creativity turns out to be a kind of bridge between civilizations. And it is all the more symbolic that the soloists in both compositions were Russian virtuosos: Gaik Kazazyan (violin) and Dmitry Masleev (piano). It turns out that these performances have become a dialogue between the musicians of the two countries. Hayk Kazazyan admits that mutual understanding immediately appeared between him and his Thai colleagues.

— I was in great expectation — creatively, professionally, and the expectations did not deceive me. Indeed, this is a highly professional orchestra, and what I liked was that they were all very positive. Besides professional interaction, it is very important to have purely human communication with musicians — smiles, glances," the violinist emphasized.

Dmitry Masleev discovered a connection with Russian music in the composition of the princess.

— For knowledgeable people, there is even a homage to Rachmaninov, his Second Piano Concerto, which is especially pleasant to me as a pianist. This music is incredibly beautiful and pleasant to the ear, very harmonious and melodic," Dmitry Masleev shared with Izvestia.

The King's Theme

Finally, in the finale, a Fantasy on the themes of His Majesty Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) was performed. It is a symphonic arrangement of nine songs composed by the previous ruler of Thailand, the father of the current king. Rama IX holds the record for the longest reign: he ascended the throne in 1946 and died in 2016. The people of Thailand awarded him the title "The Great One", and the end of the program with such a musical curtsy to the grandfather of the main character of the evening is, of course, symbolic. It can be said that Princess Sirivannavari is following in his footsteps in terms of her passion for music.

But despite the obvious oriental ceremonial of this gesture, how can we not recall, for example, Bach's "Musical Offering" — a cycle composed by him to the melody of the authorship of the Prussian King Frederick II. Three centuries after Bach and Frederick II, Thai musicians continue a beautiful tradition.

After the concert, the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Thai Foreign Ministry, Chettaphan Maksamphan, confessed to Izvestia:

— We were delighted. The audience warmly welcomed us. It's a wonderful evening!

And he noted that the mood of Thailand is contained in those compositions that were performed. And since music is a universal language, people understand it without any translation.

Now Moscow music lovers will also be able to verify this: after the St. Petersburg performance, on April 4, a concert of the Bangkok Orchestra will take place in the capital, two steps from the very heart of the country, the Kremlin: at Zaryadye.