Brass
ensemble performs beautifully at the Yamaha School of Music
By Jai Pee
What an amazing place the College of Music of Music at
Silpakorn University has become! This wonderful Brass Quintet of
professional musicians of the highest caliber presented a delightful mixture
of classical, jazz, easy listening and Christmas music at the Yamaha School
of Music on Tuesday December 21st. Sadly the audience
in the first half numbered less than twenty but this was augmented
adequately with the arrival of groups of students for the second part.
The sounds were crystal clear and the rich harmonious
tones set the auditorium alight as the group launched into The Royal
Guard’s March written by His Majesty The King. The celebrated Canadian
Brass arrangement of Scheidt’s Galliard Battaglia followed and had
the audience nodding along to its strident and powerful rhythms. A beautiful
arrangement of Danny Boy was included as was the theme from Titanic.
There was a short introduction offered by all members of the group – Navi on
French horn, Sasis on second trumpet, Poumpak on tuba, Nath on trombone and
finally their distinguished leader and arranger, first trumpet player
Lertkiat Chongjirajittra. Lertkiat is professor of trumpet at Silpakorn and
also principal trumpet player with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra. He is no
stranger to Chiang Mai having delighted the audience in August 2552 with a
wonderful rendition of the Bellini Trumpet Concerto. As an arranger
he is quite astonishing. Danny Boy was superbly arranged to give this
haunting Irish melody its full beauty and glory; he excelled in his
arrangement of the Lennon/McCartney classic Hey Jude where the
resonant and soulful opening for solo trombone with tuba continuo was quite
magical. Lertkiat himself took a modest place among his fellow professionals,
an admirable gesture given his elevated and much respected status. However,
his work on arranging so many of these and other pieces that delighted the
audience will remain testimony to his great creativity and musicianship.
This whole group loved their music and loved their instruments and boy, did
it show!
The recital ended with several well-known Christmas
carols and seasonal songs. These were once again imaginatively and
beautifully arranged by Lertkiat and were very warmly received. The soaring
melody of Adolphe Adam’s Minuit Chretiens was for me the highlight of
the evening showing that brass instruments are not always deafening and
loud. Richard Strauss once remarked ‘If you can hear the brass when you are
conducting a performance they are too loud!’ This arrangement showed just
how lyrical and even tender the brass instruments can sound as they
enthralled the audience in this glorious French carol. This was great
entertainment of the highest order. What a shame so many music-lovers in
Chiang Mai failed to appear – the pressures of Christmas week no doubt the
reason! Thanks must go to these very talented musicians and their esteemed
leader Lertkiat for sharing their significant talents with us, and to Tat
Satjavathee, manager of the Yamaha School of Music for sponsoring this
festive and artistically inspired event..
By Milt Owens
The College of Music of Payap University Christmas
Concert has improved considerably over what we sat through on more than one
occasion in the past. On Saturday night December 11th at the Henry Luce
Chapel (the birds were gone but the seats are still uncomfortable) the
evening started off with 3 familiar Christmas carols performed by the Payap
Handbell Choir. It was entertaining, even if one did have to listen
carefully to pick out the tunes. More practice would have helped but the
conductor, Chakrapan Chaiya, kept them in tempo and got the most out of
them.
The bells were followed by the full Payap University
Choir and String Orchestra, performing Vivaldi’s Gloria in D.
Directed by Ohm Chanteyul, who only a few years ago was a violinist in the
orchestra, they performed brilliantly. The sound that came out of these
young men, and a few women, was just heaven to hear. They made the Latin
words sound crisp and clear and easy to follow with the libretto in the
program. The mostly-string orchestra, with the help of a few brass pieces,
was thrilling to listen to and I am not usually a friend of violins. This
evening there wasn’t a shrill note to be heard. Really folks, I haven’t
heard a sound like this in a very long time and a lot of it was to the
credit of this young conductor.
After the intermission, the second half began with two
very traditional carols, O Holy Night and Joy to the World,
sung by the 8-member Duriyasilp Male Choir. I don’t think all would have
approved of their arrangements, which were a little too modernized for my
tastes. However, they acquitted themselves well. A director would have
helped them stay in tempo and someone to familiarize them with the correct
pronunciation of the English words was needed. This group included a counter
tenor who has a nice clear voice but he needs to project more and have more
confidence in his abilities. I look forward to hearing them in the future as
they become more a cohesive ensemble.
Following the male choir, 2 harpists treated us to a
medley of 5 Austrian Carols. They were beautiful to listen to but with the
songs being unfamiliar to the audience, it was difficult to pick out the
separate pieces of the medley.
The last part of the program, 7 songs performed Payap’s
University Choir, Bells Choir and Brass Band (outstanding in their small
contribution to Joy to the World), with Chakrapan Chaiya on the trumpet,
Remi Namthep and Chan Po at the piano, was conducted by Ajaan Ayu Namthep.
Unfortunately, the choir was not as in sync in the second half as they were
in the Gloria. Ajaan Ayu is a fixture in the Payap Music Faculty and has
taught music there for many years. She is beloved by her students. To me,
however, she doesn’t have the power to hold together an ensemble of this
size. She seems to be more of a “time keeper” than a true director/conductor,
and this part of the program needed a strong hand to rein in all the various
components.
All in all, it was quite an enjoyable evening. I look
forward to next year’s concert and encourage you to do likewise. After all,
it is free. What’s to lose?
