There’s a musical feast coming up shortly when a fine orchestra from Sweden gives its only concert in Pattaya on Sunday 25th October. Presented by D & M Music Studio in cooperation with Yamaha Ratchadapisek Music School, the O/Modernt Chamber Orchestra will perform a fascinating programme of the old and the new.
Under the direction of the brilliant young violinist Hugo Ticciati, the orchestra includes some of the top young players in Sweden. O/Modernt means “unmodern” and the orchestra presents adventurous programmes that cover a wide range of musical styles. It’s the resident orchestra at Musikaliska in Stockholm and an integral part of the Swedish O/Modernt Music Festival and has performed with some of the world’s top soloists. Music critic Hilary Glover described the orchestra as “possibly the best chamber orchestra I have ever heard.”
O-Modernt Chamber Orchestra. (Photo: Susan Poeschi)
Hugo Ticciati is a British-born violinist who lives in Sweden. Born in London, he was surrounded by music from an early age. He made his debut at the Edinburgh Festival and at the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the age of twelve and in recent years has performed with many international orchestras and given concerts at top venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Hermitage Music Festival in St Petersburg. Initially, he studied violin in London then at the University of Toronto and later with Russian violinists Nina and Oleg Balabina in Sweden.
Hugo Ticciati.
Although Hugo has a passion for chamber music, he’s also a concerto player and his repertoire includes the concertos of Beethoven, Barber, Berg, Stravinsky and Brahms. Over the next season, he’ll be performing concertos in Russia, Romania, Sweden, England and Mexico. The distinguished Estonian composer Arvo Pärt said, “Hugo has a rare ability to convey a profound understanding of the music and shed light on its spiritual intent.”
The fifteen-piece orchestra is giving three concerts in Thailand. Their programme will include Liana Svensson’s arrangements of Swedish folk music followed by an unusual performance of The Four Seasons. It will include not only movements from Vivaldi’s famous work but also movements from another work with a similar name (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) composed by the twentieth century Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla whose music often combines jazz and Argentinean traditional music.
The concert will include Tchaikovsky’s popular Serenade for Strings in C major, composed in 1880 and considered by the composer to be one his finest works. You’ll probably recognise the second movement because this waltz has become famous in its own right. The programme also includes Silouan’s Song, a beautiful work by Arvo Pärt whose music often evokes the atmospheric intensity of ancient chants. Transparent chords are separated by long pauses as the sounds gradually grow in intensity, eventually subsiding into the tranquil mood of the opening.
One of the highlights will be an orchestral improvisation which Hugo Ticciati predicts will be totally free musically. It sounds exciting. The concert will be from 4pm – 6pm at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel which is on the Pattaya side of Pratumnak Hill, close to the junction to Bali Hai pier. Tickets are Bt. 600 before 24th October or Bt. 700 at the door. You can book by email at mongkolchayasirisobhon @gmail.com or phone on 081-682-8000. There’s easy parking at the hotel and in adjacent streets but don’t forget the early starting time.
