The recent chamber concert at Ben’s Theater Jomtien was “a first” in two ways. It was the first concert of a new season – a season full of promise with several exciting concerts planned. It was also the first appearance of the new grand piano, a fine instrument that was purchased with the financial assistance of a couple of dozen generous individuals who provided sufficient funding, along with funds from Ben Hansen himself for the purchase of the instrument. The new piano made an impressive difference to the concert and was played by the brilliant South Korean concert pianist Sara Choi. The piano was chosen after many visits to instrument suppliers in Bangkok, and Ben himself tested many pianos with the assistance of the piano teacher and concert pianist Anant Changwaiwit. The new instrument is perfect for Ben’s Theater and exactly balanced the other instruments on the stage.
The concert was given by The Previn Trio, which features Cooper Wright (oboe), Christopher Schaub (bassoon) and of course Sara Choi at the piano. The concert opened with a delightful but little-known work by the French composer Henri Brod, who lived during the early 19th century and was primarily an oboist and instrument-maker as well as a composer. He studied oboe at the Paris Conservatory and eventually became a teacher there himself. The Previn Trio gave a compelling performance of this delightful music with some elegant playing. The musicians really caught the spirit of this virtuosic music. Some of the lilting melodies reminded me of those old Neapolitan songs.
The second work in the concert was composed in 2008 by the American teacher, composer and oboist Alyssa Morris. She is currently teaching at Kansas State University and is the Principal Oboist of the Topeka Symphony Orchestra. Her musical compositions, which mostly feature the oboe have become immensely popular among woodwind players. Her trio entitled Evolution has four movements and takes the listener through different periods of musical history: Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern Minimalist. The second movement contains several amusing quotes from Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C major K545. That’s the famous one, which every piano student attempts at some stage during their studies.
The third movement has some lovely melodic music and for a moment sounded as though it was going to turn into Fauré’s Pavane, but it didn’t. There was some beautifully lyrical playing from both Cooper and Chris. The last movement seemed to have been inspired by the music of Steve Reich with some strikingly percussive and brilliantly articulated piano playing from Sara. The movement built up the musical tension throughout and came to a splendid climax at the end.
All three musicians have close connections with the College of Music at Mahidol University. Both Cooper and Chris are senior members of the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra. Chris is currently the Principal Bassoonist and Cooper was Principal Oboist a few years ago. Sara, who started playing the piano at the age of five, received her Master’s degree at Mahidol University and is involved with music in other parts of Asia, especially South Korea. As a collaborative pianist and an arranger, she has worked for many ensembles and choirs.
These are musicians at the top of their profession and have influential roles in classical music in Asia. They are highly-qualified academically too; Chris obtained his Doctorate from Florida State University and Cooper is currently completing his Doctorate at Arizona State University. What impressed me most at the concert was the sheer brilliance of the musical performance; the musicianship, the close sense of ensemble and that difficult-to-define quality that makes a memorable musical occasion.
The Trio takes its name from the German-American pianist, composer and conductor André Previn. He was perhaps best-known as a conductor and was the principal conductor of several top orchestras including the prestigious London Symphony Orchestra and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. However, Previn was also a prolific composer who wrote over two dozen original film scores and a great deal of concert music including a symphony for strings, fourteen concertos and many works for chamber ensembles.
His engaging Trio opened the second half of the concert. The work was premiered in New York in 1996 and it’s a technically challenging piece which seems to have a vaguely French flavour; a kind of modern-sounding Francis Poulenc. There are three movements, a spikey first movement full of musical invention, a haunting and shadowy second movement and jaunty last movement in which a jazz riff appears, along with many touches of humour and musical surprises. I enjoyed the performance tremendously. The music is engaging and witty and with many moments of lyricism. The Previn Trio gave an impressive performance of this difficult work, with fine articulation and phrasing and superb woodwind tone quality. In the third movement, I especially enjoyed the contrast the players created between the jaunty jazz riff and the lyrical piano phrases.
The final work on the programme was a light-hearted and attractive work by the Canadian composer Bill Douglas, also a professional bassoonist and jazz pianist. His many compositions have been influenced by a wide range of musical styles. The Previn Trio gave a compelling performance of his Trio No 3, which is an attractive and skillfully-written work. The first movement has a vaguely Latin-American feel to it, and the second movement contained some beautifully phrased and delicate woodwind playing.
The last movement had the flavour of a tango and the performers’ sense of rhythm and musical shape was impressive. For their encore number The Previn Trio played another work by Alyssa Morris entitled Lead Thou Me On, which is a beautiful, tender setting of the hymn Lead, Kindly Light, the music of which was written by the 19th century English clergyman and hymnwriter John Bacchus Dykes. The quiet reflective nature of the music, along with the poetic and expressive performance made a fitting end to a memorable concert.
Next Concert: Mozart-Beethoven-Schumann at Ben’s Theater Jomtien Nov 17 2023
