Trisdee na Patalung: Press/Reviews

TRISDEE'S "ETERNITY"
Sunday night, at the Siam Philharmonic's concert titled "Unanswered Questions", Trisdee na Patalung's "Eternity" had its world premier. Closing the first half of the program, the audience, myself included, was mesmerized. The work is dedicated to the late HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, advocate and patron of classical music in Thailand. The composer was inspired to write the work after witnessing monks chanting at the Princess's resting place in Dusit Mahaprasad Hall in the Grand Palace during a late night memorial service. Trisdee writes, "The chant was meditative and of haunting beauty. It was not until one week ago did I find out that what I heard was in fact Wat Rakang's Luen Luang chant, the melody of which I have decided to use as the composition's main theme." 

The work opens with solo violin presenting this theme. Then, slowly, it is joined by a 2nd violin, a viola, a cello, and lastly a bass, all staggered, playing the same melody in unison but with different ornaments and trills creating beautiful dissonance. The orchestra then enters with six full chords, as the solo violin soars above. I was reminded for a second of John Taverner's "The Protecting Veil." Everything moves forward with simple harmonic gestures and increasing sound to the piece's climax, at which point the pi java (a type of Thai oboe with a deep, bag-pipe like sound used at funerals) enters with a gorgeous solo. Hidden in the back of the large string ensemble, the audience was not expecting this entrance, and those squirming to catch a view of the player were soon subdued and put in a trance by the beauty of it all. Players on stage were visibly moved, and really, it all felt very religious in a way, the same way Taverner's music can make almost anybody believe in some sort of heaven or transcendence. The work ends as it began, simply and quietly with the Luen Luang chant melody working its way through the quintet of soloists, though this time the full strings joined the last cadence. 

The Philharmonic sounded excellent throughout the evening's interesting program, which began with Ives's "The Unanswered Question" and Ravel's "Le Tombeau de Couperin", and ended with Beethoven's Second Symphony. I last heard the group play in February and the improvement on Sunday was marked. I did recognize a few more Bangkok Symphony Orchestra faces than usual in the cello section in particular, but either way everything was more in tune and crisp; the ensemble really jelled over the last few months of steady concertizing. 

A brief tangent, relating back to Trisdee's "Eternity." I've met two other Thai composers this month who have pieces that in different ways draw on Buddhist chant. In Anothai Nitibhon's "Dukkha", for double bass and string quartet, "the bass musically emulates the way the harmonic series is harnessed in the original throat-singing style" of Tibetan chant, according to the composer. In Atibhop Pataradetpisan's 1999 work called "Three Prosodies of Chant for Sextet", the composer said he constructed the piece from the pattern of hard and soft syllables in a Thai chant. The last two composers actually both cite George Crumb as a strong influence in their work too, so go figure. The styles of all three pieces taken together end up being quite different though, despite the common link to chant melodies or breathing patterns or rhythms. Atibhop's work offers the least tangible reliance on chant to the listener, as he was mostly using the hard and soft syllables in a process, while Trisdee's is very overtly invoking chant by way of melody and atmosphere...Anothai's work is somewhere in between! 

THE MAGIC FLUTE (OPERA Magazine)

Hot on the heels of Das Rheingold, BANGKOK OPERA next offered a revival of Die Zauberflöte (seen on April 5 and 6), further proof that in just five years Somtow Sucharitkul has made Bangkok into the operatic hub of South East Asia.

The real news this time around was the operatic debut of Somtow's protégé, the 20-year-old Thai conductor Trisdee na Patalung. If the word 'genius' still has any meaning in this age of rampant hyperbole, Trisdee (second names are rarely used in Thailand) is truly a living example. His study of Western classical music began only at the age of 13, yet within four years he had played the 'Goldberg' Variations in public, within five he had conducted the premiere of his own First Symphony, and within six he had served as répétiteur for numerous Bangkok Opera productions. Here he led the orchestra with unfailing assurance and technical control through a wide dynamic range and seamless changes of tempo and metre, achieving an ideal balance between stage and pit. There was not one superfluous gesture, rather a continuous aerial grace and buoyancy.

The cast came from four continents, but two Thais turned in the best performances. Saran Suebsantiwongse gave a portrayal of Papageno that both tickled the funny bone and touched the heart. He was beautifully partnered by Nakananthinee Worakhitanan as Papagena. Another Thai, Pitchaya Kemasingki, provided a hilarious account of a lecherous Monostatos. Sandra Partridge was a thrilling Queen of Night. Less pleasing were Vassilis Kostopoulos, who lacked the sonorous bass required for Sarastro, and Nancy Yuen, beautiful of voice but musically inert as Pamina. Harold Gray Meers was an assured and loving Tamino in an interpretation that was more heroic than lyric. Somtow's imaginative production, new in 2003, included numerous Thai touches. Dialogue was delivered in English (with Thai translation on screens), except for two passages where Papageno and Papagena spoke in their own language. The audience loved it. Lego-inspired sets, a riotously colourful lighting design, lavish costumes and freely interpolated dance sequences of both Thai and Western derivation were additional assets in this most successful production.

YOUTHFUL DELIGHTS
Somtow Sucharitkul's production of 'The Magic Flute' was full of magical moments
In the director's notes, Somtow Sucharitkul speaks of the whimsical and illogical nature of Mozart's beloved opera, The Magic Flute. Illogical only to adults that is: Somtow finds that the logic of a child is completely in tune with this opera.

In his many years in the opera business, Somtow has heard quite a few interpretations of The Magic Flute and was lucky enough to be among the generation that witnessed a big transformation in the interpretation of this masterpiece. The "new" interpretation was "a breath of fresh air, a sweeping away of cobwebs" for Somtow, he said. But, according to him, it also became the norm - the version that musicians of the younger generation consult and use as a framework.

In the most recent production of Bangkok Opera's The Magic Flute (the first production was staged by the company in 2003 and was conducted and directed by Somtow.), Somtow stepped aside and wore only the director's hat. He let 20-year-old Trisdee na Patalung conduct the opera. In other words, he let a young person conduct an opera that makes the most sense to young people, which is only logical.

In many ways, this production of The Magic Flute was a very youthful one. While watching it, I couldn't help but think that Somtow had constructed a playground where quirky, random things could happen without any governing logic. In addition, Somtow's oddball sense of humour and charmingly garish sense of style (which didn't work too well with his production of Wagner's Das Rheingold) were a perfect fit for The Magic Flute. It was as if the opera was his chance to let loose his inner child.

While the opera is characterised by its silliness and light-heartedness, it also preaches serious philosophical, moral and spiritual lessons. The production tried to bring out the underlying messages of Mozart through its visual elements. The audience was taken through a version of Bangkok that was a synthesis of the past, present and future, with characters decked out in bold costumes ranging from futuristic to more traditional Thai fare.

The journey of Prince Tamino and bird-catcher Papageno began in a futuristic dumpster, where a giant metallic snake with shiny CDs for skin slithered about. It was this snake, a metaphor for the soul-sucking and numbing effect of technology, that bites Tamino, a prince clad in a business suit, whose father is a king of many lands (or in this case, he's in real estate). It was the bite of that soulless creature, and Tamino's obsession with an image of a woman he'd never met, that launch him and the bird catcher on an adventure that tests their spiritual strength and self-control.

Along the way, the audience had a chance to witness the Bangkok skyline at twilight. Tamino and Papageno ride in on a tuk-tuk and street children clamber on a cart filled with junkyard trinkets. Tamino also has an encounter with a zoo of mythical Thai animals.

The disappointing thing is that these wonderfully whimsical images of everyday Bangkok culture didn't transform or amount to anything, but rather, slowly disappeared from the production until the set became irrelevant to the rest of the action on-stage. The images of Bangkok ultimately became a trail of abandoned metaphors - lean bait leaving one hungry for a meatier visual interpretation.

The adapted spoken text was a lot more successful and thorough in applying the story to the spirit of Bangkok (The Magic Flute is a Singspiel, an opera that contains both sung and spoken text). It was witty and snappy and never failed to elicit laughter from the audience of diverse ages. Somtow even added dialogues in Thai between Papageno and his love interest, Papagena, which lent an intimate feel to the relationship between the two. Yet I found myself wishing that the use of the Thai language had stood for something more than the language of lower status characters.

As mentioned earlier, this was a very youthful production, with the evening's highlights coming mostly from the youthful local talent. Trisdee na Patalung conducted his first opera with much gusto and without a single glitch. With an incredibly rich voice and sharp comic timing, Saran Suebsantiwongse, in the role of Papageno, stole every scene he was in. Nakananthinee Worakhitanan, in the role of Papagena, proved he has a promising future as both a singer and actor.

Other noteworthy performances included Pitchaya Kemasingki, whose Monostatos possessed a humorous and flamboyant physicality with just the right amount of sleaze. Sandra Partridge's Queen of the Night had an intimidating and powerful presence, but a voice that only scraped by in the opera's famous and most difficult aria.

There was a small, but wonderful moment of comic brilliance. During the merry reunion of Papageno and Papagena (duet: Papageno! Papagena!), a giant egg was wheeled out onto the stage. Just as the two love-birds were clucking each other's names ("Pa-pa-pa-pa-geno!" "Pa-pa-pa-pa-gena!"), the egg cracked in half and out came little Papagenos and Papagenas, dressed up like adorable chicks. The simplicity and hilarity of Somtow's vision, combined with the song that highlights Mozart's linguistic and comic shrewdness, offered a moment of harmonious fusion between the two artists.

HAYDN AND HUMOUR
Nineteen-year-old musical genius Trisdee na Patalung was at the helm for the special young people's concert at the Thailand Cultural Centre on April 29. However, the display of extraordinary talent from Thailand's youth must be credited to Somtow Sucharitkul, who has been unflagging in his mission to identify and nurture the most inspired of young Thai musicians.

Somtow's efforts began when he was astonished by the audition of 10-year-old violinist Anna Sowanna. He had not set age limits for membership in his orchestra, and Anna "played better than any adult and therefore I could not say no", Somtow explains.

This miraculous event "evolved into a whole programme where we encourage extremely young players with exceptional talent to play with the orchestra"

"We treat them exactly as other members of the orchestra. Under this programme, these children who you would never think could bloom and blossom to this extent thrived, and played massive works that they would never play in a normal school environment," he says.

The highlight of the evening was doubtless the performance of Haydn's "Cello Concerto in C" by 19-year-old Ekachai Maskulrat. It was hard to believe someone so young was playing, for the tone and interpretation was that of a seasoned grand master. The song-like playing was rhapsodic, while Ekachai showed facility in probing depth.

His first movement cadenza had elements that were both well-measured and urgent, his playing in the second movement was intense in its beauty, while the third movement was exciting. Trisdee conducted the Siam Philharmonic with some uncertainty, but ultimately joined in a sympathetic partnership with the soloist.

Anna Sowanna played the Haydn "Violin Concerto in C" with great fluency and many elements were attractive. The performance was astonishing for the child - who's 12 now - with great control and attention to detail, but was nonetheless lacking in maturity compared to the effort of Ekachai. Still, Anna has many years left to unearth further nuances.

The Haydn concerto was played concertante style with one musician representing an entire orchestral voice, and Trisdee led the effort well from the harpsichord.

Bach's "Concerto for Two Violins in D minor" was presented in similar intimate fashion, and soloists Shunsuke Takemura, 14, and Ruaychai Saegnow, 16, became very involved in the work, with Takemura having the edge in terms of subtlety. Ruaychai painted with broader brushstrokes, but still found plenty of interest in the music.

The evening ended with Trisdee conducting his own "Symphony No. 2". The first thing to note was that the orchestral playing by the youthful Siam Philharmonic was superb - Trisdee had clearly taken a sharper stick to them in preparing his own music than that of others.

The symphony is intended as a series of musical jokes since, Trisdee says, "irony and humour are rare in Asia", and it works well as an essay in the surprising and clever. The work is very accessible, indeed, it might be used as background music for a silly cartoon.

Trisdee understands the different instruments, and brought nice light flute touches, tense violin pizzicato and rude brass entries. His rhythms are complex and compelling. Dominating the work is a recurring theme of a solemnity that one suspects is one of Trisdee's jokes. Perhaps this is not music of the timeless nature of the great composers of the past, but it is indicative of the promise of great things for the future.

Trisdee's role as a disciplined and creative conductor should be noted, as well.

Jonathan Richmond
Special to The Nation

TRISDEE NA PATALUNG RIDES THE ‘HORSEMAN’ AT A BREATHTAKING GAIT WITH AUSTRIA'S HAYDN QUARTETT
The third annual Mozart and More Mini-Festival opened on Tuesday with a performance of chamber music of a calibre rarely heard in any of the world’s top classical-music cities. The Haydn Quartet of Austria was in town, generously donating its time so that revenue from ticket sales could be donated to tsunami relief efforts.

One of Thailand’s most remarkable prodigies, Trisdee na Patalung, joined them for a performance of a quality that made the 18-year-old at least an equal in insight to the world-leading interpreters with whom he shared the platform.

The concert, in the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani, opened with Haydn’s “Horseman” in G minor”. The playing was at once light and dramatic, a great sense of ensemble built from the seemingly effortless participation and enjoyment of the music by the players.

First violin Fritz Kircher’s low-calorie approach produced warmth unclouded by vibrato, and made of the music a celebration of singing without words.

While Kircher very much took the lead, all members of the quartet were outstanding, ideas passing between them with naturalness and grace.

The second movement of the “Horseman” was taken at a slow pace, but was performed with an extraordinary sense of togetherness that shaped it rapturously.

Following bright, precise playing in the third movement, the final movement was a pure delight: it danced along joyously, the players projecting myriad bursts of musical energy with clarity and grace.

Beethoven’s “C minor Quartet Opus 18 No 4” was given equally outstanding treatment. The greatest testament to the performance was that the audience experienced the purest type of sound, one which seemed to exist of itself rather than be created by the motion of bows on strings of gut.

The final movement, Allegro, saw both incredible virtuosity and a sense of serene legato. A good deal of sharing and daring sent out sounds of great purity, creating an ultimate experience of music, the strange art form that really cannot be captured with words.

Trisdee na Patalung is just the right person to be playing Mozart. Bold in a youthful way, his music making is poetic, showing a maturity beyond his age.

During Trisdee’s performance of the Mozart G minor Piano Quartet with members of the Haydn Quartet, the depth of his artistry came through not only during passages where pathos is expected, but in the nuanced and natural execution of details in music of great brilliance and life.

Trisdee opened the Andante in a very gentle, exploratory way, but soared to gripping virtuosity for the finale. The hold of his playing was not of a raw variety, however, but based on disclosing the inner meaning of the music in a cerebral as well as emotional way.

The string playing by the quartet was magnificent, with colourful but lean sounds focusing on the essence of the music. The to and fro between piano and strings was a wonder, the question and answering session bringing out the beauty and enigma of Mozart.

Trisdee will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No 27 with the Siam Philharmonic, conducted by Somtow Sucharitkul, at the Thailand Cultural Centre tomorrow night, in a programme that also includes Thai music composed during the same period, to be performed by the Prasidh Thaworn Ensemble.

Very highly recommended.

Jonathan Richmond

Special to The Nation

16-YEAR-OLD 'GENIUS' SET FOR PREMIERE
Published on Jun 2, 2002

He sometimes goes for long stretches without looking at the score, his fingers moving effortlessly across the keys. It's hard to believe Trisdee na Pattalung only started playing the piano three years ago.

Trisdee, who turns 16 this year, is easily one of Thailand's best musicians of his generation. The up-and-coming musical genius is also a talented composer. Tomorrow, he and a few of his talented friends will be giving a "world-premiere" performance of his recently finished string quartet at the Somtow Sucharitkul Performing Arts Centre.

"My father and uncle love classical music, but I didn't have any interest in it until I was thirteen. We used to have a grand piano in the house, but I never touched it, and eventually my father sold it off," said Trisdee, who couldn't remember how his mind finally came around to what is now his biggest passion.

"When I was younger, I wanted to become a scientist. I admired Einstein for his courage to think differently. I think great scientists also appreciate music, because both fields are about using creativity in a logical way. Even Einstein played the violin."

Unfortunately, the two didn't mix well for Trisdee.

"As soon as I got involved with music, my science grades dropped," he chuckled.

In junior high school he studied under several famous teachers and in his free time acquainted himself with the works of the world's great masters. He then enrolled in Mahidol University's music programme before dropping out after a year for "political reasons".

"One day I went with my class to a concert at the Goethe Institute, where I encountered 'the Great Somtow [Sucharitkul]'," Trisdee said of the event that became a turning point in his life. "So I went for an autograph and told him I wanted to become a composer and conductor."

According to Trisdee, Somtow asked to see his compositions and was particularly impressed with his polonaise - a stately Polish dance music, often with a repeated rhythmic pattern - written with an Isaan melody.

"It resembled one of his own polonaises, which has Chinese elements," Trisdee explained. Somtow took the young composer under his wing and exposed him to a diverse range of music.

Although Trisdee prefers Mozart and other composers from that period, he said he tried to make music that was true to his essence.

"My string quartet's opening lines were written when I was in a rage over a personal matter, but the music is anything but violent. It's just an easy-going piece. It took me a month to compose," he said, but slyly refused to reveal the cause of his angst.

Trisdee said that he dreamed of standing in a concert hall, conducting his own music. Perhaps one day he will look back and say that tomorrow's programme, "I Musicini", was the first major step towards that dream.