Some Musical Gems at Ben’s Theater
Brilliant recital by Siwat Chuencharoen (piano) and Anna Takeda (violin).
If you take an interest in classical music, you may have noticed that these days we hear more music by women composers. They increasingly feature in European and American concert programmes: names such as Judith Weir, Amy Beach, Florence Price, Clara Schumann and Cécile Chaminade. It wasn’t always thus. Even as a teenager, I used to wonder why most well-known composers were white, male and middle-class. Most of them were dead too. But that was many years ago and today the world is a different place. Even so, from a historical viewpoint, women composers have generally had a hard time.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, women were rarely encouraged to enter the male-dominated musical profession. They would probably not have been taken seriously because composing was not considered an appropriate pursuit for women. In the upper echelons of polite society, it was simply not “lady-like”. Women had limited access to formal music education and the lack of rigorous musical training hindered their ability to compose complex works. Music publishers were reluctant to publish compositions by women, possibly for commercial reasons. The only musical niches where women were actively encouraged were singing or playing the piano.
Despite the unwelcoming attitude of musical society, there have always have been women composers. The first important one was probably the 12th century Hildegard von Bingen, a Benedictine abbess who was also a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary and polymath. During the Baroque, a handful of women composers achieved recognition notably Barbara Strozzi, Francesca Caccini and the somewhat reclusive Isabella Leonarda who spent most of her pious life in a convent.
Fanny Mendelssohn.
The 19th century brought us Fanny Mendelssohn, elder sister of the more famous Felix, both of whom were born into a wealthy and influential family. She wrote chamber music, over a hundred piano pieces and well over two hundred songs. And here’s an interesting thing. Because of the family wishes and the social conventions of the time, some of her pieces were published under her brother’s name. If I had been Fanny Mendelssohn, I would not have been very pleased. Not very pleased at all.
One of the most influential women musicians of the 19th century was the child prodigy Clara Wieck, who later became the wife of composer Robert Schumann. Clara was best known as a superb pianist and teacher but she also wrote an enormous amount of music. Typically, her music was largely ignored at the time, and even her husband seemed ambivalent about her composing ambitions.
Clara Schumann in 1860 aged 41.
Described as “one of the most remarkable, accomplished musical professionals of the 19th century”, Pauline Viardot was a French opera singer, pianist, composer and teacher. She was born in Paris in 1821 into a talented and musical family. As a child, and a somewhat precocious one at that, she travelled to London and later to New York City where she and her family gave the first American performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni. She was fluent in Spanish, French, English and Italian, later adding Russian to her linguistic accomplishments.
By the age of eighteen, she was an international star and enjoying a brilliant singing career. She appeared at all the top European concert halls, impressing everyone with her expressive singing and vocal skills. She had an incredibly wide vocal range, which extended from an octave below middle C to the F above the treble staff: a range of over three octaves. Many composers invited her to perform their music and Brahms requested that she give the first performance of his Alto Rhapsody for contralto, male chorus and orchestra. She did, on 3rd March 1870.
Pauline Viardot.
Pauline Viardot was a talented composer and completed more a hundred songs, five operas and many piano works. Franz Liszt grudgingly declared that, with Pauline Viardot, the world had “finally found a woman composer of genius”. She became a central figure in Parisian artistic life, organising literary and musical events which involved the cultural elite of the day. In her later years, she was a much sought-after singing teacher and remained an outstanding pianist, often playing duets with her friend Frédéric Chopin.
The recent concert at Ben’s Theater (at Jomtien, Pattaya) was a tribute to this extraordinary musician. The concert was given by the Thai-Japanese violinist Anna Takeda whose playing was described in The New York Concert Review as “sweet-toned, elegant, always polished… her intonation and virtuosity immaculate.” The pianist was the Thai musician Siwat (Yod) Chuencharoen who studied economics before going to Switzerland and taking up piano studies at the Bern University of the Arts. He later earned a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Bern.
The recital was balanced and well-planned, because it also included music by two of Viardot’s admirers, composers Robert Schumann and Camille Saint-Saëns. Schumann dedicated his first song cycle to Pauline and the recital opened with his Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105.
Robert Schumann in 1850 (Enhanced image: Hadi Karimi)
Dating from 1851, this sonata is one of the most important works in the violin repertoire. The music has an expressive quality and an almost conversational interplay between the violin and piano parts. The first movement is marked “With passionate expression” and dominated by a dark and feverish violin melody over a restless piano part. This work seems to be the music of a troubled mind, for at the time Schumann was experiencing severe mental issues along with depression. Anna and Siwat gave a memorable performance. I thought they rightly played down some of the high drama of the first movement and instead emphasised its gentler qualities. From the outset, I was impressed with Anna’s incredibly luminous violin tone quality (“Crystal clear tone”, commented host Ben Hansen) and her sensitive and musical playing. Throughout the concert, her intonation was impeccable. Like the violin sonatas of Beethoven, the violin and piano are equal partners and Siwat’s accurate and expressive playing proved a perfect match.
The second movement was the best performance I can recall. Anna really caught the spirit of the music with some truly expressive playing and both musicians brought out the playful qualities of the movement which also served as a showcase for Anna’s exceptional violin tone. There was excellent instrumental balance and ensemble too. The last movement has an almost demon-like quality, perhaps unconsciously inspired by the demons that were haunting Schumann’s mind at the time. The players quickly got into their stride with some splendid articulated piano playing and a compelling sense of rhythm from Siwat. They provided an exceptional performance and clearly had a firm grasp of this introspective yet challenging work. To my delight, they brought out the many moments of gentle lyricism and sudden changes in mood that are so typical of Schumann’s later compositions.
Pauline Viardot’s Six Pieces for Violin and Piano are charming character-pieces dedicated to the composer’s then ten-year-old son Paul, who in adult life became a professional violinist. The pieces were first published in 1867 and show Viardot to be a highly competent composer with a feeling for the lyrical, romantic style which she understood so well from her operatic career.
Portrait of 1853 Pauline Viardot by Eugène Pluchart
The first piece (Romance) is almost like a Schubert song, and for me one of highlights of the evening. Anna captured the essence of the music and the no less important piano part was sensitively performed by Siwat with excellent phrasing and control. The sparkling movement entitled Bohémienne is a fiery virtuosic dance and the players gave a lively account of the music. The piano figurations in the pastoral middle section were superbly executed by Siwat. I especially enjoyed the performance of the third piece entitled Berceuse, a charming, nostalgic piece which opens with a filigree violin melody over gentle piano arpeggios. Anna and Siwat caught the magic of this lovely piece which is almost “palm court” in style, yet has a certain unique grace and elegance. The Mazurka is in triple time and has a characteristic hesitant violin melody while open fifths bring a folk-like quality. It’s lively, enchanting music with a dramatic middle section which included faultless triple stopping from Anna. Vieille Chanson, with its lovely melodies and expressive modulations was another musical highlight of the evening with sensitive, thoughtful playing from both Siwat and Anna. It was a brilliant performance of little-known but delightful music.
Anna Takeda.
Anna Takeda also has an interest in Spanish music, improvisation, jazz and electronic music. She was educated in Japan where she studied violin at the Senzoku College of Music, graduating in 2015. She went on to study violin at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City where she earned her Master of Music degree. Anna has extensive experience in solo performance, chamber music, orchestral playing and performing works in various musical genres.
Siwat (Yod) Chuencharoen was born in Bangkok and later studied economics before moving to Switzerland where he devoted himself to piano studies at the Bern University of the Arts. Today, Siwat teaches at the Zurich Conservatory and the Köniz Music School. With an enthusiastic interest in opera, he has contributed to musicological research, and lectured on topics such as the transformation of Thai music within Western frameworks. Siwat has performed in various concert settings including a recital entitled Classical Folklore at The Siam Society in Bangkok.
Siwat (Yod) Chuencharoen
The second half of the programme opened with Pauline Viardot’s Sonatina for Violin and Piano. The word “sonatina” implies a work somewhat shorter than a sonata and usually lighter in musical style and content. This work lasts only about eleven minutes but encompasses a wide range of moods. The calm, opening Allegretto is a disarmingly delicate melody on the violin, with gentle figurations providing the piano accompaniment. Anna and Siwat played it with a splendid sense of ensemble.
The second movement is a light waltz: a playful folksy piece with a lilting middle section. Anna played this with considerable grace and charm, ably supported with a spiky rhythmic accompaniment from Siwat. The third movement is a lively scampering piece with a compelling Spanish flavour. There’s also a beautiful yearning melody in the middle section. Anna played this simple but memorable melody beautifully, with perfectly-timed accompaniment from Siwat. Then the original theme returns played with spot-on articulation throughout. Anna and Siwat gave a highly competent performance of this charming and spirited music and I was impressed with their ensemble, articulation and phrasing. It left me wanting to hear much more from Pauline Viardot.
The French composer Camille Saint-Saëns is well-known for his suite, The Carnival of the Animals. It was written largely as a joke, and the composer forbid the performance of the work during his lifetime feeling that its frivolity would damage his standing as a serious composer. He need not have worried, because his international reputation rested more on his five symphonies, ten concertos, his chamber music and his ten operas one of which, the opera Samson and Delilah was dedicated to Pauline Viardot.
Camille Saint-Saëns
Anna and Siwat ended their recital with the Violin Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 75 by Saint-Saëns, first performed in Paris in 1886. It was intended for a tour of England and Saint-Saëns quipped that the final movement could only be played by “a legendary creature”. The first movement is a picture of storm and stress, technically demanding for piano especially with the dark, tempestuous rolling sea of arpeggios and challenging scalic passages for both instruments. The movement passes through many moods and the players successfully brought off the sudden contrasts of dynamics and character. Both Anna and Siwat emphasised the high drama of the music brilliantly and I was impressed with their technical prowess. The movement leads without a break into the strangely-haunting second movement. Anna and Siwat gave a thoughtful and sophisticated performance.
The third movement is a sprightly scherzo-like waltz with much staccato writing for the piano, which Siwat played superbly and confidentially. Some slow chromatic chords lead the movement into frenetic finale, a piece requiring phenomenal dexterity and physical stamina. Much of the music involves the violin hurtling up and down D major scales at top speed, but it still requires remarkable skill and precision to bring it off. Anna was superb, revealing her brilliant technique and ably supported by Siwat with off-beat piano chords, fast arpeggios and rapid repeated chords leading to a heroic and memorable melody that Saint-Saëns is so good at writing. The movement races furiously towards its close at an incredible tempo revealing the superb technical skills of both Anna and Siwat. It was the most thrilling music of the evening and brought the concert to a triumphant conclusion.
Anna and Siwat in rehearsal at Ben’s Theater (Photo: Ben Hansen)
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