It has been 25 years since National Artist Somtow Sucharitkul was commissioned to compose an opera based on the much-loved play Madanabadha by King Vajiravudh, Rama VI. The play is dedicated to the king's wife Queen Indrasakdi Sachi who, in a remarkable tie-in, also happens to be maestro Somtow's great-aunt.
With this family connection, there was no doubt that Thailand's greatest classical composer would approach the project with respect and authority, but how would Somtow, educated at Britain's Eton College and Cambridge University, approach a traditional Asian love story about a fictional king, set in India? It sounded like a challenging conundrum.
Earlier this month at the Thailand Cultural Centre, over 1,500 attended the production of Somtow's grand opera, renamed Madana for the story's heroine. Expectations were great for what was already being heralded as Thailand's classical music event of the year. The last time I saw this theatre so full was when I was honoured to attend Puccini's Madama Butterfly, staged for His Majesty King Rama X on the occasion of his birthday last year.
King Vajiravudh was devoted to the arts, and literature in particular. He translated three of Shakespeare's plays into Thai and did the same with all the Agatha Christie novels that feature the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot.
Written in 1913, Madanabadha, or The Romance Of The Rose, tells the tale of a king who falls for a beautiful young lady in an enchanted forest, only to discover that she is mortal just once a month, by the light of the Full Moon. Doomed by the gods, Madana must spend the rest of her time trapped in the form of a beautiful rose.
From the opening, it was evident that Somtow's musical style was going to be accessible and traditional. For this, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, no modern dissonances or angular orchestral writing, no psycho strings or pathological percussion, which can be so alienating to the public. The orchestral music sounded instantly appealing and the singing had a naturally flowing vocal line.
Act 1 was a little slow to start as the main characters are introduced and the plot is laid out but, from the outset, Barbara Zion was impressively regal as Queen Chanti. (Wisely, she saved her most powerful singing for the stunning Revenge trio that ends Act 2). From his first entrance, Kenneth Tarver, a very experienced tenor from the US, conveyed authority and conviction as King Jayasena. His refined singing technique allowed him to navigate the high-lying role with a golden tone, effortless projection and flawless diction. The title role of Madana, the rose, was taken by Nadlada Thamtanakom who used her strong, coloratura soprano voice to good effect and carried well over the orchestra.
It was in Act 2 that the music began to take flight. Clearly, Somtow has a great talent for writing ballet music, bringing out the natural colours and rhythms of the multi-talented Siam Sinfonietta. A dance scene was vividly choreographed by Darren Royston, who also took the role of the avuncular maître d' in bright yellow pantaloons. His theatrical gesturing with a cane served as a clever way to guide his troupe through any moment of uncertainty, encouraging the young dancers to perform with unrestrained exuberance.
Somtow's music is unashamedly retrospective in style, as though consciously connecting the audience to the era when the king's play was written. Occasional references to monumental works of that period were discrete and tasteful, from the divine trio of Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier (premiered in 1911) to the translucent orchestrations of Maurice Ravel's ballet Daphnis Et Chloé (premiered in 1912). It was as though the composer had decided to write a love letter not just to his own family in particular, but to the Late Romantic era in general.
Like all great opera composers, Somtow saved his best music for the final act. The children's choir, angelic in white, had the most charming music to sing, as good as any composition by Benjamin Britten, who was a master at writing for young voices.
When Sudeva, the jilted god, descended stairs into a sea of dry ice, the real magic happened. Thai singing star Khridima Siriwattanakamol had people around me in tears with her passionate and deeply felt performance of I Dream The World, the opera's finest aria. This mezzo soprano reminds me of the great German singer Christa Ludwig, and hers is a voice that deserves international attention.
The highest praise must go to conductor Trisdee Na Patalung, a true musical genius and a great credit to Somtow, who discovered him at the age of 15. Trisdee's deep understanding of the opera's complex orchestration inspired the Siam Sinfonietta to play with a fearless radiance.
The Calliope Chamber Choir may have been slightly smaller than one might expect for an opera of such grand proportions and the 1920s dresses, which glittered under the lights like distant galaxies, seemed a little incongruous against the monolithic classical stone sets. However, these were no great concerns.
The music of Madana is as romantic and epic as any Hollywood film score, shimmering in a halo of nostalgia. Through his skill and artistry, maestro Somtow transported the audience to a bygone era without ever sounding derivative or pastiche. His own artistic integrity always shone through, while at the heart of it all was a sincere respect and admiration for his royal heritage.
