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2005 INTERNATIONAL TRUMPET GUILD® CONFERENCE
GRAND HOTEL BANGKOK, BANGKOK, THAILAND TUESDAY – FRIDAY, JUNE 21 – 24, 2005 |
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Thursday, June 23 Neville Young, reporter
The Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra (TPO) is the country’s first full-time symphony orchestra and the ITG was privileged to be in on its launch, with visiting and resident trumpet players acting as soloists. Jens Lindemann was the first soloist, giving an effortless bravura performance of the Hertel Concerto in E-flat while the orchestra’s strings provided an able accompaniment under the sympathetic baton of maestro Shuichi Komiyama. Lindemann’s introduction to his piece included a gracious Another exciting highlight of the evening was the world premiere of Eric Ewazen’s Emerald Rhapsody, written for this very event. Soloists Lindemann, Paul Merkelo, and Joseph Bowman dazzled the audience with a display of technique and musicianship providing a very appropriate polish to Ewazen’s new gem. It must have been very satisfying for Ewazen to hear many of his works performed at such a high level throughout the week
The concert was brought to a rousing end with Janacék’s Sinfonietta. Well, what else are you going to perform when you’ve got a new orchestra to launch and there’s a whole load of extra trumpets in town? So the TPO’s own very able trumpet section was augmented with a veritable galaxy of ITG stars, the very smooth and rounded tenor tubas started off, and away we went on an assured performance which was over all too soon. This young symphony orchestra displays an energy and commitment that promise much for the future: it was great to be here to see it born and to celebrate this day, and wish it well, with an inspiring evening of spectacular trumpet.
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Program Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major - Johann Wilhelm Hertel (1727-1789) |
It’s a great thing to witness the birth of a new orchestra, and that’s just what we were able to do at this gala concert in the glamorous setting of the Chao Praya Hall at the Royal Thai Navy Convention Hall. As we went in, floodlit fountains played in the frontage of the building and we could see temples just across the river; inside, young naval personnel in impeccable uniforms distributed drinks and canapés. We took our seats in a convention room capable of seating thousands, with a massive temporary stage installation for the performers. 
tribute to the next soloist, David Hickman, whose Haydn Concerto in E-flat followed, offering us an impeccable, warm tone, a beautifully light and pleasant musical approach, and the best first-movement rapport with the strings that I have heard. 
