The huge audience at the Thailand Cultural Centre earlier this month certainly knew that they were in for the rarest of treats when the legendary Russian-born Israeli violinist Maxim Vengerov made his first ever appearance in the second half of an utterly unique concert, performing Prokofiev's ravishingly sublime Violin Concerto No.1 In D Major and Ravel's dazzling Tzigane, while his compatriot pianist colleague Roustem Saïtkoulov -- likewise a top-ranking soloist -- was also on the billing with the Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in the first half for another favourite Prokofiev work from his youth, the scintillating Piano Concerto No.3 In C Major. Meanwhile a delightful, unprogrammed surprise encore of sheer brilliance also awaited the capacity crowd at the end of what turned out to be a most generous musical feast par excellence.
Conducted by the inspirational and technically masterful visiting English maestro Douglas Bostock, the concert overall had a strong Russian theme to it, and got under way in fiery fashion with Mussorgsky's brief but powerful tone-poem Night On Bald Mountain. This was played with much gusto by all sections, setting the stage and heightening the sense of excitement very effectively for one of the most fiendishly difficult, yet musically rewarding, of modern piano concertos (which of course Prokofiev wrote for himself to perform). A thoroughly virtuoso work for all concerned, it is a veritable whirlwind ride involving abrupt twists and turns of tempo and atmosphere, all negotiated here with an impressive level of cleanliness and mental focus.
From beginning to end the soloist was simply flawless in his rendering of the intricate piano score, and for their part the RBSO ranks handled some notoriously difficult passage work with confidence and aplomb. For an encore Saïtkoulov played to perfection Chopin's Revolutionary Étude In C Minor, once again with formidable ease.
Maxim Vengerov, now aged 48, won the Wieniawski international competition when he was 10, and the Carl Flesch international competition at 15, immediately launching a stellar career of prolific concertising and recording that has won the hearts and minds of music connoisseurs the world over for the last four decades. In a contemporary musical scene that boasts so many incredible talents, there are many observers who do indeed consider Vengerov to be the greatest living string player today. Clearly carrying forward the mantle of the Franco-Belgian and Russian violin schools, the violinistic lineage that can be traced through Kreisler, Ysaÿe, Oistrakh, and of course Heifetz, to Vengerov himself is easy to discern.
One early landmark recording in 1994 was of Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No.1, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by his beloved mentor Mstislav Rostropovich (the late Russian cello supremo, also known to his dearest colleagues as Slava), and as he performed afresh this most exquisitely moving of modern concertos here on the stage of the TCC in 2022, one had the palpable sense that for many in the audience, this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and privilege to witness the most profound and polished interpretation that anyone could ever hope to experience.
Not only is the immensely charismatic soloist Vengerov himself unique, but also his faithful lifelong companion on stage, the stunning and priceless "ex-Kreutzer" Stradivari of 1727. Made just after what is known as the Cremonese violin maker's "golden period", it is surely one of the very finest instruments ever made, capable of projecting over the entire dynamic range to every seat in the house. Hence the serene, stratospheric pianissimo passage that concludes the first movement carried into the auditorium with a crystalline, ethereal clarity, while the central scherzo featured sul ponticello accents right at the heel of the bow that genuinely seemed to match the volume level of the entire orchestra.
The RBSO gave attentive support under the clear direction of Bostock on the podium, with a level of concentration that was then pleasingly maintained in another considerable test of solo/orchestra ensemble, Ravel's Tzigane. The opening four minutes are purely a gypsy-infused violin solo which Vengerov dispatched with absolute authority. The harp then made its poised entry for what is an extremely vital role in this piece, and special mention must be made of Ema Mitarai, who gave confident and stable support to the soloist in this most exposed of situations -- a most admirable achievement as a frantic race to the finish of this showpiece brought the house down.
For his encore Vengerov changed the pace completely and played Bach's meditative Sarabande from the D Minor Partita BWV 1004, recounting in his spoken introduction how he had played this as a friendship gift for Thai monks over two decades ago, during the only other visit he has made to the Kingdom. And then finally came the unannounced surprise item.
After endless curtain calls and roars of approval (from the audience and Royal Bangkok Symphony Orchestra musicians alike) to thank Maxim Vengerov most enthusiastically for this dream concert-of-a-lifetime in Thailand, the Steinway concert grand piano was brought back onto the stage, two music stands were placed in front of it, and the Thailand Cultural Centre all of a sudden became a chamber-music setting for an intimate trio soirée among friends. Previously unseen that evening, Roustem Saïtkoulov's wife, the French cellist Claire Oppert, then joined her husband and Vengerov for a stunning performance of the wild scherzo movement from Shostakovich's Piano Trio No.2.
To cap off all the magic of the proceedings in true heroic style, Vengerov first asked his colleagues half-jokingly: "So, what shall we play?" Then he reached to the podium to fetch a score for his trio stand… and finally he sat down without actually opening the front cover (this was in fact Douglas Bostock's Tzigane score!), the genius then proceeding to play the Shostakovich 100% from memory! Many dreams came true on this particular evening -- it is a treasured highlight in Thailand's musical development which will never be forgotten.
