Siam Philharmonic Orchestra
Encyclopedia
Bangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, under the name "Mifa Sinfonietta". At that time it was a small chamber ensemble
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
devoted to bringing the discipline of the classical style to Thailand's classical musicians. It performed mostly the works of Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
and Haydn
Joseph Haydn
Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...
. In 2003, the orchestra gained its autonomy from MIFA, the music academy where it was born, and was renamed the Bangkok Sinfonietta. However, later, in 2004, it became clear that the orchestra was no longer a sinfonietta
Sinfonietta (orchestra)
A Sinfonietta is a name for a musical group that is larger than a chamber ensemble but smaller than a full-size or symphony orchestra.There are many orchestras bearing the name "Sinfonietta", including:* American Sinfonietta...
since it was now performing large-scale orchestral works by Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
and Mahler
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler was a late-Romantic Austrian composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born in the village of Kalischt, Bohemia, in what was then Austria-Hungary, now Kaliště in the Czech Republic...
; to reflect this expansion in repertoire, it assumed the name Siam Philharmonic Orchestra.
The Siam Philharmonic Orchestra is the resident orchestra of the Bangkok Opera
Bangkok Opera
The Bangkok Opera is an opera company founded in 2001 as a production company to mount Madana, the first full-length grand opera by a Thai composer...
, formerly under the royal patronage of HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana
Galyani Vadhana
Her Royal Highness Princess Galyani Vadhana, the Princess of Naradhiwas , was a princess of Thailand and the elder sister of King Ananda Mahidol and King Bhumibol Adulyadej...
. The current artistic director
Artistic director
An artistic director is the executive of an arts organization, particularly in a theatre company, that handles the organization's artistic direction. He or she is generally a producer and director, but not in the sense of a mogul, since the organization is generally a non-profit organization...
is S.P. Somtow, guest conductors
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
have included Leo Phillips and Linda Cummings. The current resident conductor is Trisdee na Patalung
Trisdee na Patalung
Trisdee na Patalung is a Thai composer and conductor. He is the Music Director of the Bangkok Baroque Ensemble and the Resident Conductor of the Orpheus Choir of Bangkok....
. The orchestra regularly performs at the Thailand Cultural Centre
Thailand Cultural Centre
Thailand Cultural Centre is a performing-arts venue in Bangkok, Thailand.-History:Built with a grant from Japan, the Thailand Cultural Centre opened on October 9, 1987 as part of celebrations for King Bhumibol's 60th birthday.-Facilities:The venue consists of two auditoriums and one...
.
The Siam Philharmonic Orchestra's recording of Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
's Four Last Songs
Four Last Songs
The Four Last Songs for soprano and orchestra were the final completed works of Richard Strauss, composed in 1948 when the composer was 84. Strauss did not live to hear the premiere, given at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 22 May 1950 by the soprano Kirsten Flagstad accompanied by the...
, with soprano Nancy Yuen
Nancy Yuen
Nancy Yuen is a Chinese operatic soprano.-Life and career:Nancy Yuen Miu Fun was born in Hong Kong, reportedly in 1967. She is a top graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, London, and has based her career in the United Kingdom and Singapore. She has made Cio-cio-san her signature role, winning...
appears under the Orchid label. It received second place in the independent JPF Awards in the opera category in 2006.