It appears incredible that twenty years have actually passed because the very first shows at Ben’s Theater, when vocalists Monika Petra, Barry Pethig and Roger Farman appeared at the casual programs. However as they state, “Time flies when you’re having a good time.” It’s an old expression too. In 1609, Shakespeare utilized a comparable one in “… the swiftest hours, as they flew” in his prolonged poem The Fan’s Grievance The initial variation of the stating most likely originates from the Roman poet Virgil who in among his books composed fugit inreparabile tempus which nowadays is typically abbreviated– rather improperly– to tempus fugit Anyhow, there definitely has actually been enjoyable at Ben’s Theater throughout the years, specifically because the arrival of symphonic music in the programs about 10 years earlier.
” In 1962, I was designated by the nationwide press company of The Netherlands ANP ( Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau) to cover all creative occasions like tv programs, shows and theatre productions. After 5 years, I was then promoted to a basic news professional photographer and worked that capability for twenty-six years before I ended up being a picture editor in 1983. I retired when I was 56. I likewise ended up being thinking about acting in commercials, producing theatre programs and constructing phase sets.”
Ben Hansen
The 20 th Anniversary was commemorated just recently with a superb show offered by the Incredible Voice Singers, a group of skilled trainees presently studying Classical Singing Efficiency under the studio direction of Prof. Nancy Tsui-Ping Wei at the College of Music, Mahidol University. Nancy is a Taiwanese-born American who has actually been on the Classical Voice professors at the College of Music because 1995. Mentor and nurturing young singing skills is her focus and enthusiasm and her skilled trainees have actually carried out in Europe, U.S.A., Austria and Japan. As a kid, Nancy got lots of awards in singing competitors in Taiwan. She later on emigrated to the U.S.A. where she made her Bachelor and Master degrees. Nancy has actually been on evaluating committees for numerous worldwide vocal and chorus competitors.
The vocalists at Ben’s Theater were Pimmada Ko-amornsup, Alisara Arial and Pichamon Mookmaneekun ( sopranos), Jatupol Phintip ( tenor) and Jatuphol Nuanjan ( bass-baritone) They were accompanied as normal by pianist Anant Changwaiwit. The very same vocalists had actually appeared at Ben’s Theater just 5 weeks formerly, however they provided a totally various program with lots of musical contrast and every product sung from memory.
The show opened with a wonderful and properly restrained efficiency of the Dowland tune Return, Sugary food Love doth Now Welcome, a bitter-sweet tune common of Dowland’s melancholy design. The tune initially appeared in his Very First Booke of Songes, of 1597. It was sung by Pimmada, Pichamon and Alisara whose voices mixed completely and who sang with outstanding modulation and design. Pimmada sang the aria Bester Jüngling (The very best boy) from Mozart’s 1786 comic opera Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario) which was followed by a superb efficiency of the duet Bei einem Tee à deux from Franz Lehár’s romantic 1912 opera Das Land des Lächelns (The Land of Smiles). Sung by Alisara and Jatupol it was among the highlights of the night with some outstanding ensemble work. I was likewise impressed by Jatupol’s warm tenor tone that he has actually established. The efficiency was helped by an exceptional piano accompaniment from Anant with some informing minutes of rubato. I likewise took pleasure in Alisara and Jatupol’s efficiency of the Johann Strauss tune Dieser Anstand, so manierlich, from Pass Away Fledermaus They supplied a remarkable efficiency with some great ensemble singing which was popular by the audience.
Pimmada and Pichamon went back to offer another musical reward: the wonderful tune entitled Der Engel (The Angel), from a collection of twelve two-part tunes with Russian lyrics by the Russian author and pianist Anton Rubinstein (not to be puzzled with the Polish-American pianist Arthur Rubinstein). They sang the tune completely, with charming singing mixing and actually caught the serene, lyrical quality of the music. I likewise took pleasure in Alisara’s good efficiency of the dynamic Je Veux Vivre from Gounod’s opera Roméo et Juliette Likewise called Juliet’s Waltz, it’s a widely known and rather technically-demanding piece. Alisara was signed up with by Pichamon and Jatupol for a positive and pleasurable efficiency of So muss allein ich bleiben from Pass Away Fledermaus) by Johann Strauss. It was carried out with cheerful liveliness; outstanding modulation and a touch of drama which brought the very first half of the show to a victorious close.
All the vocalists have actually carried out in the past at Ben’s Theater and it has actually been interesting to see how under the assistance of Prof. Nancy Tsui-Ping Wei, they have actually established their musical abilities, method, drama abilities and phase existence. Pimmada is the youngest of the vocalists, born in 2005. She began finding out music at the age of 7 and just recently won first reward at the Princess Galvani Vadhana Institute of Music Voice Competitors. Alisara was born in 2003 in Washington, began viola lessons at the age of 9 and at fifteen, started taking voice lessons. In 2023 she got the Espoir Reward at the Osaka International Music Competitors in Japan. Pichamon was born in Bangkok in 2002 and started singing lessons at an early age. She has actually won lots of rewards in competitors both in Thailand and abroad.
Confusingly, the 2 male vocalists share a comparable given name however with various Romanised spelling. Jatupol Phintip (tenor) comes from Rayong and his very first instrument was the saxophone before he established an interest in singing. In July 2019, he was a winner at the Quality International Music Competitors in Taiwan and won First Reward in the Last Round. Jatuphol Nuanjan (bass-baritone) likewise started his musical research studies as a critical gamer however likewise wanted singing. In 2021, he was a finalist at the Osaka International Music Competitors and won a significant reward at the Bangkok International Carrying Out Arts Singing Competitors. Jutaphol informed me that everybody had actually put in a good deal of effort throughout the previous weeks, with much practising and wedding rehearsal to provide all the brand-new product for the program.
It appeared to me that the majority of the musical highlights remained in the 2nd half of the show, that included the charming Schubert duet Licht und Liebe (Light and love). Composed in 1810 and initially scored for soprano and tenor, Alisara and Pimmada provided an engaging efficiency with superb singing mixing, spot-on modulation and an ideal ending. Jatuphol (bass-baritone) provided a well-dramatized efficiency of the as soon as pop music On the roadway to Mandalay, which offered over a million copies when the sheet music was very first released in 1907.
Made up by the curiously-named American songwriter Oley Speaks, it’s a setting of words from a poem by Rudyard Kipling. The tune restored memories for me, since my daddy frequently performed it at his shows in real gung-ho style in his stentorian baritone voice. Jatuphol actually captured the best design of the tune and provided an ensured efficiency. Pimmada, the youngest member of the group then sang Schubert’s widely known Ave Maria Made up in 1825, it has actually constantly been among the author’s most popular pieces and Pimmada provided a beautiful efficiency which exposed her pure and well-controlled tone quality.
Throughout the show, the vocalists were offered enormous musical assistance by the ever-reliable Anant Changwaiwit who is a virtuoso pianist in his own right and in terrific need in Thailand and abroad. Anant has actually played the Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1 and the Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra and the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 with the North Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. However he is likewise extremely proficient at offering delicate and thoughtful accompaniments– a job that needs a various set of musical abilities. His playing through the night was excellent: technically supreme however constantly with an awareness of the singing parts and an understanding of the music. Throughout the years, I have actually heard many pianists, varying from novices to kid prodigies and leading experts. Not all of them have the hard-to-define capability which enables the music to speak. However I believe Anant has it.
However then came a surprise: a brief and wonderful choral piece entitled I Love My Love composed in 1916 by the English author Gustav Holst; he of The Planets popularity. All 5 vocalists collaborated for a delicate efficiency of this ever-so-English piece and extremely, they sang it totally from memory. With best singing mixing and balance it was yet another musical emphasize of the night. Pichamon and Alisara went back to the phase for the splendid Dirait-on (So they state) by the eighty-year-old American author Morten Laudrisen. It is a beautiful plaintive tune and was offered an informing and thoughtful efficiency. I felt that Pichamon was most likely at her finest in this and Alisara’s voice mixed splendidly. Alisara thrilled the audience with Franz Lehár’s widely known Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß which is possibly the best-known tune in the opera. It was a remarkable discussion and I kept in mind how over the last few years, Alisara’s phase existence and audience contact has actually ended up being a lot more positive.
The show ended with the dynamic polka-like chorus Im Feuerstrom der Reben from Johann Strauss’s opera Pass Away Fledermaus The tune is likewise called “The Champagne Chorus” and it was offered a spectacular and extrovert efficiency which enthralled the audience. The exhilarating repetition, the Consuming Tune from Verdi’s “La Traviata” brought the night to a victorious conclusion. The Verdi chorus was genuinely a terrific and proper method to commemorate twenty years of music. Evaluating by the passionate applause, stressed by wails and hoots of gratitude from the audience, they plainly believed so too.
