Triumph Told In Symphony

09 May 2000

To celebrate the life of Pridi Banomyong, one of Unesco's great personalities, a composer has dedicated a new symphony to his memory.

On 16 November 1999, the 30th Session of the General Conference of Unesco in Paris officially approved the nomination of HRH Princess Srinagarindra the Princess Mother and Professor Dr Pridi Banomyong to the list of "Anniversaries of Great Personalities and Historic Events", for 2000-2001.

The Thai government officially sanctioned the Ministry of Education's submission of Pridi Banomyong's name to Unesco. This decision is also made pursuant to the centennial commemoration of Pridi Banomyong that is being held by Thammasat University. Pridi was the University's founder.

Thursday, May 11 will mark the centennial anniversary of Pridi who devoted the bulk of his life to the betterment of his country and society. Pridi played a vital role in promoting and developing public awareness of peace, democracy and education. He was a moral conscience for the Thai people, and more importantly, for humanity.

Pridi stands tall as a socio-political icon. He displayed, by any standard, a considerable degree of honesty, loyalty, courage and sacrifice throughout his long career as Regent to the King, Senior Statesman, Prime Minister, Minister of Interior, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, and as the first Secretary General of Parliament.

Somtow Sucharitkul's Symphony Pridi Gitanusara, is a personal and public tribute to the dramatic, often controversial life of one of the most important figures in the history of Thailand.

Somtow, who is both the composer and conductor said, "It is a privilege to compose this homage, because I am one of the few members of my generation who, during my adolescent years, actually met, spoke with, and was inspired by Pridi Banomyong in person."

The symphony is written in the traditional four movements ("Tragedy and Triumph", "Tempest", "Exile", and "Dhammapada"), and each movement is thematically linked with an aspect of Pridi's life.

The first movement "Tragedy and Triumph", in sonata form, opens with a noble funeral march; we imagine the end of the statesman's life, a heroic figure that nevertheless dies far from his homeland.

The second theme is a lyrical, soaring melody, rising out of the sombre opening and might be said to represent Pridi's great vision of a democratic future for his country. In the development section, a third group of material comes into play, a synthesis of simultaneous melodies in the heterophonic style of classical Thai music, which can be said to signify the coming together of disparate people in a single, harmonious entity.

Finally, the movement ends with a D major recapitulation - the triumph of Pridi's vision over death itself.

The second movement, "Tempest", represents the times of tumult and upheaval in Thailand's 20th century. A Japanese motif heralds the horror of the Second World War. The warmth of the strings is completely silent for the opening, for winds and percussion only, which portrays the march of the invaders. In the middle section, the strings plays a quite, hymn-like melody that represents the longing of the Thai people for the return of peace and freedom, and the movement closes with the soldiers' march played in reverse, representing the ending of the war and the restoration of Thailand.

The third movement, "Exile", is the simplest in form and the first in which we hear the human voice. A slow, lilting lullaby in the Chinese mode, the movement describes Pridi's years in China. It is a bittersweet melody, sung first by the mezzo-soprano soloist then, gloriously, by the soprano, supported by delicate woodwind passages. This movement is the still midpoint of the symphony, a point of rest before the drama of the last movement.

Finally, the fourth movement brings in a chorus, mezzo-soprano, and baritone to sing the majestic words from the "Dhammapada", words attributed to Lord Buddha himself, words that describe how a man's greatest can be seen for many miles around, like a snow-clad mountain. The Pali text goes on to speak of the noble elephant that lifts himself out of the mire - and finally of the true meaning of Arahanta.

The fourth movement, taking up almost half of the symphony's length, builds on themes first hinted at in the preceding movement, leading up to a shattering climax on the words "tam aham brumi brahmanam ... that is the one I call a brahmana."

Somtow Sucharikul's musical works for this year include Thailandia, a cantata honouring the career of Pridi Banomyong, and Madana, the first full-length opera by a Thai composer, based on a poetic drama, Madanabadha, by HM King Rama VI.

Other musical works include Gongula for Thai and Western instruments, Star Maker -an Anthology of Universes for symphony and choral voices, and most recently the Mahajanaka Symphony, based on HM The King's retelling of the Jataka legend, which was presented by the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra in honour of His Majesty's 72nd birthday.

The world premier of "Pridi Gitunsara" will be on tonight (Tuesday) at 8 pm at Thailand Cultural Centre, the tickets at Bt800, Bt500, Bt300, and Bt150 for students.

The Nation / Features