Make it the zarzuela

Published on November 19, 2007

 Spanish conductor Pablo Gonzàlez happily accepts the stubborn challenge of introducing fans of popular music to contemporary classical, and Asian audiences are meeting his favourite genre - Spain's own zarzuela.

He will lead the Cadaquès Orchestra through a lively performance of the genre tomorrow night at the Thailand Cultural Centre in Bangkok.

If flamenco has always been your flavour, make room for zarzuela, a product of the country's frugal post-revolution years in the late 1860s when grandiose stage productions were no longer affordable.

Zarzuela, presented in simple one-act plays, celebrates a bygone culture.

"The core of zarzuela is the universal story of love and disenchantment, and conflict between characters, not unlike the operetta," says Gonzàlez. "The setting is in Spain, reflecting reality of the society of the time: a tale of the Spaniards who migrated to South America and how they came back with a different social status."

The 32-year-old's eyes are filled with wonder as he describes the music. The vibrant compositions of zarzuela, as he tells it, can transport listeners into another world. It moves easily from comedy to melodrama.

At his concert in Seoul Gonzàles treated the audience to "La revoltoso", a satirical look at life in Madrid. It was as energetic and cheerful as he was wielding the baton, and it shared the repertoire well with another form of popular music, the dance-inspiring zapateado, in airs like "Intermedio".

Also devoted to the aim of bringing classical music to the masses, the Cadaquès Orchestra boasts musicians from across Europe and, led by artistic director Llorenç Caballero, they're ready to show their mettle at this year's Toyota Classics festival.

"We play a lot of modern music that's more intellectual," Caballero says.

Gonzàlez, though he often has the music of Mozart and Haydn in front of him on the podium, feels that conducting "project orchestras" like Cadaquès in contemporary pieces opens him up to new possibilities. The orchestra members all contribute something fresh and alluring to the page, he says: "Everything is white, and everyone helps to fill it up."

People applaud loudly, but do they understand what Gonzàles and the orchestra are trying to accomplish?

"There is nothing in music to understand," he says. "It's something you feel."

Also appearing tomorrow is operatic tenor Salvador Carbo, known for his dramatic flair and Spanish lyricism.

Popular local pianist Saksit "Tor" Vejsupaporn has arranged three Thai compositions for the orchestra - His Majesty the King's "Echo", the pop song "Khon Mai Pi-Sed" and the traditional folksong "Khmer Sai Yok".

It's unusual for professional orchestras to accept music arranged by "outsiders", but this is a company that welcomes surprises and delights in always bringing something fresh.

Tickets are available at the Emporium's Kinokuniya bookstore, third floor. All proceeds will be presented to His Majesty the King in honour of his birthday. Call (02) 664 8558.

Lisnaree Vichitsorasatra

 The Nation