ROYAL MEMORY HONOURED WITH MOZART

Siam Society pays tribute to King Rama VI with an exceptionally refined choral and orchestral execution

- WILLIAM NIALL MORRIS

Mozart's Requiem Mass in Phaya Thai Palace.

At the end of last month, I had the honour of attending a performance that felt less like a regular concert than a moment briefly lifted out of history. Presented by the Siam Society, "Concert In Memoriam" brought Mozart's Requiem Mass to the private throne room of Phaya Thai Palace — the Deevaraja Sabharamaya Hall — in commemoration of the centenary of the passing of King Vajiravudh (Rama VI), who died on Nov 25, 1925.

The concert also recalled the poignant birth of his only child, HRH Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda, born the day before her father’s death. As the infant princess could not inherit the throne, the crown passed instead to the King’s brother, Prajadhipok, who would reign as Rama VII. During his turbulent years as king of Siam, the country entered the modern world as a constitutional monarchy in 1932. King Prajadhipok abdicated in 1935, while living in England and four years later the country officially became known as Thailand.

With such resonant links to the royal past, it was entirely fitting that Mozart's Requiem should be presented in the exquisite throne room of Phaya Thai Palace. Rarely open to the public, the hall possesses a theatrical splendour; its pale-green ceiling, trimmed with orange and gold, rises to a central burnished dome from which hangs a crystal chandelier, distinctly European in style.

Although the palace itself was built by King Chulalongkorn, it was Rama VI who truly animated the complex, using the throne room for music, theatre and social entertainment. To hear Mozart's sublime music there felt like history coming alive.

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