(L to R)
Adisorn (Eddy) Kukarja, Siripol (Bob) Samithisawad, Jack of JSS Production,
Surachai Tangjaitrong of Silverlake, and Sue Kukarja of PMTV.
(L to R)
Apichai Laemthong, Ruaychai Saengow, Richard Harvey,
Surachai Tangjaitrong, Leo Phillip, Shalev Ad-el, and Dennis Dila.
Sue K
Renowned composer, conductor and arranger Richard Harvey
played concertos by Anotonio Vivaldi, Jacques-Christophe Naudot, Jean Marie
Leclair, and Georg Phillipp at a special evening Jan 20 at Silverlake
Winery.
Harvey was accompanied by Leo Phillips on violin, Shalev
Ad-el on harpsichord and organ, Ruaychai Saengow on violin and Apichai
Laemthong on cello.
“Baroque by Candlelight” harkened to listing to music in
a cozy castello chamber, gently illuminated by candles on floor candelabras
and silhouetting the performers’ movements from behind the stage.
After the concert Harvey sat for an exclusive interview
with the Pattaya Mail.
P.M.: Is Thailand like your second home now?
Richard: Yes, I’ve been wintering here for the
last eight years. I built a house and I turn up every year in October and
leave March; the perfect time to be in this part of the world.
P.M.: Do you also work while you’re here?
Richard: I stay in touch with my business in
London via the Internet. I also play concerts and score films occasionally.
P.M.: You play more than 700 instruments. Is there
anything left in the world you don’t play?
Richard: Oh yes, tuba and mouth organ. I’m more of
a collector to be honest, I’ve played a few notes on every instrument I
possess. I completely go mad and I can’t stop myself if I see an instrument
I like. A lot of them are from Indonesia, India, or South America. They are
not incredibly expensive. For me they are things of beauty and things that
help teach me a bit more about music.
P.M.: Which one amazes you most?
Richard: I love the most is a recorder I bought
from Sotheby in 1983 which was made in about 1700 when Handel was still
alive and from somebody who knew Handel pretty well. It is very special for
me. When I play it, I feel I’m carrying history in my hand.
P.M.: Which instrument is most difficult for you?
Richard: I’m originally more of a woodwind player.
I find that violin is hard work. There are some instruments you don’t mess
with it; either you do it or you don’t, you don’t play around with it. It’s
lifework.
P.M.: This being a classical concert, normally I
would ask about concert achievements. But because you are so famous for what
you’ve done on many movies, especially Thai films like “Queen Suriyothai”
and “King Naresuan,” tell us how that came about?
Richard: That came about through my association
with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra as a conductor. I was told they were
making a big film called “Queen Suriyothai,” and to come and meet the Prince
who is the director, who is an amazing chap. I had a chat with him and I
played him some of my music. He loved the music so we’ve been working
together ever since. There will be sequels to Naresuan including an
international version. It’s very interesting.
P.M.: Did you have to study Thai history and Thai
music from that era?
Richard: Yes, Prince Chatri gave me the chronicle
of Ayuthaya and other very fat books to study. I find them all very
interesting as I was looking for a excuse to study Thai court music and
classical instruments so I shipped them to London. I love Thai music, in
fact
I joined a workshop in Kanchanaburi and saw some of the
amazing instruments being made. So I told myself “Ok, more instruments on
the way.”
P.M.: There are other movies like “Harry Potter.”
Richard: I am a great fan of John Williams, the
film composer. I don’t normally play on other people’s film scores but
whenever he was doing Harry Potter films I would be involved. He is to me
the granddad of all film composers. You’ll know it from Superman, Star Wars,
Saving Private Ryan, Indiana Jones, ET, etc. He’s a great man. I was
involved in those scores as a player. Sometimes I am involved in Hollywood
movies as a writer, but as a player in Harry Potter and really enjoyed it.
P.M.: But in The Da Vinci Code you composed a
choir?
Richard: I composed some of the historic music. I
guess I’m acclaimed to fame from The Da Vinci Code, which I wrote Kyrie for
the Magdalene. People still write to me about this all the time.
P.M.: How did you decide that this was to be a
choir piece?
Richard: The composer who was responsible for the
main body of the score said we have to get a choral piece and that I was the
man for the job. It was his choice but I was very happy to do it.
P.M.: As we know, movies vary drastically from
movie to movie even from scene to scene. Does it take a very talented and
gifted person to be able to come up with the music in his head from scene to
scene with his own feelings, imagination and creativity to produce what he
sees fit? Or does he basically do what the director or producer wants?
Richard: It depends on the director and the
producer. To try to distill an answer to those questions, there is something
a bit alchemical about it. It either works or it doesn’t. And really film
composing is about your instincts. If you have been really successful,
people don’t notice you’re doing your work. As a musician and as the score
you are an additional character to the film. You’re sort of coloring in. If
people notice what you are doing they are distracted, but actually you are
having an effect all the time. Modern Hollywood films have music 80 percent
of the time, most go unnoticed but it all has an effect. If you saw a
blockbuster movie with no music you’d be so bored.
P.M.: So It’s more than complementing the movie?
Richard: It’s a vital part, because music adds
depth. There are only a number of facial expressions, while music does the
job that is loads more sophisticated; it shows complexity of emotions that
people’s voice and expression can’t convey. It’s a sophisticated and subtle
art.
P.M.: Do you have a preference for certain types
of movies you like to compose for?
Richard: As I get older I don’t fancy staying up
all night for the three months that working on a blockbuster entails. I
prefer art movies - what you call world movies - old-fashioned, simple
movies with simple music.
P.M.: Give us some examples.
Richard: Actually, I like Chinese movies, the
older style, like Raise the Red Lantern or Farewell My Concubine. They are
classic art movies, the music is simple and emblematic, it does the job but
not there all the time.
P.M.: With a cultural mix?
Richard: Absolutely. I’ve worked on a very good
French movie and a German movie recently. It’s really only Hollywood that
can afford to make these blockbusters and an average blockbuster has about
10 composers working on it. So much work involved. No one person can do it
and that to me isn’t fun.
P.M.: Talking about so much being involved in the
music production, do you always use live music or sometimes use samples?
Richard: Sometimes you use sampling because of the
budget, sometimes you use synthesizers and samples because they do better
job. I like to use what is right for my type of music and that tends to be a
real orchestra. I enjoy scoring for real orchestras and conducting it. That
suits me very nicely.
P.M.: Wat advice can you give to the younger
generation who are trying to do what you are doing?
Richard: Go and watch a lot of movies. Analyze it
all. Not just the movies of today, watch movies that were big hits in the
70s and 80s, because there were some great composers working then. There are
more and more music colleges giving courses in this kind of thing now. Find
yourself a good film composer and work for them for a year without pay and
tell them, “I just want to be a sponge and learn everything I possibly can
from you.” That is how people do it if they really want it.
