Romance in his fingertips

Back in Thailand after an absence of several years, French pianist Richard Clayderman delighted his thousands of Thai fans last week with a memorable concert at CentralWorld Live.

“The Prince of Romance”, as he was dubbed by former US first lady Nancy Reagan, played many of his trademark songs, pop and classical hits as well as much-loved movie soundtracks during the “Romantique Sensation Night with Richard Clayderman” show to loud applause from the audience packing out the 2,500-seat auditorium.

Among the songs performed during the two-hour-long concert were “Ballade Pour Adeline”, which made Clayderman famous three decades ago, “Give a Little Time to Your Love” that includes familiar melodies composed by Mozart and Beethoven, “Rhapsody in Blue”, “September” and “You Raise Me Up”.

The veteran pianist, who turns 60 next month, impressed fans both old and new with his gentle but powerful style. He played with an energy that belied his age and, in keeping with a show in the Land of Smiles, smiled happily throughout the concert. “My life is like a love story with the piano,” he told the audience.

Clayderman also spoke in French and made a joke by reading a Japanese-sounding note. He also cracked a few other gags and laughingly told fans just before announcing a 15-minute intermission that he had a special surprise for them. That turned out to be giving away several of the musical scores to lucky fans sitting at the front.

The pianist was backed by the 12-strong KPN String Ensemble and a drummer. The string section blended well with Clayderman’s piano and earned them a compliment. “They play very well,” he said during the latter half of the concert and asked the audience, which included many foreign expatriates, to give them a big round of applause in which he joined.

Clayderman played familiar theme songs, with some adaptations for the piano, from some movies such as the 1997 blockbuster “Titanic”, “Les Miserables” and “Schindler’s List”.

Another highlight of the concert, and for many, one of the most exciting, was the performance of a long medley of yesteryear hits by Stevie Wonder, including “My Cherie Amour”, “You Are the Sunshine of My Life”, “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, “Superstition” and “Isn't She Lovely”. Audience members clapped along happily.

Clayderman is currently on an Asian tour to promote “Romantique”, his first new album in more than a decade. During his 35-year career, Clayderman has released more than 50 albums and sold about 90 million copies. He has collected 267 gold and 70 platinum discs in almost every country in the world, according to the concert organisers’ press release.

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli’s eponymous hit “Con Te Partiro” (“Time to Say Goodbye”) formed part of the encore and won loud and long applause from the audience. As he took his final bow, Clayderman blew a kiss to his fans and promised to come back to Bangkok for another concert. Judging from the audience’s enthusiastic reaction to his impressive performance, the hopes are high for a prompt return.