MSO I: The Viennese Symphonic Tradition A Gustav Mahler Centennial Celebration

Featuring:

Wilfredo Pasamba, cello

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:

Franz Joseph Haydn Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major, Hob. VIIb/2

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5

After a long time, I was able to watch a Manila Symphony Orchestra season performance once again. The orchestra, the Philippine’s oldest, is celebrating its 85th year and to make this milestone more memorable, the concert was held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) instead of its usual performance venue, the PhilamLife Theater. The concert entitled The Viennese Symphonic Tradition: A Gustav Mahler Centennial Celebration was the orchestra’s opening salvo for their 2011 Gala Concerts Series: Celebrating Excellence. For this performance the orchestra under the baton of Arturo Molina also featured US based cellist Wilfredo Pasamba.

Before the performance started, there was a pre-concert lecture conducted by MSO associate conductor Jeffrey Solares at the lobby of the main theater. He gave a brief background on the pieces that were performed during that evening: Franz Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in D Major, Hob. VIIb/2 and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5. I’ve always liked his lectures and although what he said was nothing new to me, I hoped that the other people present were able to learn more about the music featured at the concert.

Pasamba performed a couple of weeks before for a FilFest concert. A prior commitment didn’t permit me to see that one so I’m glad that I’ve had another chance to see him perform through this MSO concert. But I am not really a huge fan of the Haydn cello concerto piece that he played and actually preferred the Schumann concerto that he played a couple of weeks before. I find Haydn pieces too happy for my taste and I like more tension, drama, darkness and contrasts which is not really a feature in Haydn pieces. But the orchestra played pleasantly and inoffensively which is what Haydn should sound like. Pasamba played deftly although he had a bit of a rough patch like in his opening phrase but there were nonetheless moments of brilliance especially when he explored the upper range of the cello making it sound like a violin.

But for me, the piece that I was really looking forward too was the Mahler which is more serious and complex in nature. If Haydn is considered as the Father of the Symphony, then Mahler is said to be the last one to uphold the Viennese Symphonic tradition before the music shifted to modernism. Also, it has been 100 years since Mahler’s death so orchestras all over the world are expected to pay tribute to him by playing his symphonies this year. The PPO already had a concert dedicated to him so this year is definitely a treat to Mahler fans.

It was indeed a treat for me since Symphony No. 5 is my favorite work of Mahler and despite its length, I was able to watch and listen intently to the MSO perform this difficult piece. Despite the youth of the majority of the players, they were able to meet the challenge posed by this difficult piece. The string section which is one of the main strengths of this orchestra really shone on this one. I admit that their strings section let me down the last time I saw them but they absolutely redeemed themselves during this performance. As expected, the highlight of the evening was the famous fourth movement Adagietto with just the strings and the harp playing. While some of the impatient audience members continually shifted in their seats during the first three movements, they became noticeably still when the fourth was being played. Such was the drawing power of this quiet, restrained section that is so popular that many orchestras only play this movement on its own. This was indeed a triumphant performance by the MSO and I’ve never seen them perform this well before. I was told that they really worked hard for this piece and it really showed.

For an encore, they played the latter part until the end of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34, a piece that I’ve heard the MSO perform a number of times. This piece is indeed a crowd pleaser and the audience even started to applaud even before the final note ended. The new orchestral season of the MSO has indeed started on a high note and looking at their upcoming concerts, I can’t help but be excited. The featured soloists and the pieces lined up make the Manila Symphony Orchestra’s 2011 Gala Concert Series a must see for all classical music enthusiasts.