Friday, November 18, 2011

PPO III: Jae-Joon Lee and Bùi Công Duy

Violinist Bùi Công Duy

Featuring:
Bùi Công Duy, violin
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jae-Joon Lee, conductor

Programme:
Johannes Brahms Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80
Max Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26
Hector Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, Op. 14

November 11, 2011 was a day highlighted by numerous events around Metro Manila since organizers wanted to take advantage of the 11-11-11 phenomenon. But I couldn’t care less for any of these events since I’ve already committed to the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s third concert of their 29th season featuring guest conductor, Jae-Joon Lee of Korea and violinist Bùi Công Duy of Vietnam held at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) over at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. But a day before that, Bùi Công Duy held as masterclass at the University of Sto. Tomas and it should no longer surprise anyone that I was there to observe.

As previously announced, pre-concert lectures given by associate conductor, Herminigildo Ranera is back and he did give one to the people who were there early. I wasn’t able to listen much but I heard him talking about the contrabassoon to be used later. Going to the concert proper, the show started with Johannes Brahms Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80 which is really a piece that is filled with drinking songs that were popular with students during the time of its composition. Unfortunately, the inside joke was lost as time went on but current listeners like myself can still appreciate the magnificent orchestration, contrabassoon included, by Brahms. And the orchestration did shine since the PPO, under the baton of Jae-Joon Lee, sounded a lot better which I think was spurred by the inspiring performance of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra a week before.

And speaking of weeks, the Violin Concerto in G minor, Op. 26 by Max Bruch was heard once again a the CCP exactly a week later. This time around, Vietnamese violinist Bùi Công Duy was the featured soloist and thankfully, I wasn’t sick and tired of this piece yet. His rendition showed restraint and a great deal of control giving emphasis to key moments throughout the piece. And I got a lot of what he said during the masterclass like playing the notes distinctly and not rushing them. It was definitely a treat for those who find this violin concerto among their favorites if they were able to watch both performances.

The number of people during the first half of the evening didn’t look too promising and I suspected that a lot got stuck in traffic due to the 11-11-11 events. A lot did arrive late and was relegated to the back of the hall in order not to disturb the other members of the audience during the first half. By the second half of the concert, there was already a good sized audience who were ready for the final piece of the evening which was Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. This piece has a very interesting origin and one really had to know it to fully understand, appreciate and feel the music. As always, love has been the driving force for a lot of enduring works in music and art in general and this piece is no exception. Composed by a young, irrational Berlioz for actress, Harriet Smithson when his previous love letters for her were left unanswered, this piece is a monumental undertaking from someone who was hopelessly smitten and it manifested in the grandeur of the piece. For almost an hour, the PPO transported me to a fantasy realm of obsession, desperate longing, dazzling balls, ominous march, and a wild dance. And seeing and hearing an Eb clarinet made me want to have one to add to the Bb clarinet that I already own.

For many in the audience, the most memorable part of the concert was the encore which was Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez. I wasn’t able to get what Jae-Joon Lee said when he announced the encore but upon hearing the opening clarinet line, I knew right away what the piece was. And I quickly recalled the encore that the PPO did during their previous concert, Huapango, which was by yet another Mexican composer and a piece that also recently became closely associated with Gustavo Dudamel and the Orquesta Sinfónica Simón Bolívar back when they were still a youth orchestra. And for a moment, the PPO and Jae-Joon Lee seemed to be transported back to the time of their youth. The orchestra enjoyed themselves very much while playing this and Jae-Joon Lee even swayed and danced to the beat and also urged the audience to clap along.

Maestro Jae-Joon Lee in a post concert discussion
with Raul Sunico, CCP President and violinist Gilopez Kabayao

The concerts keep on coming and the bar is being raised for every performance and I couldn’t be happier. What also made me very glad after this concert was seeing a number of Korean kids among the audience who mobbed Maestro during the meet and greet. I do hope that these kids will grow up and be regular concert goers as well.

The Masterclass


I really prefer it when a masterclass happens before the concert since I am able to appreciate the performance a lot more when this occurs. Experiencing a masterclass, seeing how it was conducted, taking notes of the points made and having a glimpse of the musician’s off stage persona can really make a difference in the viewing of the actual concert. And I did get to experience this during Bùi Công Duy’s masterclass. He had some difficulty in articulating himself in English since he is not a native speaker of the language. But that didn’t hamper him in giving specific instructions regarding the technique in order to bring the optimum and desired sound from the students. Someone with a weak constitution may find his teaching methods a bit too harsh especially if there are a lot of corrections to be done. But after the masterclass, it was a different and a friendlier Bùi Công Duy who gamely posed for photos and invited everyone to watch his concert the day later.

No comments:

Post a Comment