PPO VIII: Ochanine Conducts The Rite of Spring

Pianist Sofya Gulyak

Featuring:

Sofya Gulyak, piano

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Programme:

Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15

Igor Stravinsky The Rite of Spring

The final concert of the 29^th Season of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra had one of the most interesting lineups as far as I can remember. The concert consisted of only two pieces: Johannes Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 featuring guest pianist Sofya Gulyak and Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. Principal conductor and music director Olivier Ochanine is probably relieved that the audience who flocked to the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) received these two pieces as warm as the intolerable summer heat that the Metro Manila folk are experiencing right now. It is well known that tempers flared and a riot ensued during the premiere of the Rite of Spring but thankfully, cooler heads and even warmer applause reigned during this concert instead.

Conductor Olivier Ochanine

Olivier’s excitement for The Rite of Spring was evident for weeks prior to the concert. But for me, it was actually Sofya Gulyak’s return that was the main draw in this concert. I’ve always wanted to see her play a piano concerto ever since her solo piano recital back in October 2010. I wasn’t initially too thrilled when I heard that she was performing Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1 (I was hoping that it was a Rachmaninoff instead) but got interested in it eventually when I learned that this was the same piece that she performed during the final round of the 2009 Leeds International Piano Competition that she won. Gulyak handled the Brahms nicely and with such ease capturing the majesty, drama and tension during the first movement of the concerto. Not only that, I was able to see a different side to her, a subtle and restrained one during the second movement and finally, a jubilant one during the final movement. I remember feeling very intimidated of her during her previous concert partly because of the equally intimidating and dark Chopin and Schumman repertoire she played back then. But she showed a fun side to her that really endeared herself to me especially she played her first encore which was the final movement of Muzio Clementi’s Sonata in C major, Op. 33, No. 3. The audience wanted more from her and she obliged by playing the very familiar Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2 by Sergei Rachmaninoff for her second encore which she also did during her solo piano recital. And for those who still can’t get enough of her (that includes me as well), they don’t need to wait a year and a half to see Sofya Gulyak once again since she will be back for a solo piano recital this May 8, 2012 at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

PPO Winds Section (and a couple of horns) perform before the concert

I really enjoyed Sofya Gulyak’s performance that it got me pumped up for The Rite of Spring which I didn't expect at all. I like Petrouchka and Firebird a lot better than The Rite but I always make it a point to keep an open mind and listen to pieces that normally don’t appeal to me. This music, originally an accompaniment for a ballet performance, has now become more known as a concert piece. But that doesn’t mean that watching an orchestra play this piece  becomes just a purely auditory experience. For starters, the inclusion of more instruments (some quite rare) is a sight to behold and it did make me wonder how on earth they would all fit inside the pit if this was an actual ballet performance. I listened intently to recordings of this piece prior to the concert that's why I knew what to expect and who among the orchestra to look at. Too bad that I couldn't say the same thing for the young boy seated a few rows behind me who got startled when he heard the tam-tam enter the piece for the first time. The orchestra was never at ease during this performance as the irregular rhythms, unexpected accents and overall barbaric and primitive nature of the music demanded a lot from them conductor Olivier Ochanine who had to steer everyone together so that the piece won't fall into pieces (sorry, no pun intended). I tried to imagine myself living back in 1913 and being part of the original audience when this was premiered and tried to grasp what I was seeing and hearing. I realized that going back in this time would mean a drastically different lifestyle, culture and atmosphere which contributed a lot to the initial audiences' adverse reaction to the piece. And yet when I heard the music during the PPO performance, I didn't feel like the piece was really from almost a century ago. And then I tried imagined how people in 2113 (an also how different that time would be like compared from today) would react to a performance of this piece.

Yes, my mind often venture into these kinds of thoughts while watching concerts and that's one thing that I like about them. To some people, orchestral or classical music performances are just boring stuff featuring very old music from many, many years ago. But for me, it's actually a thought stimulating experience that fuels my imagination. Some people might find this odd but it's perfectly normal for me and I do get a very different sense of enjoyment and satisfaction when I get to experience this. Another reason for me to be extremely satisfied is that I've finally completed a whole PPO concert season which is a huge achievement for me. I've never completed one before due to various reasons. There had been times when I skipped a concert or two altogether because I didn't like the repertoire. In latter years, my reason for missing out a concert or two were due to unavoidable circumstances and not by choice. So I am very glad that everything went according to plan (but with a little help) this season, hence the complete attendance. Thank you PPO and CCP for the wonderful experience this season and I now await the start of the upcoming season.