Kurt Muroki joins Philippines Philharmonic Orchestra’s Mysterious Mountain concert

Double bassist Kurt Muroki

October 16, 2012, 2:00 PM Masterclass

CCP Silangan Hall

October 19, 2012, 8:00 PM Performance

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila

Featuring:

Kurt Muroki, double bass

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Programme:

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48

Giovanni Bottesini Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in B minor

Sergei Prokofiev Lieutenant Kijé Suite

Alan Hovhaness Mysterious Mountain (Symphony No. 2), Op. 132

Finally, the Phantom has left the building and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra returns to their regular performance venue on October 19, 2012, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) as they stage their second concert for their 30^th season Milestones. Double bassist Kurt Muroki joins the PPO and its principal conductor and music director Olivier Ochanine for this concert entitled The Mysterious Mountain.

The Mysterious Mountain is taken from one of the pieces to be performed this evening which is Alan Hovhaness' Symphony No.2, Op. 132. This work was originally scheduled to be part of PPO’s April 2011 concert Poom and Mahler I but was subsequently removed from the lineup. I wondered if this piece would somehow find its way in a future concert. And finally it did. Other pieces to be performed for this evening will be Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, Giovanni Bottesini’s Double Bass Concerto No. 2 in B minor that will feature Kurt Muroki, and the piece that I suggested, Sergei Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite.

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

But before the concert, specifically on October 16, 2012, 2:00-6:00 PM at the CCP’s Silangan Hall, Kurt Muroki will conduct a masterclass. According to the press release, Muroki has won numerous competitions including first prize in the Aspen Music Festival double bass competition, the first bassist to win the New World Symphony concerto competition and the Honolulu Symphony Young Artists competition. He is currently the double bass teacher at the Bowdoin International Music Festival, The Juilliard School, and Stony Brook Unviersity, and is a Distinguished Artist faculty with the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings.

All of the pieces with the exception of the Bottesini are among my favorites so this concert is a can't miss for me. But I'll be attending the masterclass as well to get a feel for the double bass in preparation for this new experience since I also haven't seen a double bass concerto with an orchestra before.

Conductor Olivier Ochanine

Ticket prices:

P1000 Orchestra Center

P800 Orchestra Side

P500 Balcony I Center

P350 Balcony I Side

P200 Balcony II

-50% student discount

-20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:

CCP Marketing Department 832-1125 loc. 1806

CCP Box Office 832-3704

TicketWorld 891-9999