The Magic of John Williams: The 2013 Repeat

The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra

Featuring:

ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra

Gerard Salonga, conductor

Jose Mari Chan and Karylle

The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra once again proved that lightning can strike twice as they successfully staged a repeat performance of The Magic of John Williams. Just like the previous concert, this concert featured the music of John Williams, one of the most popular composers of our time whose film scores have made a huge impact in popular culture worldwide.

Karylle and Gerard Salonga

The programme for the night was basically the same as the previous concert since changing the lineup will no longer make this a repeat performance. But there were a few changes which made this concert a different experience from what has gone before. As expected, the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Gerard Salonga, delivered an electrifying performance that brought the audience to its feet a handful of times.

The most noticeable change was that the people in costume are now more varied and had more participation in the concert. Hogwarts Philippines were now part of the concert which means that Harry Potter and the rest of the characters from the novel/film were there. Professor Dumbledore even got on stage prior to the concert reminding the audience of proper concert etiquette and most importantly, promoting the orchestra’s social networking sites.

Jose Mari Chan

One other change was that Karylle, who appeared elegant and regal on stage, finally got to perform on stage. She was originally announced as one of the guests during the original concert but it was Nikki Gil who ended up performing there. All I can say is that I am fortunate to have seen both of them since I saw the concert twice. At the repeat, Superman had the chance to appear on stage with Karylle, also acting it out as the mesmerized Lois Lane during the orchestral part of Can You Read My Mind. Karylle also had a duet with Jose Mari Chan with the song If We Were in Love. A noticeably strained Jose Mari Chan showed what a trooper he is by still performing despite being saddled by a nasty cold.

Superman and Karylle

Of course, a John Williams concert would never be complete without Star Wars. And thankfully, the repeat had more balance in the Force with more Jedi and Rebellion personalities present like Anakin Skywalker, Queen Amidala and C-3PO from the Rebel Legion. The original concert only had a lone Jedi amid Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers (and other troopers) from the 501^st Legion. They once again graced the stage when the Star Wars Suite was played. Unfortunately, the orchestra had to scrap the Throne Room/End Titles for their final encore as the concert would’ve gone too long.

After the concert, the audience had the chance to meet and greet with the people in costume. Karylle who seemed to be taking the role of Lois Lane seriously as she stayed by her Superman, was very accommodating in having people take photos with her.

Anakin Skywalker

Now that they have two John Williams concert in the bag, I now await a major concert wherein the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra will show their muscle by playing the usual classical repertoire. They’ve already done it (albeit a light version) before with Kapamilya Concert: Intro to the Classics and now, it’s time to bring this to a much wider audience. Besides, it’s one of Gerard Salonga’s goals to bring classical music to the mainstream audience.

The Magic of John Williams