PPO VIII: Mahler’s Fifth

Pianist Gabriel Paguirigan and conductor Olivier Ochanine
with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Featuring:

Gabriel Allan Paguirigan, piano

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Programme:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Overture from Così Fan Tutte

Franz Liszt Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S.125

Gustav Mahler Symphony No. 5

For the past three years, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of principal conductor and music director Olivier Ochanine has been ending its season with a piece of epic proportions that was taxing and challenging for both the orchestra and the audience (Shostakovich 5, Mahler 1 and Rite of Spring). And to close out this season, the PPO’s 30^th Concert Season (entitled Milestones) that also marked the PPO’s 40^th Anniversary as well, it all ended with Mahler’s Fifth, a piece that is well loved for its popular fourth movement Adagietto. This concert held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) also featured the performance of pianist Gabriel Allan Paguirigan who is the winner of the PPO’s Young Pianist Competition.

The evening started with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Overture from Così Fan Tutte. Ochanine presented this classic overture in a light and fresh manner that effectively countered the summer heat that the entire country was experiencing. Then it was Gabriel’s turn to take center stage with Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S.125. I was definitely pleased when I learned that this was going to be his concerto. Compared to Liszt’s first piano concerto, the second is more subtle and more poetic. And I was more interested to hear this rarely played piece since I got sick and tired of so many Liszt 1 performances during the composer’s bicentennial anniversary back in 2011. Gabriel showed great improvement compared to his previous performance at the Classical Champs concert. His Liszt 2 showed great balance of dazzling virtuosity along with nuanced and sensitive musicality. But I had to say that the almost inaudible piano that he used had me struggling to hear his soft and delicate passages. It  pleased me also that he chose the third movement Animé from Maurice Ravel’s Sonatine for his encore. He handled this complex and technically difficult piece nicely with finesse that it looked like a walk at the park for him.

On the other hand, the final piece of the night was hardly a walk at the park at all. Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 is a major work of over an hour that is an exhausting endeavor for the orchestra to play and the audience to listen to. I may be right to think that a lot in the audience was really looking forward to the Adagietto but they had to sit through three long movements before getting there. And the first two movements consisting of a funeral march and a turbulent storm, aren’t the most entertaining pieces of music to hear. I noticed that most of them started to falter in listening during the Scherzo which I felt was a bit of a shame since the brilliant solo horn might've gone unnoticed by them. But it’s definitely rewarding taking everything in and getting lost in the music. The PPO under Ochanine was able to evoke a myriad of emotions ranging from the sorrow, hopelessness and despair to passion, love and triumph. The major work that they played during the orchestra’s last concert, Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé had me scratching my head but Mahler’s Fifth definitely moved me.

The PPO finally closed out its 30^th Concert Season and while this was billed as a milestone year for the orchestra, it didn’t feel celebratory enough. I’d like to believe that the 40^th Anniversary activities will continue on towards the first part of the upcoming season. And that this will result in every concert becoming a buzz event that would be talked about long before it occurs and long after it’s done.

Text by RAd
Photo by Orly Daquipil