Flutopia: A Flute Celebration at the CCP Gala Concert

Flutist Jin Ta

Featuring:

Jin Ta, flute

Hercules Santiago, flute

Gary Silangcruz, flute

Olivier Ochanine, flute

Kiko Candelaria, flute

Marie Poblete, flute

David Jerome Johnson, flute

Lin Shumei, piano

Rommel Cruz, bass

Gian Vergel, drums

Programme:

Francis Poulenc Sonata for Flute and Piano

Claude Bolling Baroque and Blue from Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio

Giulio Briccialdi Flute Quartet in A major

Friedrich Kuhlau Flute Quartet in E minor, Op. 103

Astor Piazzolla Oblivion

Paul Taffanel Fantasy on Themes from Der Freischütz

For someone like me who isn’t very familiar with the flute repertoire, the Flutopia: A Flute Celebration at the CCP provided a great opportunity for me to acquaint myself with the instrument. For two days, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ was bustling with various activities highlighting the flute that included free mini-concerts, exhibits, flute repair services, masterclasses and workshops. But the main highlight of the two day festival was definitely the Gala Concert held at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) that featured Jin Ta, principal flutist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and also pianist Lin Shumei.

Pianist Lin Shumei

I only got to know the concert programme only a few hours before the performance started, so I really had no idea what to expect from the pieces that they’ve prepared. The concert started with Jin Ta and Lin Shumei performing Francis Poulenc’s Sonata for Flute and Piano, which is what I expected from this concert: a sonata featuring the flute while accompanied by the piano. But the following piece provided a bit of a surprise. The two, now joined by bassist Rommel Cruz and drummer Gian Vergel performed Claude Bolling’s Baroque and Blue from Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio which was a delight to hear. An all too familiar flute passage opened the piece and then was followed by a cool jamming by the jazz piano trio before joining forces. I started to wonder why I hadn’t been aware of this piece of music in the first place.

The two flute quartets that followed also served as an introduction for me of this chamber music setup. The first quartet was composed by Jin Ta, Hercules Santiago, Gary Silangcruz, and Olivier Ochanine playing Giulio Briccialdi Flute Quartet in A major while the second quartet had Kiko Candelaria, Marie Poblete, and David Jerome Johnson, joining Jin Ta in performing Friedrich Kuhlau’s Flute Quartet in E minor, Op. 103. I noticed that all the flutists in both quartets used the standard flute. I wondered how having the same flutes would sound since I half expected seeing a piccolo and perhaps an alto flute in the mix. Remarkably, listening to flute quartet music proved not too challenging for me. I liked how most of the melody/top line played by flute 1 was paralleled (mostly in thirds) by flute 2 while the other two either provided a counterpoint or long, sustained low notes. It was indeed like listening to multiple birds chirping in perfect harmony.

Flutist Olivier Ochanine

In Astor Piazzola’s Oblivion (featuring the same musicians who did the Bolling piece) provided a dramatic moment in the concert which was a nice contrast to the Bolling that they did earlier. But the truly virtuosic piece was the one that ended the concert, Paul Taffanel’s Fantasy on Themes from Der Freischütz. I am not familiar at all with Der Freischütz so I feared that I wouldn’t be able to grasp the themes in this piece. Thankfully, I didn’t need to be familiar with it to appreciate Jin Ta handling it with such mastery. I was very impressed towards the end when he maintained a clear melodic line amid a flurry of ascending and descending arpeggios. For a single voiced instrument, Jin Ta was able to create multiple layers as if there was another flutist playing with him. For an encore, Jin Ta and Lin Shumei presented a Filipino piece, Lagi Kitang Naaalala by Levi Celerio. It may not be a showstopper like the Taffanel but it was an exquisite way to end the night.

Marimbist Aimee Mina-De la Cruz

I do think that I’ve learned a lot about the flute during the Gala Concert for the show presented a very varied repertoire compared to the usual recitals that I’ve been too. And for those who still didn’t get enough of the flute, they should not fret for a flute concerto is coming soon courtesy of the opening performance for the new concert season of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.