Caces' electrifying Rach 3 amid an evening of gloomy, romantic music

Featuring:

Aries Caces, piano

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:

Richard Strauss

     Death and Transfiguration (Tod und Verklärung), Op. 24

Sergei Rachmaninoff

     Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30

     Symphonic Dances, Op. 45

An electrifying Rach 3 by Aries Caces amid a dark and brooding lineup of late romantic music by Richard Strauss and Sergei Rachmaninoff was how the Manila Symphony Orchestra and their principal conductor/music director Arturo Molina wrapped up their 2014-2015 Sound of Life Season concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

Performing to a packed theater, the MSO opened the concert with Richard Strauss’ Death and Transfiguration (Tod und Verklärung), Op. 24 which I think is the most musically poetic depiction of death. The orchestra was able to weave an arc depicting the last moments of an artist, his final burst of reminiscence, his body finally succumbing to the inevitability of death, and ultimately, the immortality and triumph of the spirit. Such profound themes by Strauss could’ve made for a very emotional experience. Despite being the among the oldest orchestras in Asia, the MSO currently probably the youngest orchestra on average in here and this inexperience became a barrier for them. While they were able to go through the piece, I felt that it somehow lacked the punch needed to make the journey more moving.

The orchestra certainly needed the punch if ever they were to match pianist Aries Caces with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, a piece notorious for its difficulty and demands on the pianist’s stamina and endurance. But Caces seemed to breeze throughout the concerto as if everything was just as simple and easy as the unison passages that started the piece. The piano used at the concert was far from optimum but his brilliance was more than enough for me to look past the inferior sounding instrument. And the orchestra's level of playing was clearly more inspired in here than the previous piece. I was also relieved that the piano was able to bear the brunt of such a demanding piece which cannot be said by a member of the 2^nd violin section who broke a string during the Intermezzo. For an encore, Caces performed the mega popular 18^th Variation of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 34 with the orchestra which slowed down the pace after the concerto’s electrifying finish.

The concert ended the evening, Symphonic Dances, Op. 45 also by Rachmaninoff. The three movement piece offered the orchestra a chance to showcase their range and explore different moods, colors and textures. The first movement featured a bizarre march that contrasted with a serene middle section that had Rachmaninoff using the alto saxophone for the first time. For me, the movement that drummed up the most interest is the second with its twisted and somewhat perverted version of a Viennese waltz. The third movement was soaked in such dark, sinister gloom and a fascination with death. What’s even more ominous was that this eventually turned out to be Rachmaninoff’s final work. I guess that this piece tied up thematically with the opening Richard Strauss work.

Again with the dances, I felt that a lot of the young and newer members were more relieved to get through the piece instead of being totally in command. The discrepancy between the first and the last stands of the strings section, which has been one of the MSO’s strengths, is now more pronounced. In recent years, the MSO has had its share of veteran members transferring to other orchestras and moving on to other things and that left the newer and much younger members with not just a lot of catching up to do but also with very big shoes to fill. The MSO is clearly on a transitional period with the younger members still gaining more experience as they go on through every concert to be at par with their predecessors.

RAd with pianist Aries Caces

But on a very positive note, the MSO has managed to fill up the CCP Little Theater for most of the shows this season. And I’ve been very delighted to see a lot of new and unexpected faces at their concerts, which is very much welcomed in the classical music scene in here. I think that a lot of credit has to go to Carlos “Garch” Garchitorena, their new Marketing Manager, who has been successful in drawing people from the other side of the fence to watch the MSO concerts.