Pianist Raul Sunico to repeat rare Rachmaninoff feat

International pianist Raul Sunico is on course to make history once again with A Rach Concert, a rare performance of all four Rachmaninoff piano concertos in a single evening happening on January 26, 2019, 6:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo).

Presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in cooperation with the Sunico Foundation for Arts and Technology Inc., this concert of epic proportions will also feature the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra with Music Director/Principal Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura and Associate Conductor Herminigildo Ranera sharing conducting duties.

Pianist Raul Sunico

Sunico first achieved this historic feat performing Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in F sharp minor, Op. 1, Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30, and Piano Concerto No. 4 in G minor, Op. 40 in a single concert back in September 2003.  At that time, there had been no record of anyone who had done this before and since the historic 2003 performance, no one has yet to replicate this achievement. In 2015, Sunico also performed the three piano concertos of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in a single concert which is also said to be the first in the world.

Fukumura will conduct the first and second piano concertos while Ranera will lead the third and the fourth to be performed in reverse order. That means that the audience will have to sit through the lesser known/performed first and fourth piano concertos before getting to the popular pair of the second and the third.

When I asked Sunico for advice on how to be more appreciative on the first and the fourth concertos, he answered to listen to them prior to the concert especially now that performances and recordings are more accessible thanks to the internet and video/music streaming sites. He emphasized that no one falls in love with the fourth at the first listen so it will take multiple hearings to warm up to it. Interestingly, Sunico considers the second, the most popular one, to be more difficult for him compared to the third which is considered as one of the most difficult in the entire piano repertoire. He finds the second to be technically awkward. In preparation for the concert, Sunico claimed that he’s been clocking six hours of practice daily.

Raul Sunico with Sunico Foundation and CCP officers

A Rach Concert serves as a fundraiser for the Sunico Foundation for Arts and Technology Inc. (SFATI), founded in July 2002 by the combined families and descendants of Hilario Sunico, Teodoro Sunico, and Julio Sunico. The foundation aims to help and develop young gifted scholars in the fields of arts and technology. Notable scholars of the foundation include sculptor Leeroy New and singer Aizel Izza Prietos.

Sunico was the former president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Dean of the UST Conservatory of Music. He currently serves as the chair of the doctoral program in music of St. Paul University in Manila and continues as faculty member at the UST Conservatory of Music.