 |
| Maestro Grzegorz Nowak and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra |
The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra gave a sneak peek of their upcoming UK tour program during a send-off concert that was recently held at the Metropolitan Theater.
Clocking over two and a half hours and featuring two soloists and two full symphonies(!), the concert was definitely stacked. Consider also the orchestra had having to adjust rehearsal schedules in order to play, on short notice, at the Necrological Service of National Artist Nora Aunor just a couple of days prior to the send-off concert date. But the PPO, under the baton of Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, managed to pull it off and showing that the orchestra is more than ready for its 9 stop UK tour scheduled for May 13-24, 2025.
 |
| Mark Bebbington, CCP President Kaye C. Tinga, and Diomedes Saraza, Jr. |
The concert started with the Nimrod from Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 or more popularly known as the Enigma Variations". Quite a somber beginning since a bombastic overture typically opens a performance.
 |
| Mark Bebbington |
Mark Bebbington gave what is believed to be the Philippine premiere of the revised, one movement version of Frederick Delius' Piano Concerto in C minor. He mentioned at the press conference prior to the concert that he's excited to perform this piece on tour especially at the penultimate stop in Bradford where Delius was born. Bebbington then evoked the captivating flow of the tides in his encore, The Island Spell from John Ireland's trio of piano miniaures Decorations.
The last time the PPO performed Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op.90 "Italian" back in October 2023, Nowak conducted the orchestra almost to the point of exhaustion as he steered the finale at such a frantic pace. But this time, the PPO was up to the task and confidently looked to have enough gas for yet another symphony later in the program.
The second half began with Il Maestro di Cappella by the PPO's Composer-in-Residence Jeffrey Ching. This work, that will serve as an opener in each of the concerts at the tour, displayed some bits of humor, especially from Nowak who conducted the orchestra as if directing traffic on a busy intersection.
 |
| Diomedes Saraza, Jr. |
PPO Concertmaster and Artist-in-Residence Diomedes Saraza, Jr. then gave a performance of Ralph Vaughan William's The Lark Ascending less than two months since his last take on the same piece back in March. A pastoral romance that evoked peace and calm, Saraza Jr. exhibited the restraint that is demanded with this piece. Audience members who yearned for more fireworks from him got their wish though with Saraza Jr.'s own take on the folk song Magtanim ay 'Di Biro that had a healthy dose of his contemporary leanings.
The concert wrapped up with the very popular Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven. By this time, the send-off concert felt bogged down by its length. But the PPO's unwavering endurance coupled with the popularity of the piece managed to close out the concert on a high note.
 |
| Diomedes Saraza, Jr. and Mark Bebbington |
With the send-off concert in the bag, the PPO is now ready to depart to the UK. It's remarkable to think that the opportunity for the PPO to do a UK tour only happened after the Buenos Aires Symphony Orchestra of Colón Opera had to cancel its due to the economic situation in Argentina. By that time, the concert program have already been set and Nowak managed to have some tweaks like the inclusion of Ching's new work. Also joining the tour is cellist Wen-Sinn Yang who was the guest soloist during the PPO's October 2023 concert.
 |
| Wen-Sinn Yang and Grzegorz Nowak from October 2023 |
Listed below are the dates, venues, and respective programs of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's UK Tour.
May 13, 2025
Wen-Sinn Yang, cello
Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op.90 "Italian"
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
May 14, 2025
Wen-Sinn Yang, cello
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op.90 "Italian"
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Edward Elgar Nimrod from Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 "Enigma Variations"
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
May 15, 2025
Wen-Sinn Yang, cello
Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
May 16, 2025
Mark Bebbington, piano
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op.90 "Italian"
Frederick Delius Piano Concerto in C minor
Edward Elgar Nimrod from Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 "Enigma Variations"
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
May 18, 2025
Mark Bebbington, piano
Diomedes Saraza Jr,. violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
Frederick Delius Piano Concerto in C minor
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
May 19, 2025
Wen-Sinn Yang, cello
Grzegorg Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op.90 "Italian"
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Edward Elgar Nimrod from Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 36 "Enigma Variations"
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
May 21, 2025
Wen-Sinn Yang, cello
Grzegorg Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
May 22, 2025
Mark Bebbington, piano
Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
Frederick Delius Piano Concerto in C minor
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
May 24, 2025
Wen-Sinn Yang, cello
Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin
Grzegorz Nowak, conductor
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Jeffrey Ching Il Maestro di Cappella
Georges Bizet Carmen Suite No. 1
Ralph Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Swan Lake Suite
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
No comments:
Post a Comment