Manila Pianos presents pianist Brian Berino in online solo recital

Manila Pianos Artist Series presents pianist Brian Berino in a solo recital on March 19, 7:30 PM.

Aptly titled Sonatas, this online recital sees Berino perform a handful of keyboard/piano sonatas throughout the centuries including Domenico Scarlatti's Keyboard Sonata in F minor, K. 466, Antonio Soler's Keyboard Sonata in D flat Major, R. 88, Franz Joseph Haydn's Piano Sonata in E flat Major, Hob. XVI/52, L. 62., Alexander Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 4 in F sharp major, Op. 30, and Johannes Brahms' Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 5.

Berino is studying with Prof. Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz and is enrolled at UP Diliman's College of Music under Prof. Geraldine Marie Gonzales. He competed and won at the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA) and at the Barum Music International Competition last year.

Pianist Albert Tiu channels the four elements in MCO Foundation's 2014 Season opener

June 6, 2014, 7:00 PM

Makati Avenue corner De La Rosa Street

Greenbelt Park, Makati

Featuring:

Albert Tiu, piano

Programme:

Franz Liszt Waldesrauschen from Two Concert Études, S. 145

Sergei Rachmaninoff Lilacs, Op. 21, No. 5

Roger Quilter arranged by Stephen Hough The Fuschia Tree

Leopold Godowsky The Gardens of Buitenzorg from Java Suite

Claude Debussy Les collines d’Anacapri from Préludes Book I

Franz Liszt Transcendental Étude No. 11 in D flat, Harmonies du Soir, S.139

Claude Debussy Le vent dans la plaine from Préludes Book I

Charles Griffes The Night Winds from Three Tone-Pictures, Op. 5

Jacques Ibert Le vent dans les ruines

Olivier Messiaen Prélude No. 8 Un reflet dans le vent

Claude Debussy Reflets dan l’eau from Images 1, L. 110

Federico Mompou Paisajes II. El Lago

Luciano Berio Wasserklavier

Franz Liszt Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este from Années de pèlerinage III, S.163

Maurice Ravel Jeux d’eau

Richard Wagner transcribed by Louis Brassin Magic Fire Music from Die Walküre

Claude Debussy Feux d’artifice from Préludes Book II

Erik Satie Sports et divertissements No. 20 Feu d'artifice 

Alexander Scriabin Vers la flame, Op. 72

Manuel de Falla Ritual Fire Dance

The MCO Foundation’s 2014 Season, in celebration of their 29^th year opens with a performance by pianist Albert Tiu in a concert entitled Four Classical Elements – Earth, Wind, Fire and Water happening on June 6, 2014, 7:00 PM at the Ayala Museum in Makati.

Tiu will present an adventurous concert representing the four elements namely air, wind, water and fire through the works of Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Roger Quilter, Leopold Godowsky, Claude Debussy, Charles Griffes, Jacques Ibert, Olivier Messiaen, Federico Mompo, Luciano Berio, Maurice Ravel, Richard Wagner, Erik Satie, Alexander Scriabin and Manuel de Falla.

One of the most highly respected Filipino pianists today, Albert Tiu is a winner of numerous high profile piano competitions including the Honens (Calgary), the Paloma O’Shea (Santander), Maj Lind (Helsinski) and UNISA (Pretoria). He was the first Filipino to be invited to perform with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic in Moscow.  Some of the orchestras he has performed with were the Hamburg Symphony, Finnish Radio Symphony, Northern Sinfonia, and Baden Baden Philharmonic. He has performed in major music halls including Carnegie Weill Recital Hall in New York, Finlandia Hall in Helsinski,  Hamburg Musikhalle, Lincoln Center Tully Hall, Great Philharmonic Hall in Moscow; and his performances have been broadcast on WQXR New York, CBC Canada, BBC, ABC Australia. Albert Tiu along with cellist Li-Wei Qin has also released recordings of Beethoven and Rachmaninoff cello sonatas under Decca Classics label.

The Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation, Inc. is a non-stock, non-profit institution first established in 1985 dedicated to the promotion of classical music and the cultural arts. Four Classical Elements – Earth, Wind, Fire and Water is made possible in partnership with Ayala Museum, Lyric Piano, BusinessWorld, HerWord, and HighLife. Proceeds from this concert will benefit a church-based foundation for abandoned and abused children.

Four Classical Elements – Earth, Wind, Fire and Water is the MCO Foundation’s first Great Performance Series for their 2014 Concert Season. The series continue with Mostly Mozart 2014 this July 11, 2014, 8:00 PM at the Tektite Tower Auditorium. This concert will feature Singaporean conductor Darrell Ang, tenor Arthur Espiritu, pianist Christine Coyiuto and the Manila Symphony Orchestra. Then it’s the young ones’ turn for the Young Artists Series. This year’s line up includes Filipino-American violinist Bradley Bascon on July 28, 2014, soprano Stephanie Aguilar on August 20, 2014, pianist Gabriel Allan Paguirigan on September 17, 2014 and clarinetist Andrew Constantino on October 8, 2014. All performances will be held at the Ayala Museum at 7:00 PM.

Ticket prices:

P2000 Orchestra Premier

P1000 Orchestra

P800 Regular

For inquiries:

MCO Foundation 750-0768, (0920) 954-0053

CAEO 782-7164, (0918) 347-3027

TicketWorld 891-9999

International Pianist Sofya Gulyak in Concert

Pianist Sofya Gulyak

Featuring:

Sofya Gulyak, piano

Programme:

Sergei Rachmaninoff

     Morceaux de fantaisie Op. 3

          No. 1 Elégie

          No. 2 Prélude 

          No. 4 Polichinelle

     Etude Tableaux in E flat minor, Op. 39 No. 5

     Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42

Alexander Scriabin 2 Poèmes, Op. 32

Dmitri Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue in D flat major, Op. 87, No. 15

Sergei Prokofiev Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82

Sofya Gulyak’s performance during the final concert of the season by the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cultural Center of the Philippines was barely finished and yet the talk during the meet and greet was already on her upcoming solo concert scheduled just a few weeks later. The main cause of excitement for this concert among the piano enthusiasts was that Gulyak, a Russian pianist and winner of the 2009 Leeds International Piano Competition, prepared an all Russian programme.

Too bad that there was another event happening at the Main Theater Lobby right before the concert and I stayed there too long. By the time that I got down to the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) were Gulyak's concert was being held, the audience were already going out for the intermission. So I missed the entire first half of the concert! A lot of friends who were there were surprised when they learned that I failed to the Sergei Rachmaninoff portion of the concert. They constantly reminded me throughout the intermission that I would regret my decision later.

I just had to accept that I could no longer turn back time so I just had to be content with catching just the second half of the programme. The second half started with Alexander Scriabin’s 2 Poèmes, Op. 32. There was a sense of déjà vu when Gulyak finished this one since the ending here has no resolution. And because of this, the audience didn’t applaud when it was done since they weren't even aware that the piece already ended. This is exactly what happened during the first solo concert of Gulyak when no one applauded after the opening Mazurkas by Chopin. Just like before, she went on to play the next piece which was Dmitri Shostakovich’s Prelude and Fugue in D flat major, Op. 87, No. 15. The prelude is one of Shostakovich’s more playful pieces and this delightful piece hinted on the themes of We Wish You a Merry Christmas. The fugue that followed was something else: a superb chromatic display of exciting and boundless energy which contrasted greatly with the more sedate Scriabin piece.

Gulyak then played Sergei Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 82 which was performed dazzlingly despite the frantic nature of the piece in some places. The sonata ventures a lot into dissonant and atonal territory that in the hands of a lesser pianist, this piece can easily turn out into a jumbled mess and merely banging of the keys. But for Gulyak, her expert fingers gave a sense of clarity to this piece that takes a lot of effort to digest even for a seasoned listener. While her last piece is a heavyweight of a twentieth century piece, her first encore took the audience back to an earlier and simpler era. She played the first movement of Muzio Clementi’s Sonata in C major, Op. 33, No. 3 (she played the third movement during the PPO concert). And her second and final encore was the Adagio from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto in D minor BWV 974 transcribed from Alessandro Marcello’s Oboe Concerto. This was again a very surprising choice of music from Gulyak since this was very subdued and restrained compared to the bombastic Prokofiev that was played earlier.

As expected, Sofya Gulyak was received warmly by the audience during the meet and greet. I admit that she intimidated me during her first but she was actually very nice and sweet off stage. It's been some time since this concert, and now constantly wonder how her Rachmaninoff was. I guess it's time to take a trip to the CCP Library and view their video archives.

Sofya Gulyak performs all Russian programme in solo concert

Pianist Sofya Gulyak

May 8, 2012, 7:30 PM

Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)

CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila

Featuring:
Sofya Gulyak, piano

Programme:
Sergei Rachmaninoff

     Morceaux de fantaisie Op. 3

          No. 1 Elégie

          No. 2 Prélude 

          No. 4 Polichinelle

     Etude Tableaux in E flat minor, Op. 39 No. 5

     Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42

Alexander Scriabin 2 Poèmes, Op. 32

Dmitri Shostakovich Prelude and Fugue in D flat major, Op. 87, No. 15

Sergei Prokofiev Piano Sonata No. 6 in A major, Op. 82

Piano music lovers waited for about a year and a half for Sofya Gulyak to return in Manila. They finally had their wish when the acclaimed Russian pianist had a triumphant performance during the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s final concert of their 29^th season. This time around, people don’t need to wait that much longer as the 2009 Leeds International Piano Competition winner is back in the country once again as she mounts a solo piano concert featuring an all Russian repertoire this May 8, 2012, 7:30 PM at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Sofya Gulyak conducts a masterclass

Sofya prepared a programme consisting of formidable pieces by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Scriabin, Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Prokofiev. I always find it very interesting whenever a musician performs works from his/her native country and Sofya’s concert will do just that. One thing that Sofya didn’t do during her past visits here was to conduct a masterclass. But she was able to conduct one at the University of Sto. Tomas Conservatory of Music which impressed piano majors who were fortunate to be part of this activity.

Ticket prices:

P800 Orchestra Center

P600 Orchestra Side

-50% student discount

-20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:

CCP Box Office 832-3704

TicketWorld 891-9999

Text by RAd
Photo by Almond Ponge