PPO's Rite of Spring, a strong finish to 45th Anniversary Season

Guitarist Kiyoshi Shomura and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Coming off the heels of a performance that has been considered as one of the best in recent years, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, along with Music Director/Principal Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura, wrapped up its 45th Anniversary Season at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Expectations for this evening were really high not just because of the previous PPO outing but also due to the inclusion of the fiendishly difficult Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky that closed out the concert and the season. 

Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

The evening started off with a breezy Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 “Italian” by Felix Mendelssohn. Had the closing piece been different, the tarantella at the finale would've sounded more frantic. This was how highly anticipated the Stravinsky was.

Preconcert talk by PPO Director Eugene de los Santos

The evening saw Japanese guitarist Kiyoshi Shomura as the guest artist in Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Guitar Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 99. The Mediterranean images evoked in this piece served as the calm before the storm. But there was a bit of hesitation and lack of command with his performance of the concerto. Shomura's encores, Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Francisco Tárrega and Sons de carrilhões by João Pernambuco, treated the audience with popular staples of the guitar repertoire.

The much awaited Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky saw the orchestra (fortified with a number of guest musicians) tackle the piece with an intensity and an attack that truly made the tarantella at the Mendelssohn feel like a walk in the park. There were moments of brilliance, but there were times when they teetered close to the edge. The Rite was a competent one but clearly not the homerun that the Tchaikovsky's fifth was the previous month.

Overall, it was still a triumphant end to the season with the PPO under Fukumura getting stronger with each performance since the series resumed at the start of the year. The bar has been set high and they have to be golden next season as the CCP celebrates a milestone 50 years.

Japanese guitarist Kiyoshi Shomura closes PPO concert season

Guitarist Kiyoshi Shomura

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, under music director/principal conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura, wraps up its 45th anniversary celebrations with Japanese guitarist Kiyoshi Shomura on April 12, 2019, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo).

The music lined up for this evening includes Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90 “Italian”, Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco's Guitar Concerto No. 1 in D major, Op. 99 with Shomura as the soloist, and Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.

Shomura began his guitar lessons at age nine, first studying with his father Masato Shomura, and later with Yasumasa Ohara. In 1964, Shomura traveled to Spain to study with renowned guitarist Narciso Yepes, who during a visit to Japan the previous year recognized Shomura's potential. Shomura performed several recitals in Europe during his stay in 1967-68.

Before returning to Japan in 1969, Shomura performed approximately 40 highly acclaimed recitals throughout Italy from 1968 to 1969. After his 1969 recital debut in Japan, he returned to Italy as the Japanese representative at the 1971 World Youth Association International, and continued recitals in 28 cities throughout North America.

Since his early years, Shomura's concerts have covered a wide range of musical styles. In addition to solo recitals and performances with Japan's major orchestras, he often collaborates with his colleagues in performing duos and trios concerti, with various instruments such as flute, voice, piano, violin, and mandolin.

As an advocate of contemporary works for guitar, he premiered and recorded Toru Takemitsu's guitar works, including In the Woods - three pieces for guitar, a work written for him by Takemitsu himself. He continues today to commission and premier works by Japanese composers playing an important role in expanding the guitar repertoire. Shomura is a Toshiba EMI Label recording artist.

In 2014, he celebrated the 45th anniversary of his career as a concert guitarist. In December 2013, he released Recuerdos de la Alhambra featuring his roots, Spanish music. Other highlights of his anniversary concert include the performance of three guitar concertos with Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra conducted by Naoto Otomo and several recitals throughout Japan.

In 2015, Shomura performed and recorded an album on guitar concertos by Giuliani and Vivaldi with I Music, which was released in 2016. Since 2017, he has performed Kiyoshi Shomura Special Project, a series of four concerts to show the diverse possibilities of guitar in celebration for his 50th anniversary in 2019.