Showing posts with label Regina Buenaventura. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Regina Buenaventura. Show all posts

Monday, June 25, 2018

Asia Region Suzuki Conference presents concert series at BGC Arts Center


Hundreds of young Suzuki method practitioners, parents and teachers converge here in Manila as the Philippine Suzuki Association hosts the 7th Asia Region Suzuki Conference with the theme Art to Heart this July 1-5, 2018 at the Treston International College, Bonifacio Global City.

For almost a week, young children playing the violin, piano, cello, and guitar under the Suzuki method from the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand get to take part in group, orchestra, enrichment classes and masterclasses under international teachers, perform together in mini recitals, and watch the performances at the series of concerts lined up during the conference.

Good thing that these concerts, happening on July 2-4, 2018 at Globe Auditorium, Maybank Performing Arts Theater, Bonifacio Global City, are not just for the conference participants but also for the general public as well. And at a very affordable price to boot. For three straight nights, music lovers can enjoy music from chamber groups, young and upcoming artists, and a handful of established concert artists who owe much of their success to the Suzuki method.


On July 2, chamber groups such as Expression Music Ensemble from Brunei Darussalam, GMS Piano Ensemble, Panagsagan Duo, Paraluman, STAR Suzuki Strings, and TTEA Violin Group from Taiwan open the series of performances at the Ensemble Concert.


On July 3, promising young musicians namely Hansel Ang, Paulina Araña, Heidi Cahyadi, Gregory Cheong, Yu-Chia Chiu, Gabriel Domagas, Adrian Ong, Micah Pecson, Jannina Peña, EJ Villarin, and Shi-Xuan Yang take to the stage at the Young Artists Concert. The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Herminigildo Ranera will accompany the young artists at the concert.


On July 4, established concert artists namely violinist Regina Buenaventura, guitarist Ramoncito Carpio, cellist Victor Coo, and pianist Oliver Salonga headline the Artists Concert wrapping up the series.

The concerts start at 7:00 PM and tickets to each concert are priced at P500. For inquiries, call (0966) 468-7894.

Monday, September 22, 2014

Manila Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to National Artist Buenaventura in Pastorale concert


September 27, 2014, 8:00 PM
Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)
Cultural Center of the Philippines
CCP Complex
Pasay, Metro Manila

Featuring:
Regina Buenaventura, violin
Manila Symphony Orchestra
Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:
Col Antonino Buenaventura By the Hillside
Ludwig van Beethoven
     Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61
     Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, Pastoral

The Manila Symphony Orchestra pays tribute to National Artist for Music Col. Antonino Buenaventura in their upcoming concert entitled Pastorale happening this September 27, 2014, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

National Artist for Music Col. Antonino Buenaventura

The concert, to be conducted by MSO’s principal conductor and music director Arturto Molina, will feature a performance of Buenaventura’s By the Hillside, a tone poem evoking the landscapes of Baguio. Also taking to the stage this evening is Regina Buenaventura, the colonel’s granddaughter and a frequent MSO guest artist. She will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61. The only violin concerto composed by Beethoven, this piece nonetheless has been considered as one of the most important concertos in the violin repertoire. Though it may not be as flashy and as bombastic compared to other violin concertos (I do describe it as very polite), its lyricism and charm make it a favorite among audiences.

Violinist Regina Buenaventura

Rounding up the concert for will be Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, also known as Pastoral. This piece ties everything up quite nicely since Buenaventura’s By the Hillside is an essay on the Pastoral symphony. This Beethoven work was also the very first symphony that the MSO played in their inaugural concert in 1926. And I think that the Pastoral symphony is also very timely since it also serves a reminder that after the storm (which our country has been plagued with for the past couple of weeks) there will come a time when the sun shines and things go back to normal.

Ticket prices:
P1200 Orchestra Center
P800 Orchestra Side
-50% student discount
-20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:
MSO 523-5712, info@manilasymphony.com
TicketWorld 891-9999

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

MSO II: The MSO with Regina Buenaventura

Arturo Molina conducts the Manila Symphony Orchestra

Featuring:
Regina Buenaventura, violin
Manila Symphony Orchestra
Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:
Paul Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Samuel Barber Violin Concerto, Op. 14
Zoltán Kodály Háry János Suite

After many months, the Manila Symphony Orchestra’s 2012 Concert season resumed for me when I watched the second night of their Magic, Fantasy and Ambition themed concert at the Philam Life Auditorium. During this evening, the orchestra, under the baton of Arturo Molina performed pieces by Paul Dukas, Samuel Barber and Zoltán Kodály. The concert also featured violinist Regina Buenaventura who is back in the country while she is taking a summer break from her studies in the US.

The Magic of the concert was represented by Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. This piece was made immensely popular by the Disney animated film Fantasia and it was really a challenge for me not to conjure images of the film in my head while the performance was going on. But my focus paid off as I was able to gain a new insight regarding the piece since I got to focus on the musicians, especially the bassoonists. I wouldn’t hold it against any member of the audience if they envisioned Mickey Mouse, the brooms and the sorcerer while the orchestra was playing since the music did tell the story that was brought to life by the film.

Next to be performed was Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto which represented the theme Ambition. Violinist Regina Buenaventura told me weeks earlier that she was actually practicing Sibelius but had to go back to practicing Barber since this piece suited the theme of the evening more. It had been two years since I last saw Regina perform and I wasn’t completely satisfied by that performance owing to the poor acoustics of the performance venue. This time around, with the superior acoustics of the Philam Life Auditorium, I was finally able to hear and appreciate the nice, clear and expressive tone of Regina’s violin. Throughout the first two movements of the piece, she deftly played with finesse and an effortlessly sublime vibrato. And during the notoriously difficult third movement (which I think was where the ambition theme came from), she showed no signs of strain which made me believe that she’s one of the most relaxed violinists out there. Regina doesn’t dazzle audiences with fireworks or overt showmanship, but she mesmerizes instead with her elegance and restraint.

The last piece of the concert, the Háry János Suite by Zoltán Kodály represented the Fantasy theme. Like many members of the audience that night, it was my first time to see this piece performed live. I’ve listened to a recording prior to the performance and I took note of the cimbalom, an instrument used in this piece which is popular in Hungary but almost unheard of in this part of the world. For practical reasons, a keyboard simulating the sound of the cimbalom was used instead. I personally don’t like it when this happens since the mechanical sound that the keyboard generates doesn’t fit with organic, live orchestral sound. But I did enjoy the folk tunes that were featured in this suite. I think that if I’d known better the story of the opera where this suite was taken from, I would’ve appreciated this piece a lot more.

Concertmaster Gina Medina, violinist Regina Buenaventura
and conductor Arturo Molina

Regina didn’t have an encore and the audience would’ve been left unsatisfied if the orchestra didn’t play an extra piece. The concert duration was already relatively short compared to their previous performances so I think it was wise for the orchestra to play a bit more. And they did play more folk music by performing the orchestral version of Romanian Folk Dances by Béla Bartók. I don’t know how this piece fit with the Magic, Fantasy and Ambition theme that evening but no one complained. I’ve waited some months before the orchestral season resumed and now that they’re back, I couldn’t be any happier.

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Manila Symphony Orchestra launches 2012 Concert Season


Live Life with Music is how the Manila Symphony Orchestra ushers in their 2012 concert season. Coming off a successful 2011, the MSO has prepared a challenging and varied repertoire (including an opera and a special concert with Ryan Cayabyab) along with exciting guest artists like violinist Regina Buenaventura, pianist Victor Asuncion and conductor Robert Rÿker.

MSO Chairman Tony Boy Cojuangco hosted a dinner at La Regalade French Bistro launching the orchestra’s 2012 season. This dinner was attended by the MSO Board of Trustees, several members of the orchestra and other guests (including myself). The sections of the orchestra (strings, winds, brass, and percussion) were introduced and short pieces were performed so that the people who gathered that night would have an idea of what instruments made up each section of the orchestra and how each instrument sounded as well.


MSO’s executive director and associate conductor Jefrey Solares also informed everyone about the orchestra’s mission to educate and promote music more people especially those from outside of Metro Manila. And that they would use Filipino music, like folk songs for example in promoting music to them. So for this season, it will not be just the performances that the Manila Symphony Orchestra are looking forward to, but also their outreach program as well.

July 6 & 7, 2012
The MSO with Regina Buenaventura

Featuring:
Regina Buenaventura, violin
Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:

Paul Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Samuel Barber Violin Concerto, Op. 14
Zoltán Kodály Háry János Suite

August 10 & 11, 2012
Music by the Russian Masters

Featuring:
Victor Asuncion, piano
Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Francesca da Rimini: Symphonic Fantasy after Dante, Op. 32
Sergei Rachmaninoff Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 70

September 21 & 22, 2012
Robert Rÿker

Featuring:
Robert Rÿker, conductor

Programme:
Claude Debussy Prelude to an Afternoon of a Faun
Richard Strauss Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Op. 28
Alfred Reed El Camino Real
Igor Stravinsky Suite from Petrouchka

October 26-28, 2012
Carmen

Featuring:
Lyric Opera Company

Special Concert with Ryan Cayabyab*

Date and venue to be announced


*The previously announced Special Concert with Ryan Cayabyab was replaced by a concert that featured soprano Claire Primrose and the music of Richard Wagner.

**The July 6, August 10 and Sepember 21, 2012 concerts will be held at the Francisco Santiago Hall at the South Tower of the BDO Corporate Center in Makati. The July 7, August 11, and September 22, 2012 concerts will be held at the Philamlife Auditorium. Bizet's Carmen will be held at St. Cecilia's Hall at St. Scholastica's College Manila.

Violinist Regina Buenaventura starts MSO’s 2012 Season

Violinist Regina Buenaventura

July 7, 2012 8:00 PM
Philam Life Auditorium
UN Avenue, Manila

Featuring:
Regina Buenaventura, violin
Manila Symphony Orchestra
Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:
Paul Dukas The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Samuel Barber Violin Concerto, Op. 14
Zoltán Kodály Háry János Suite

I last saw Regina Buenaventura back in 2010 when she and Diomedes Saraza Jr., along with the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Arturo Molina, performed at My Dreams for My Children, a Standard Insurance, Inc. sponsored concert held at the FEU Auditorium. She and Saraza Jr. only did a movement of a violin concerto along with other show pieces. She played Brahms while his did Tchaikovsky but a single movement from both of them wasn’t enough for me. A few months later, I was able to see Saraza, Jr. perform all three movements of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto and it was followed by the Khachaturian a few months after that as well. So while I had two violin concerto performances by Saraza Jr. last year, I’ve yet to see Buenaventura perform a complete one. After almost two years, that time has finally come. Along with the MSO and conductor Arturo Molina, Regina Buenaventura will perform Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto this July 7, 2012, 8:00 PM at the Philamlife Auditorium. Other pieces featured in this evening are Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice which was made popular when it was featured in the Disney animated film Fantasia and also the rarely played piece by Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály: the Háry János Suite.

This concert starts the 2012 Concert Season of the Manila Symphony Orchestra although they did have a special concert with the Israeli musicians back in February. The orchestra also performs the same program on July 6, 2012, 8:00 PM at the Francisco Santiago Hall at the South Tower of the BDO Corporate Center in Makati. But if I’m not mistaken, this performance is exclusive for sponsors and subscribers only.

Ticket prices:
P1000 Orchestra Center
P800 Orchestra Side
P600 Loge
-50% student discount
-20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:
523-5712
info@manilasymphony.com