Violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. joins PPO's 39th season finale concert

Violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. joins Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra for a festive finish to the orchestra's Switch season happening this April 19, 2024, 7:30 PM at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati.

With Maestro Grzergorz Nowak conducting, this season closing concert sees Sarasa do double duty as the featured soloist in Lucrecia Kasilag's Violin Concerto No. 1 and Camille Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28. The concert, billed as Fête Française, wraps up with Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485.

Diomedes Saraza Jr.

PPO's 39th concert season Switch saw the Cultural Center of the Philippines' resident orchestra welcome Maestro Grzergorz Nowak as its new music director and principal conductor. It also marked the move to Samsung Performing Arts Theater while the CCP Main Building undergoes a several years long major rehabilitation.

Reprinted below is the press release for the PPO's 39th concert season closing performance.

Last 'Switch' for PPO's 39th concert season

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the country’s primary orchestra, will take its last ‘Switch’ for its 39th concert season on April 19, 7:30pm, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit Makati.

For its finale concert, the resident orchestra of the Cultural Center of the Philippines will feature violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr. as its guest soloist.

Saraza Jr. is an active concert violinist, chamber musician, and avid educator. The former Manila Symphony Orchestra’s concertmaster, Saraza is a well-established musical artist that has taken part in many international solo performances with different orchestras such as the Mannes Orchestra, New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, the Sichuan Philharmonic Orchestra to name a few. His extensive solo and chamber performances include prestigious venues that span from Philippines’ Cultural Center of the Philippines, New York’s Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, to Russia’s Tchaikovsky’s Concert Hall among others.

For its final concert, PPO music director and principal conductor Maestro Grzegorz Nowak will take the baton, leading the national orchestra in a night of Fete Francaise. The concert program includes: National Artist Lucresia Kasilag's Violin Concerto No. 1, Camille Saint-Saëns’ Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28, and Franz Schubert’s Symphony No. 5.

An instrumental in developing Philippine music and culture, the National Artist for Music was recognized for including indigenous Filipino instruments into orchestral productions. She has written more than 350 musical compositions that range from folksongs to opera to orchestral pieces. She was the founding mother of the Bayanihan Folk Arts Center for research and theatrical presentations and actively involved herself with the Bayanihan Philippine Dance Company.

Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. A child prodigy, he was already giving public concerts as a pianist and organist at a young age. One of his best-known works is the Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, op. 28. composed in 1863, it was dedicated to Pablo de Sarasate, a Spanish virtuoso violinist, who frequently programmed it in his concert engagements, thus making it popular enough that other French composers made arrangements of it.

Completing the concert finale’s program is Schubert’s Symphony No. 5, a classic piece which is said to pay homage to masters Mozart and Haydn. Schubert deeply admired Mozart. His composition is frequently said to resemble the prolific and influential composer.

Ranked among the greatest composers in the history of Western classical music, Schubert and his work continues to be admired and widely performed. He was a composer during the late Classical and early Romantic eras. He has composed symphonies, masses, and piano works and is best remembered for his “lieder."

Tickets to PPO Concert VIII: Fete Francaise are priced at Php3,000 (Orchestra Center), Php2,000 (Orchestra Side), Php2,500 (Loge Center), Php1,500 (Loge Side), and Php800 (Balcony 1).

The PPO concert season is made possible with partners SSI Group, Inc., TBWA\SMP, Ascott Bonifacio Global City, and Lyf Malate Manila.

For more information, visit the CCP (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, X, and Instagram for the latest updates.

CCP Cine Icons celebrates National Artist Eddie Romero's centennial with Aguila screening

The Cultural Center of the Philippines, through the Cine Icons program, spearheads the 100th birth anniversary celebrations of Eddie Romero, National Artist for Film, through a special screening of Aguila happening on April 3, 2024, 1:00 PM at the GSIS Theater.

Romero, born in July 7, 1924, was conferred National Artist for Film in 2003. His acclaimed works include Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?, Kamakalawa, Banta ng Kahapon, and Aguila that stars Fernando Poe Jr., National Artist for Film.

Eddie Romero, National Artist for Film

The screening, which will be followed by a talkback, is free and open to the public via this registration link bit.ly/CCPCineIcons-EddieRomero-reg

More information about CCP Cine Icons Eddie Romero@100 can be found below.

CCP CINE ICONS HONORS 100TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF NATIONAL ARTIST EDDIE ROMERO WITH ‘AGUILA’

Shortly after marking its first anniversary, the CCP Cine Icons returns for the premiere of yet another must-see classic Filipino film ‘Aguila’, written and directed by National Artist Eddie Romero and starring National Artist Fernando Poe Jr., on April 3, 1PM at the GSIS Theater. A talkback will follow after the film screening.

Free and open to the public, this special screening celebrates the centennial birth anniversary of Romero. He was a film director, film producer, and screenwriter who was declared a National Artist in 2003, with a body of work delving into the history and politics of the country. Among his most revered historical films include Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?, Kamakalawa, and Banta ng Kahapon. Romero also directed some critically acclaimed war films in the early 1960s, such as Lost Battalion (1960), The Raiders of Leyte Gulf (1963), and The Walls of Hell (1964).

Aguila is a 1980 Philippine period drama film about flashbacks that encompass the history of the Philippines as well as the life story of the elderly Daniel Aguila. The Aguila family gathers to celebrate Daniel's 88th birthday, but the old man is nowhere to be seen – he has been missing for a decade. Suspecting that his father is in Mindanao, one of his sons takes off for that region in a determined search. Along the way, his memories of the nation and his father's life tell the story of 80 tumultuous years of personal and historical development.

The film’s prevalent themes include family, history and society, and nationalism. It is considered as the biggest event in local movie history and the biggest Filipino film ever made, with six wins at the 1981 FAMAS Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay, and nine nominations at the 1981 Gawad Urian Awards.

Launched in 2023, CCP Cine Icons is a special program of the CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division-Production and Exhibition Department (FBNMD-PED) which aims to honor and popularize the life and works of National Artists and Gawad CCP Para sa Sining awardees.

To get the latest updates on future film screenings from CCP Cine Icons, follow the official CCP and CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division social media accounts on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

CCP The Met: Live in HD screens Verdi's Nabucco

When the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak, there were several performances of Va, pensiero uploaded online by various groups as a way to cope with life under lockdowns back then. This only proved how this chorus aria from Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco has remained significant since its debut back in 1842.

See why Va, pensiero has stood the test of time at the upcoming CCP The Met: Live in HD screening of Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco on April 2, 2024, 5:30 PM at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas in Makati.

In this production directed by Elijah Moshinsky, baritone George Gagnidze sings the titular role of Nabucco while soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska reprises her role as Abigaille. Also starring are mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor SeokJong Baek as the lovers Fenena and Ismaele respectively, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy as the high priest Zaccaria. Daniele Callegari conducts the Met Orchestra.

More information about CCP The Met: Live in HD screening of Nabucco can be found at the press release reprinted below.

EXPERIENCE ANCIENT BABYLON WITH VERDI’S NABUCCO AT THE CCP THE MET: LIVE IN HD

Take the trip down the Ancient Babylon with Giuseppi Verdi’s Nabucco, premiering in the Philippines through the CCP The Met: Live in HD on April 2, 5:30pm, exclusively at Greenbelt 3 Cinema 1 located in Makati City.

Verdi’s third opera is a stirring drama about the fall of ancient Jerusalem at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar (Nabucco) and the subsequent exile of the Hebrews in Babylon.

The opera plot is as exhilarating as the story of its beginning. History has it that Verdi vowed to quit composing after the death of his first wife and the disastrous reception of his previous work Un Giorno di Regno. But after seeing Solera’s libretto, Verdi changed his mind and started composing again; creating an opera that launched his career.

The opera had its world premiere at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan in 1842, with a resounding success.

While the story stayed as close to the biblical events based on Jewish scriptures in Jeremiah, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Daniel, and the Psalms, librettist Temistocle Solera took some liberties with some of the characters.

Baritone George Gagnidze made his Met role debut as the imperious king Nabucco, alongside soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska who reprised her thrilling turn as his vengeful daughter Abigaille. Mezzo-soprano Maria Barakova and tenor Seok-Jong Baek, in his company debut, are Fenena and Ismaele, whose love transcends politics, and bass Dmitry Belosselskiy repeats his celebrated portrayal of the high priest Zaccaria.

Daniele Callegari conducts Verdi’s exhilarating early masterpiece, which features the ultimate chorus piece, the moving “Va, pensiero,” also known as the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves in Act III.

When Verdi passed away six decades later, famous Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini led a vast number of orchestras and choruses from all over Italy to perform “Va, pensiero” during the state funeral of the Italian composer in Milan.

Catch this classic Met staging of biblical proportions, directed Elijah Moshinsky. Tickets are priced at Php350, with a special discounted price of Php 100 for students and young professionals upon presentation of ID.

For more information about the CCP The Met: Live in HD Season 9, visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official social media accounts in Facebook, X, Instagrams and YouTube.

CCP National Theatre Live screens Shakespeare's tragedy Othello

William Shakespeare is a major figure in the world of theater, yet his works are not regularly staged by local companies. There is the occasional Filipino adaptation of his works usually mounted by a University based theater group but they are few and far in between.

To remedy that, the CCP's National Theatre Live's presents a screening of Othello happening on March 26, 2024, 5:30 PM at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas.

This production of Othello was filmed live from the Lyttleton stage of the National Theatre, is directed by Clint Dyer, and stars Giles Terera (Hamilton), Rosy McEwen (The Alienist), Paul Hilton (The Inheritance), and Tanya Franks (Chewing Gum).

More information about CCP National Theatre Live's Othello can be found at the reprinted press release below.

OTHELLO BRINGS HIS TRAGEDY TO PHILIPPINE SCREENS

Shakespeare’s most compelling and enduring tragedy, Othello, comes to Philippine cinema through the CCP’s National Theater Live on March 26, 2024, 5:30pm, at Greenbelt 3 Cinema 1.

A tragedy in five acts by English national poet William Shakespeare, Othello conveys the tragic romance between Desdemona and Othello. She is a bright, headstrong daughter of a senator, elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. He is a refugee of slavery, having risen to the top of a white world, who finds that love across racial lines has a cost. Wed in secret, Desdemona and Othello crave a new life together.

The plot thickens when heroic black general Othello appoints Cassio as his chief lieutenant. Jealous of Othello’s success and envious of Cassio, Iago plots the general’s downfall by falsely implicating Desdemona and Cassio are engaged in a love affair. With the unwitting aid of Emilia, Iago’s wife, the disgruntled man carries out his devious plan.

Amidst the oppressive social barriers and meddling external forces, Othello and Desdemona find their future is not theirs to decide.

In this version of National Theater Live production, the classic tale of boundary-defying love comes alive through the stellar performance from actors Giles Terera (Hamilton), Rosy McEwen (The Alienist), Paul Hilton (The Inheritance), and Tanya Franks (Chewing Gum).

Filmed live on the Lyttleton stage of the National Theatre, the NTL staging was directed by Clint Dyer, deputy artistic director of the National Theatre. He was the first African American director to helm Othello in a prestigious UK theatre. Dyer then directed other acclaimed productions such as the “Death of England” series.

The new CCP film program aims to make the best of British theater accessible to Filipino cinema audiences at an affordable ticket price. For its pilot season, the CCP National Theatre Live features the Philippine premiere of nine world-class stage plays, produced by the UK’s National Theatre and filmed live in high definition from its London stages and other venues. First launched in June 2009, the National Theater Live is a groundbreaking project that offers unparalleled experience for theater lovers, magnified by the big screen. Each event also features behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and creative teams, for better appreciation of international theater among theater enthusiasts, playwrights, artists, and the broader public.

Tickets to the screening are priced at Php 250 (regular), and Php 150 (students). Discounts are given to senior citizens for non-Makati residents and PWDs upon presentation of valid IDs. All senior citizens with Makati resident IDs shall be allowed free entry as mandated by local government regulations. Tickets are available at Ayala Malls Cinemas ticket booths and website (www.sureseats.com).

For more information, visit the CCP (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) and follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, X, and Instagram for the latest updates.