Japan-Philippines Friendship Contemporary Music Festival Part 1

Pianist Ayumi Hirahara

Featuring:

Ayumi Hirahara, piano

Hiroshi Shibayama, oboe

String Quartet I

     Takashi Hamano, violin

     Naoru Komiya, violin

     Go Tomono, viola

     Ken’ichi Nishiyama, cello

PPO Wind Quartet

     Rosemarie Poblete, flute

     Ariel Sta. Ana, clarinet

     Jose Jerry Samonte, bassoon

     Ernani Pascual, horn

PPO String Quartet

     Dino Decena, violin

     Joanna Ruth Livioco, violin

     Joy Allan de la Cruz, viola

     Herrick Ortiz, cello

Programme:

Yasushi Akutagawa La Dance: Suite for Piano

Francisco Santiago Nocturne in E flat minor

Maki Ishii North-Silver-Night, Op. 93 Winter

Francisco Buencamino Maligayang Bati

Hal Goodman Woodwind Boogie

Astor Piazzolla Violetango

Toru Takemitsu Entre-Temps for Oboe and String Quartet

Tadashi Kubo String Quartet Elegy

Manuel Maramba String Quartet

Chamber music that included two pieces having their world premiere performances was what the first night of the Japan-Philippines Friendship Contemporary Music Festival held at the Philam Life Auditorium had in store. Japanese and Filipino musicians from the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra shared the stage as they played contemporary music from composers from their respective countries (with a couple of exemptions).

First up that evening was Japanese pianist Ayumi Hirahara. She played Yasushi Akutagawa’s La Dance: Suite for Piano, Francisco Santiago’s Nocturne in E flat minor, Maki Ishii’s North-Silver-Night, Op. 93 Winter and Francisco Buencamino’s Maligayang Bati. These pieces, with the exception of Ishii’s composition, were very Western in character and in line with the compositions from the Romantic era. It made me wonder if I was indeed at a concert that would showcase contemporary compositions.

Oboist Hiroshi Shibayama

After Hirahara’s solo piano part and before the interval, composers Tadashi Kubo, Manuel Maramba, Masashi Ishida and Herminigildo Ranera took to the stage to briefly discuss their works which had yet to be premiered. I appreciated this section since it gave me an idea and much needed background information regarding the pieces that would have their world premiere.

The PPO wind quartet composed of flutist Rosemarie Poblete, clarinetist Ariel Sta. Ana, bassoonist Jose Jerry Samonte, and horn player Ernani Pascual got the second half going by playing Hal Goodman’s Woodwind Boogie and Astor Piazzolla’s Violetango. I found the music selection for this section truly odd since they were not written by either Japanese or Filipino composers.

Violinist Naoru Komiya, violist Go Tomono, composers Tadashi Kubo and
Masashi Ishida, violinist Takashi Hamano and cellist Ken'ichi Nishiyama

Then the String Quartet 1, composed of violinists Takashi Hamano and Naoru Komiya, violist Go Tomono, and cellist Ken’ichi Nishiyama joined by oboist Hiroshi Shibayama played Toru Takemitsu’s Entre-Temps for Oboe and String Quartet. It was only during this time when I felt that the concert finally ventured into contemporary music territory. Piercing harmonics, atmospheric oboe passages weaving dissonant textures characterize this Eastern sounding piece which some might have found grating and unpleasant sounding.

Finally, the concert ended with the two world premiere performances, Tadashi Kubo’s String Quartet Elegy and Manuel Maramba’s String Quartet. Kubo’s work was performed by the String Quartet 1 and it was again very Eastern in flavor. The structure of this piece was very interesting as the first part featured long sustained notes which greatly contrasted to the pizzicato from all the instruments towards the end. The PPO String Quartet, composed of violinists Dino Decena and Joanna Ruth Livioco, violist Joy Allan de la Cruz, and cellist Herrick Ortiz played Maramba’s new work for the String Quartet. Maramba’s work was about the year 2013 coming out from the remains of 2012. I admit that it was difficult to connect that concept with the music that I was able to hear during the performance. But I think that it was very easy to connect with their encore which was Nicanor Abelardo’s Nasaan Ka Irog performed by both string quartets along with oboist Hiroshi Shibayama.

Conductors Herminigildo Ranera and Tatsuya Shimono

The new works that were performed at this concert really did sound contemporary and they might not be in tune with most listeners’ tastes. I would be very surprised if any among that audience went out of the concert humming the themes, if any were discernible at all, from these pieces. It remains to be seen if these works will be performed again in the future.

Japan-Philippines Friendship Contemporary Music Festival Part 2