MSO closes season with Conicerto de Aranjuez and Shostakovich No. 5

The Manila Symphony Orchestra returns to the Cultural Center of the Philippines for their 2019-2020 concert season finale this February 5, 2019, 2020, 7:30 PM with a performance of the most popular guitar concerto and one of Shostakovich's War Symphonies.

Spanish guitar virtuoso Jacob Codover will be the featured soloist in Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Performances of Dmitri Shostakovich's Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96 and Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 make up the rest of the night's program. The MSO's music director and principal conductor Marlon Chen conducts.

The MSO season finale concert will be on February 5, 2020, 7:30 PM at the CCP's Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

Getting to know Leonardo da Vinci through his own words

Massimiliano Finazzer Flory and Lito Casaje

To commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death, several events under the banner Leonardo in Manila, were held  in various parts of Metro Manila highlighting the genius of the Renaissance man. Headlining these events (that included a cook off, dinner lectures, film screenings, and a masterclass/workshop) was the play Being Leonardo da Vinci, An Impossible Interview that was staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

For these events, presented by the Philippine-Italian Association, Embassy of Italy, Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines, writer/actor/director Massimiliano Finazzer Flory flew to Manila to present the films, conduct the masterclass/workshop, and to star in the play as the Renaissance Man himself. Co-star Lito Casaje acted as the Journalist who seemingly went through a time portal of sorts for him to encounter Leonardo da Vinci in person for a once in a lifetime interview.

Finazzer Flory, brought Leonardo da Vinci to life through makeup and costume, answered a myriad of questions from the Journalist with da Vinci's own words taken from his various notebooks. The questions went through a range of topics, from art, science, nature, music, religion, etc. that it was difficult to keep track of how them without the luxury of recording the interview or at least taking down notes.

All of da Vinci's dialogue was taken directly from his writings which was from the Renaissance era making it hard even for a native, contemporary Italian speaker to comprehend immediately. Some of his responses were so profound that one has to spend a little more time with it and ponder on its meaning. But the Journalist went on with the next question, not giving the audience to let da Vinci's words sink in especially upon realizing that while they were written more than 500 years ago, they still very much resonate in present times.

The play began with the journalist posing a question about the Mona Lisa. After more than an hour of going through various topics, the interview went full circle going back to Mona Lisa. When the anticipation is at its highest, when the audience felt like a bomb is going to be dropped and the mystery surrounding the Mona Lisa would finally be unearthed, the play ends with the question, still unanswered. I guess that makes this portrait, considered to be among the most precious in the world, remains insanely popular up to this day.

RAd's Page Turners | Leonardo's Notebooks

Prior to the events commemorating Leonardo da Vinci's 500th death anniversary, I wasn't even aware that he wrote extensively. So the play served as a launching point to know more about da Vinci's writings and Leonardo's Notebooks: Writing and Art of the Great Master looks like a good next step.

The book collects his writings from his voluminous notebooks, along with some of his art, detailing his artistic and intellectual pursuits. A wide range of da Vinci's interests are covered in here ranging from human figures, light and shade, perspective and visual perception, anatomy, botany and landscape, geography, the physical sciences and astronomy, architecture, sculpture, and inventions.

Also included is commentary and insight by art historian H. Anna Suh who also served as editor of this publication.

Ross Salvosa conducts piano teachers workshop, masterclass

Canada based pianist and pedagogue Dr. Ross Salvosa will hold a piano teachers workshop and a piano masterclass this January 30-31, 2020 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Mounted by the CCP Artist Training Division, the workshop and masterclass, collectively billed as Path of Least Resistance, will focus on developing strong musical and technical foundation from early beginner to advanced level.

The piano teachers workshop happens on January 30, 2020 from 9:00 AM up to 6:00 PM is split into three modules namely Path of Least Resistance at 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM, Creating vs. Regurgitating at 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM, and Road to Parnassus at 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM.

The piano masterclass, which is open to pianists, will take place at the following day on January 31, 2020 from 9:00 AM up to 6:00 PM. Both the piano teachers workshop and the piano masterclass will take place at the CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater).

Ross Salvosa is one of the most sought-after teachers in the Pacific Northwest. He is a seasoned adjudicator and has served in the juries of national and international piano competitions including the Seattle International Piano Festival and Competition and the National Music Competitions for Young Artists. He is renowned for developing prodigious talents from early formative ages to professional artists. He frequently gives masterclasses in Canada, USA, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and the Philippines. He is the director of the Concord Institute of Performing Arts in Vancouver-BC and also an artist-faculty at the Chopin Academy of Music in Issaquah-Washington. He is a senior advisor to the board of the Vancouver Clef Music Society and has served as artistic director of the Music Without Borders Society.

He received his Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of British Columbia and was recipient of the Mildred Johnson scholarship award under the guidance of Corey Hamm, Sara Buechner, Mark Anderson, Kenneth Broadway and Ralph Markham. He earned is Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Conservatory of Music at Lynn University on a full scholarship under the tutelage of Roberta Rust. He also studied with Philip Evans, Maria Rosa Oubiña, Frida Conn, Reynaldo Reyes, Emilio del Rosario, Mauricia Borromeo, Perla Suaco, Ruby Salvosa, Abelardo Galang and Artemio Panganiban.

For more information and reservations, contact the CCP Artist Training Division at ccp.artist.trainng@gmail.com or call 8832-11125 loc. 1605.

SORA Ensemble, PPO concert: a musical mix of sweet and spice (plus a dash of confusion)

SORA Ensemble, Yoshikazu Fukumura
and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

The program for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra season concert featuring the SORA Ensemble from Japan already promised a diverse offering with music from Dmitri Shostakovich, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Arturo Márquez that were totally unlike each other. This whirlwind of a program plus the confusion during the encore that I found amusing, all contributed for a memorable evening.

SORA Ensemble
bassoonist Rei Ishiguro, cellist Keiichi Yamada, violinist Kana Kobayashi,
and oboist Hiromasa Iwasaki

The evening kicked off with Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major Op. 70, a work that is appreciated more once taking into account the historical background behind the piece. Knowing how Shostakovich once fell out of Stalin's favor with this piece and how the revisionists view this currently, I couldn't help but wished for more a belittling character, dissent, and irreverence with how the PPO delivered this piece. I think that I was the only one who tried to contain his laughter once the trombone introduced the marching theme played by the piccolo.

By comparison, the Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major, Op. 84 Hob. I/105 by Franz Joseph Haydn might have seemed quite bland and unexciting when compared to the Shostakovich that preceded it. But having the soloists from the SORA Ensemble, composed of oboist Hiromasa Iwasaki, bassoonist Rei Ishiguro, violinist Kana Kobayashi, and cellist Keiichi Yamada, provided interest and a needed breath of fresh air and lightness with their conversational approach to their solo parts.

Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

PPO Music Director and Principal Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura had a memorable outing with Arturo Márquez's Danzón No. 2 in a previous concert and he was poised to deliver more spice with two of the Mexican composer's dances namely Danzón No. 7 and Danzón No. 8. By then, it seemed to me that the Haydn served to cleanse the palette in preparation for the Danzóns, with No. 7 featuring rich textures while No. 8 evoking an exotic take on Ravel's Bolero.

These two pieces were greatly appreciated by the audience and with the night still quite young, an encore of Danzón No. 2 was so imminent that I could almost hear the clarinet opening of that sultry music. But a bit of confusion regarding the score, which was not at the conductor's podium but rather offstage, forced Fukumura to do a repeat of Danzón No. 7 instead. The puzzled look of the harpist, who was already positioned at the piano, upon hearing a different piece was priceless and this became an inside joke to those who figured out this amusing detour.

The Kingmaker documentary holds Philippine premiere at the CCP

Amid the buzz and the outrage about the now infamous dinner tribute to Imelda Marcos given by the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Chairperson and Board of Trustees came the public announcement that The Kingmaker, the critically acclaimed documentary by Emmy Award winning filmmaker/photographer Lauren Greenfield will have its Philippine premiere in all places, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines itself this January 29, 2020.

The Kingmaker explores the disturbing legacy of the Marcos regime and examines the Marcos family's improbable return to power in the Philippines. 

Since its world premiere at the 2019 Venice Film Festival, it has been screened at the 2019 Telluride Film Festival, Toronto, and London Film Festivals and has garnered a Writers Guild Nomination, as well as three Critics Choice Nominations and the Critics Choice honor for the “Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary”.

The documentary will have a 3:00 PM matinee and 7:30 PM Gala screening this January 29, 2020 at the CCP's Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater). After the screening, there will be a talk back with the film representative and other guests from different sectors.

The Philippine premiere of The Kingmaker is presented by Cultural Center of the Philippines in cooperation with the De La Salle University-Taft. The screening is part of the CCP Arthouse Cinema program

For more information, call the CCP Film, Broadcast and New Media Division at 8832-1125, local 1705 & 1712. For ticket inquiries, call the CCP Box Office at 8832-3704, or TicketWorld at 8891-9999.

Jazzing up the mazurka with Artur Dutkiewicz

Jazz pianist Artur Dutkiewicz

Polish jazz pianist Artur Dutkiewicz brought his own brand of jazz to the Philippine shores through a series of performances and an improvisation workshop during a recent visit in the country.

The highlight of his trip was a solo piano concert held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. At the concert, billed as Impromazurka, Dutkiewicz, known as the "Ambassador of Polish Jazz", was at his element jazzing up not just classical music but the Polish folk dance mazurka.

Artur Dutkiewicz and
Embassy of Poland's Chargé d'affaires
Jaroslaw Szczepankiewicz

Dutkiewicz gave new life to the popular second movement theme of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 and Ignacy Jan Paderewski's Nocturne in B flat major, Op. 16 No. 4 and Minuet in G, Op. 14, No. 1. After the opening measures that established these pieces, he then jazzed up the chords and developed these themes through jazz improvisations taking the audience to a ride of different moods and vibes before settling back to the piece's familiar arrangements.

Artur Dutkiewicz

This was the same when he performed his own compositions of mazurkas, a Polish folk dance in triple meter with the accent uncharacteristically falling on the second or third beat, fused with rhythms from various places that he has traveled to.

Jaroslaw Szczepankiewicz and Artur Dutkiewicz

Speaking of travels, the concert also marked the Philippine premiere of Alexander Tansman's Les Iles Philippines, the sixth piece of Le Tour du Monde en Miniature. It was written in 1933 by Tansman after a concert world tour that included the Philippines in the early 1930s. The piece characterized by idyllic folk themes recalled Tansman's impression of the country while he was here. Dutkiewicz's performance of this piece at the concert had him expanding the work with his signature jazz improv touches. 

With a program that was made up of mostly Dutkiewicz's work and improvisations, it was not easy to figure out the character of the pieces especially when he segued from one to another further blurring the lines. By the second half, I decided just to get myself lost to the music and allowed myself to be brought to whatever place his music took me.

Dutkiewicz's concert and subsequent workshop not only brought the Polish jazz to the Philippine shores but also reintroduced Poland to the country through the Embassy of Poland headed by Jarosław Szczepankiewicz.

CCP stages Donizetti's opera masterpiece Lucia di Lammermoor

Before the onslaught of the sickeningly sweet and saccharine Valentines Day offerings, experience something tragic, classic, and definitely operatic with Lucia di Lammermoor, the opera masterpiece with music by Gaetano Donizetti and libretto by Salvadore Cammarano, to be staged on January 31, 2020, 8:00 PM and February 2, 2020, 3:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Rustan Group of Companies, the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., and the Embassy of Italy Manila, this production marks the return of international Filipino tenor Arthur Espiritu, portraying the role of Edgardo, to the CCP Main Theater stage since 2012's  Il Barbiere di Siviglia.

Arthur Espiritu and Melody Louledjian

CCP President Arsenio Nick Lizaso recalled how impressed he was with Arthur Espiritu when he saw his Special Concert Series back in September 2018 and that he deserves to be seen at a bigger stage in a full opera production as opposed to a recital.

Joining Espiritu is French-Aremenian soprano Melody Louledjian singing the titular role of Lucia. This opera will both serve as her Philippine debut and also her debut with the role of Lucia. At the press conference, Louledjian admitted that she has been preparing for this role and was just waiting for the opportunity to portray it someday. And now that the opportunity has come and in Manila of all places, she considers these as "presents".

Arthur Espiritu and Melody Louledjian

Despite not having worked together before, both Espiritu and Louledjian felt chemistry right away during their first rehearsal together. Louledjian owed it to the "magical language of music", despite saying not a word, "you feel like you have an answer from your partner" which Espiritu agreed with.

Rounding up the international cast are Korean baritone Byeong-In Park (Enrico), Filipino tenor Ivan Nery (Arturo), Chinese bass Shi Zong (Raimondo), mezzo-soprano Camille Lopez-Molina (Alisa), Nomher Nival (Normanno), and the Viva Voce Lab choral group along with guest singers from various music schools in Manila and Iloilo.

Camille Lopez-Molina, Byeong-In Park, Arthur Espiritu, Melody Louledjian,
Vincenzo Grisostomi Travaglini, and Prince Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra provides live orchestral accompaniment with Maestro Alessandro Palumbo conducting.

This opera also sees the return of director, set and costume designer Vincenzo Grisostomi Travaglini and assistant director Prince Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong, the same duo from the 2017 production of L'Elisir d'Amore. Other members of the creative team include Giovanni Pirandello (Lighting Director and Giampaolo Lomi Ormanni (Creative Project Coordinator).

Camille Lopez-Molina, Byeong-In Park, CCP President Arsenio J. Lizaso,
Italian Ambassador Giorgio Gugliemino, Arthur Espiritu, Melody Louledjian,
Rustan Group of Companies Chairman & CEO Zenaida Tantoco,
Vincenzo Grisostomi Travaglini, and Prince Sisowath Ravivaddhana Monipong

The performances of Lucia di Lammermoor will benefit the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc. (PPOSI) and the Philippine Italian Association (PIA) Endowment Fund.

Lucia di Lammermoor is presented in cooperation with Hilton Manila, SSI Group, Inc., East West Bank, San Miguel Corporation, LCS Group of Companies. The opera is made possible also through the help of the following Supporters of Arts and Culture: Hermes, Danny Dolor, Ambassador and Mrs. Antonio M. Lagdameo, Rustan Coffee Corporation, and Advanced Foundation Construction Systems Corporation. MAC Cosmetics Philippines is the official make-up sponsor.

Explore different worlds with Chinese cinema at the 14th Spring Film Festival

Celebrate the Year of the Rat with Chinese films and more at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall this January 19 to 26, 2020. Leading the festivities is the 14th Spring Film Festival with its lineup of 6 Chinese contemporary films to be screened for free at the Shang's Red Carpet.

Explore the different worlds through  Chinese cinema, from the historical, mythical, and even the musical, with this year's lineup that includes the sequel of the legendary tale The Monkey King 2/西遊記之孫悟空三打白骨精, the superhero parody Jian Bing Man/煎餅侠, the historical epic The Great Wall/长城, the sci-fi thriller Battle of Memories/记忆大师, the music filled high school comedy Our Shining Days/ 闪光少女, and the animated feature Little Door Gods/小门神.

Marjorie Manabat
Director of the Ricardo Leong
Center for Chinese Studies

Apart from the film screenings, other events and attractions are lined up like the Confucius Institute Painting Exhibit which will be on view throughout the festival. Usher in the Year of the Rat on January 25 with Chinese music courtesy of the Philippine Cultural College Chinese Orchestra and a Wu Shu and Lion Dance by the Northern Rizal Yorkiin School starting at 2:00 PM. Dip your brushes and learn from the masters at the Painting Workshop by the Art Association of the Philippines led by its President, Master Fidel Sarmiento and Vice President Roger Santos happening on January 26, 2020, 2:00 PM.

Here are more information about the films to be screened at the 14th Spring Film Festival.

The Monkey King 2/西遊記之孫悟空三打白骨精

Director: Cheang Pou-Soi

Cast: Aaron Kwok, Li Gong, Shaofeng Feng, Shenyang Xiao, Him Law, Fei Xiang, Kelly Chen

When a travelling monk is stranded in a wasteland, The Monkey King must escort him across the land to retrieve sacred scriptures and protect him from an evil demon.

Jian Bing Man/煎餅侠

Director: Da Peng

Cast: Da Peng, Mabel Yuan, Liu Yan

A story of a disgraced actor struggling to find a way back to the top, finding the meaning of true friends on the way.

The Great Wall/长城

Director: Zhang Yimou

Cast: Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe, Andy Lau

In ancient China, a group of European mercenaries encounters a secret army that maintains and defends the Great Wall of China against a horde of monstrous creatures.

Battle of Memories/记忆大师

Director: Leste Chen

Cast: Huang Bo, Xu Jinglei, Duan Yihong, Yang Zishan, Ann Hsu

After undergoing a procedure to erase his memories, a successful author begins having unexplained recollections relating to a series of unsolved murders.

Our Shining Days/ 闪光少女

Director: Wang Ran

Cast: Lulu Xu, Yuchang Peng

A youth inspirational film, about how a group of high school students try to revive Chinese orchestra ensemble. They face many challenges along the way to compete nationally, including a rivalry with the more popular Western orchestra club.

Little Door Gods/小门神

Director: Gary Wang

There's a crisis in the Chinese Spirit World -- humans don't believe in gods anymore! A Door God, facing unemployment, ventures into the human world to prove his worth, leading to unexpected encounters and transformations for humans and spirits alike.

Here is the schedule for the 14th Spring Film Festival.

January 19, 2020

3:00 PM Our Shining Days

5:10 PM Little Door Gods

7:30 PM The Monkey King 2

January 20, 2020

2:55 PM The Great Wall

5:10 PM Jiang Bing Man

7:30 PM The Monkey King 2

January 21, 2020

3:00 PM Little Door Gods

5:20 PM Our Shining Days

7:30 PM Battle of Memories

January 22, 2020

2:45 PM Jiang Bing Man

5:00 PM The Monkey King 2

7:30 PM Our Shining Days

January 23, 2020

2:50 PM Our Shining Days

5:00 PM Battle of Memories

7:30 PM Little Door Gods

January 24, 2020

2:45 PM The Monkey King 2

5:15 PM The Great Wall

7:30 PM Jiang Bing Man

January 25, 2020

2:40 PM Battle of Memories

5:10 PM Little Door Gods

7:30 PM Our Shining Days

January 26, 2020

3:00 PM Our Shining Days

5:10 PM Little Door Gods

7:30 PM The Monkey King 2

The 14th Spring Film Festival is presented by Ateneo de Manila University’s Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of the Philippines, the Shangri-La Plaza and Red Carpet Cinema with the cooperation of Film Development Council of the Philippines, Ateneo Celadon, ChinoyTV, and Credit Suisse.