PPO stage comeback in French-Ship concert

Adrian Nicolas Ong, Kyongmin Nam Fiel, Michaël Cousteau,
and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra 

When the final somber measures of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony faded into silence at the February 2020 season concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, no one in the audience expected that this would be the last thing they would hear before everything was brought to a close by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, the orchestra had to make do with online performances in their respective living spaces. When restrictions eased a bit, members were able to perform as small groups in online recitals. And of late, the entire orchestra was able to tour parts of Luzon via outreach programs wherein they played light classical fare mixed with pop pieces that appealed to the general public.

Finally after two years and almost five months, the PPO find themselves back inside the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater, flexing their muscles performing an all classical program. All this thanks to A French-Ship Concert, a music event in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Philippine-French diplomatic relations.

Michaël Cousteau and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Under the direction of Michaël Cousteau, no longer a stranger to the PPO owing to previous guest conducting stints in 2009, 2002, and 2019, the orchestra showed no signs of rust as they breezed through Claude Debussy's dreamy Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune/Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. The late addition of Antonio Molina's Hatinggabi to the program featuring violinist Adrian Nicolas Ong also posed no problem for the PPO.

But the biggest drama of the night went to the performance of Camille Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33. There was a scramble to find a new cellist when Giancarlo Gonzalez, the previously announced soloist, tested positive for COVID-19. Finding a replacement for a concert happening in a matter of days was no easy feat. Some approached cellists declined but someone eventually stepped up to the plate. And that someone is Kyongmin Nam Fiel.

Hailing from South Korea, Nam-Fiel is no longer a stranger to the French Embassy's events. She has performed with her now husband Dingdong Fiel live scoring La Passion de Jeanne D’Arc/The Passion of Joan of Arc, France's entry at the 2018 International Silent Film Festival and at Après un rêve, the opening of the online edition of Les Jeudis culturels in 2020.

Nam Fiel's performance of the Saint-Saëns concerto, more reserved and less flashy, kept those who were aware of the circumstances figuratively holding their breaths and at the edge of their seats considering that this piece had no break in between movements. There was an almost palpable collective sigh of relief once she got through her final notes. Debuting with the PPO as a last minute replacement is no easy feat, but Nam Fiel rose to the occasion and has made this concert a truly memorable one for the books.

Kyongmin Nam Fiel, Michaël Cousteau, and Adrian Nicolas Ong

The final piece, Maurice Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye/Mother Goose, featured a greater variety of moods that stretched the PPO further. With a few tentative solos and some passages that could have been tighter, the orchestra showed that they have yet to return to peak form. But one has to remember that this was the PPO's first concert with a full classical program in almost two and a half years. They may have scraped of the rust, but they have yet to gain the endurance and that consistency that a full concert demands.

Overall, this was a fitting return of the PPO to the CCP Main Theater. This concert led to questions about the orchestra's 2022-2023 concert season. With the search for the new principal conductor/music director still ongoing, the upcoming season will feature a rotation of guest conductors. It will not be surprising if we see Michaël Cousteau have another return engagement with the PPO as well as Adrian Nicolas Ong and Kyongmin Nam Fiel to be featured soloists once again but under more favorable circumstances this time.

A French-Ship Concert

A French-Ship Concert in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Philippine-French diplomatic relations was presented by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.