Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng lends golden touch at PPO concert

Conductor Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng, the Serenade to Music soloists,
and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra 

The latest performance of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra proved that a woman's touch is indeed golden as guest conductor Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng led the orchestra in what has been the most buzz worthy concert of the season so far.

Any fears that interest would wane after the concerts of the five shortlisted conductors have finished were unfounded as this Shangkuan-Cheng's outing was a sold out affair. The talk for this engagement intensified with the announcement of three pieces by Filipina composers in the program which was very much welcomed unlike the usual, almost token Filipino pieces that were performed earlier in the season.

The trio of pieces by the Filipina composers started with Marie Jocelyn Marfil’s Pyagsawitan Wedding and Harvest which was a rhythmic delight, abundant with percussion from indegenous instruments to the col legno of the strings before giving way to a somber, reflective finish. Next was National Artist for Music Lurcrecia Kasilag's Festival from Philippine Scenes, a short piece that captured the mood of a fiesta complete with shouting from the male members of the orchestra that ended with an exclamation point by the gong. Lastly, Denise Santos' The Light of Extreme Darkness was very cinematic, lush, nd ultimately uplifting.

The enthusiastic reception these pieces got was a stark contrast to the muted, even averse, reaction that some contemporary works have received in the past.

The other piece that got a lot of attention was Ralph Vaughan Williams' Serenade to Music that featured some of the country's finest vocalists namely Bianca Lopez-Aguila, Stefanie Quintin, Mary Louise Macanaya-Alcantara, Sheila Marie Ferrer, Paul Ryan Arcolas, Maria Blanca Krystl Buesa, June Gonzaga, Mia Ariana Tanciongco, John Philip Bautista, Ervin Lumauag, Kevin Maske, Tomas Umbero Virtucio, Jr., Nil's Flores, Kris Gonzales, Lawrence Jatayna, and Jed Marcelo who were each given a chance to shine in solos to this piece with text from William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.

The second half of the concert consisted of Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92. Familiarity with this often performed piece offered the chance to scrutinize further the Met's acoustics. The projected sound's lack of depth that has been noticed before became more apparent, with the lower strings not projecting well. With the upper strings dominating, the overall sound felt shrill and shallow. The double bassists were having a riot during the finale but they were barely audible, unless one shuts out the other sections and focus solely on them.

Conductor Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Despite the Met's acoustics letting down what could have been a very enjoyable Beethoven, the concert as a whole was still a success based on Shangkuan-Cheng's performance and excellent programming. The improvement in acoustics by the ceiling panels is not enough and the Met stage is begging for an entire acoustic shell.

The PPO 38th concert series wraps up next month and hopefully, the next PPO Music Director/Principal Conductor will be announced by then.