PPO in top form at 'fateful' concert

Jerome Rose and Grzegorz Nowak

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra reached a major turning point under music director/principal conductor Grzegorz Nowak after a stellar performance at its opening concert of the new year.

Performing Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 with American pianist Jerome Rose as the featured soloist, the PPO overcame a sluggish start. But as the concerto progressed, the orchestra started to build momentum as if coaxed by the veteran Rose who tackled the war-horse piano concerto without breaking a sweat. Rose gave a restrained rendition, very calm and composed, and not resorting to distracting theatrics. And as he hit the keys signaling the start of the rondo, it's as if he has gained second wind and carried the orchestra with him.

Grzegorz Nowak and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

What cemented the PPO's return to top form was the stirring performance of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36. Right from the ominous fate motif that opened the piece, the PPO navigated the symphony with aplomb, showcasing the various themes with clarity, making the recurrence of the fate motif more compelling.

The pizzicato of the scherzo was a delight. And the rousing finale showed the PPO meeting the challenge posed by Nowak unlike in previous concerts when the orchestra felt like on the brink of bursting at the seams when pushed to the limits.

There was hardly anything to fault at the PPO's latest outing save for the acoustics of the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. The balance of the orchestra's sound varies wildly depending on one's seat. As much as one nitpicks the acoustics of the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Main Theater, one immediately longs to return to it once let down by how the Samsung Performing Arts Theater sounds.