Russian romantic music opens MSO 2016-2017 Concert Season

June 4, 2016, 8:00 PM

Power Mac Center Spotlight

Circuit Makati

Featuring:

Brian Howrey, saxophone

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:

Modest Mussorgsky

     Dance of the Persian Slaves from Khovanshchina

Alexander Glazunov

    Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra in E flat major, Op. 109

Aram Khachaturian

     Spartacus Ballet Suite No. 2

Alexander Borodin

     In the Steppes of Central Asia

     Polovetsian Dances from Prince Igor

A slew of Russian music and the latter third of Beethoven’s immortal symphonies highlight the Manila Symphony Orchestra’s 2016-2017 Concert Season. The new season, billed as 90 in celebration of the orchestra being 90 Years Young, starts with the inaugural concert, entitled Russian Romanticism, happening on June 4, 2016, 8:00 PM at the MSO’s new gala concert venue: the Power Mac Center Spotlight in Circuit Makati.

Led by the MSO’s principal conductor and music director Arturo Molina, the concert will feature music by Russian composers namely Modest Mussorgsky, Alexander Glazunov, Aram Khachaturian, and Alexander Borodin.

American saxophonist Brian Howrey joins the MSO this evening in a rare performance of Glazunov’s Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra in E flat major, Op. 109. The saxophone, invented back in 1840 by Adolphe Sax wasn’t utilized as an instrument in symphonic works during the Romantic era. It was only during the early 20^th century that the instrument started to find its way in works that are now part of the standard orchestral repertoire. Most people nowadays would typically associate the saxophone with jazz music or with marching bands rather than classical music. This is what makes the Glazunov concerto truly interesting because it is deeply rooted in Russian romanticism and there’s nothing jazzy in it despite being composed in 1934, a time when jazz music was already in full swing.

Saxophonist Brian Howrey

The rest of the music during this concert, Mussorgsky’s Dance of the Persian Slaves from Khovanshchina, Khachaturian’s Spartacus Ballet Suite No. 2, and Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia and Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor highlight another aspect of the Romantic era which is Exoticism. Composers at the time made music that depicted the music of faraway places, taking the listener to exotic realms. The combination of unforgettable and exotic melodies, along with crafty orchestration helped cement these works and their respective composers to be among the pillars of Russian Romanticism.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra’s remaining Season Gala Concerts will feature more music by Russian composers like Dmitri Shostakovich and Igor Stravinsky. The last three symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven will also be performed in each of the remaining concerts with the monumental 9^th Symphony with soloists, choir, and all at the season finale.

Ticket prices:

P1250 Patron

P850 Gold

P650 Silver

For inquiries:

Carlos Garchitorena 523-5712, (0917) 861-2275, info@manilasymphony.com

TicketWorld 891-9999

Fukumura delights in latest PPO concert

RAd and conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura

Featuring:

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Yoshikazu Fukumura, conductor

Programme:

Gioachino Rossini

     Overture from Semiramide

Franz Joseph Haydn

     Symphony No. 82 in C major, Hob. 1/82 The Bear

Maurice Ravel

     Ma mère l'Oye

Aram Khachaturian

     Waltz, Romance and Gallop from Masquerade Suite

Japanese conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura brought his A-game as he led the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra for the third straight guesting in as many years. Fukumura, who is becoming somewhat a regular guest conductor, delighted the audience at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) with his boundless energy at the penultimate concert of the orchestra's 32^nd Sound Kaleidoscope season. 

Right off the bat, Fukumura demonstrated the vivacity in conducting with the concert opener, Gioachino Rossini’s Overture from Semiramide, a light yet explosive overture from an otherwise dark and tragic opera. Next, the PPO played Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 82 in C major, Hob. 1/82, also known as The Bear. The last of the Paris Symphonies to be published, the orchestra was crisp, clear and precise remaining true to the spirit of Haydn. This rendition showcased another side of Fukumura as he took on a symphony from the Classical era after doing  the Romantic era Brahms 2 and Beethoven 2 in his previous concerts here. With these two pieces that comprised the first half of the concert, Fukumura conducted the orchestra without the aid of the score.

The second half started with Maurice Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye based on various fairy tales like Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast and Tom Thumb. More flowing, subdued, and restrained compared to the previous two pieces, this suite also had more color, texture and an Eastern flavor with the contrabassoon, celesta, xylophone, and glockenspiel having notable moments. And while the earlier part may be a bit of a snoozer, it nonetheless climaxed with such heart warming and flourishing strings that I couldn't help but sigh deeply when it was all over.

After the Ravel piece, It felt as if his seemingly boundless energy was getting drained. But it looked as if he got hold of a second wind when the orchestra some selections from Aram Khachaturian's Masquerade Suite. The dark Waltz had more pronounced dynamics, with Fukumura crouching to signal piano that further heightened the crescendo. Then, the pae slowed down with the wistful Romance before picking up again with an uninhibited Gallop. It's safe to say that the audience liked the Waltz the best since Fukumura opted to play the latter part of it for an encore. This gave me an opportunity to savor his conducting which is always a delight to see.

Fukumura returns once again for PPO's March concert

March 20, 2015, 8:00 PM

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

Cultural Center of the Philippines

CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila

Featuring:

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Yoshikazu Fukumura, conductor

Programme:

Gioachino Rossini

     Overture from Semiramide

Franz Joseph Haydn

     Symphony No. 82 in C major, Hob. 1/82 The Bear

Maurice Ravel

     Ma mère l'Oye

Aram Khachaturian

     Masquerade Suite

One of the most dynamic conductors for me to watch, Yoshikazu Fukumura from Japan, returns once again to lead the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in their concert on March 20, 2015, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

The concert lineup for the evening consists of Gioachino Rossini’s Overture from Semiramide, Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 82 in C major, Hob. 1/82 The Bear, Maurice Ravel’s Ma mère l'oye, and Aram Khachaturian’s Masquerade Suite.

Recognized as one of the famous maestros in Japan, Yoshikazu Fukumura is the former music director of the Tokyo Ballet, Kyoto Municipal Symphony, and Nagoya Philharmonic. He received a national recognition in Japan for conducting the NHK TV Concert Series entitled ‘Music of the World’ in 1970. He has also conducted the Japan Philharmonic, New Japan Philharmonic, Tokyo Symphony, Tokyo Philharmonic, Yomiuri Japan Symphony, Osaka Philharmonic, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony, Gunma Symphony, Sapporo Symphony, Kyushu Symphony, and other well-acclaimed performances abroad, including Europe, Latin America, and in Asia. He has found a huge satisfaction in working with Asian orchestras - from making recordings to conducting festivals and subscription concerts in almost all parts of Asia. He was assigned as the first chief conductor of ASEAN Symphony Orchestra - consisting of 80 musicians carefully selected from some of the ASEAN countries, at the 17th ASEAN summit in Hanoi in October 2010 as supported by the Nippon Foundation.

Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura

Fukumura has been the Honorary Principal Guest Conductor of the Cuba National Symphony Orchestra since 1995. Under the support of the Japanese embassy in Cuba, he collaborated with the Cuba National Symphony Orchestra in September 2011 for the Great East Japan Earthquake mourning concert along with violin soloist Ryu Goto and oboist Keisuke Wakao. Popular for conducting charity concerts, Yoshikazu Fukumura was appointed as the music director for the charity concert of the special orchestra in support to the Association of the Blind in Phnohm Penh, Cambodia in the same year.

Ticket prices:

P1500 Orchestra Center

P1200 Orchestra Side

P800 Extreme Orchestra Side

P500 Balcony I Center

P400 Balcony I Side

P300 Balcony II

-50% student discount

-20% senior citizen discount

+applicable service charges

For inquiries:

CCP Marketing Department 832-1125 local 1806

CCP Box Office 832-3704

TicketWorld 891-9999

MSO III: Re-formation

Diomedes Saraza Jr. with the Manila Symphony Orchestra

Featuring:

Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:

Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 Reformation

Antonino Buenaventura By the Hillside

Aram Khachaturian Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 46

The Manila Symphony Orchestra has been having a remarkable season so far with their past two concerts enjoying great attendance and positive feedback. And the momentum continued with their third concert of the season to the point that they even mounted a matinee concert which is an interactive one catered to students and newcomers. But I wasn’t able to see that one since it was the evening concert that I had planned to watch.

Despite the lousy weather and a slight fever, I still managed to arrive at the Philam Life Auditorium to see this concert since I couldn’t afford to miss a live performance of the Aram Khachaturian’s violin concerto which I haven’t seen before. And having Diomedes Saraza Jr. as the soloist just made it more difficult to pass this up and I didn’t mind getting more sick the day after by attending this concert.

After having guest conductor Thanos Adamopoulos during the MSO’s previous concert, Arturo Molina resumes conducting duties for this one. Normally, a symphony would not be the ideal concert opener but they stuck to the reformation theme and started the evening with Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 also known as Reformation which is in line with the orchestra’s 10^th year anniversary since its rebirth. This piece is one of Mendelssohn’s works that I’m not really familiar and as always, I’m open to the idea of knowing more in the world of classical music.

The next piece that was played was Antonino Buenaventura’s By the Hillside and this is one Filipino piece that is regularly played. This may be a short piece compared to the Mendelssohn symphony but it sounds more epic which was how the orchestra played it this evening due to the excellent acoustics of the Philam Life Auditorium. I remember that they played this piece before and I wasn’t able to appreciate it back then because of the less than ideal acoustics.

Diomedes Saraza Jr. greets the audience after the concert

I had to admit that the real reason why I risked getting sicker to attend this performance was Diomedes Saraza Jr.’s take on Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 46. I’ve been very much interested on seeing live performances of Khachaturian’s concertos and I’ve recently seen pianist Rene Dalandan perform the piano concerto. That’s one ticked off the list and I couldn’t be happier that the violin concerto would just come a few weeks later.

This piece had a more exotic flavor to it compared to other concertos and Saraza, wearing an equally unusual white suit with black shirt underneath, played with like he owned the piece. Whoever would perform this next would have a hard time matching the high standard that Saraza Jr, the MSO and conductor Molina have set with this performance. The audience wouldn’t let Saraza Jr. perform just the concerto so they demanded encores from him and he obliged with a piece from tango legend Carlos Gardel entitled Por una Cabeza which he played with the Orchestra. And then he showed why he is one of the most promising young violinists in the country with an effortless rendition of Eugène Ysaÿe’s Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 27.

Violinists Diomedes Saraza Jr. and Gilopez Kabayao

This evening was one of those moments when I go into a concert feeling not so well, but for a couple of hours, the music and the atmosphere inside the hall gave me an extra dose of strength and I forget that I was actually a bit sick. As expected, I felt worse the day after and was unable to go to any events scheduled for that day. But that’s just a small price for me to pay considering what I’ve witnessed the night before.

An Evening of Piano Concertos with Rene Dalandan

Rene Dalandan with FILharmoniKA

Featuring:

Rene Dalandan., piano

FILHarmoniKA

Gerard Salonga, conductor

Programme:

Franz Liszt Les Préludes

Johann Sebastian Bach Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050

Franz Liszt Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S.124

Aram Khachaturian Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op.38

A pianist performing two piano concertos in one concert is already more than enough for me. But Rene Dalandan decided to push things further by performing three piano concertos accompanied by FILharmoniKA conducted by Gerard Salonga during his recent concert with held at the Philam Life Auditorium. A little over a month ago this concert, I was able to talk to Gerard Salonga and he told me about this concert but I had no idea at that time who Rene Dalandan was. But I was able to see him when he watched Reynaldo Reyes’ concert a couple of days before he had his own. There had been times when there’s a drought of piano performances but now, piano concerts are back with a vengeance and I just wish that I’d be able to keep up with all of them.

The main draw of this concert for me was Khachaturian’s piano concerto which is one of the composer’s three concertos that I’ve been waiting to see performed live. But this piece was slated to be performed last which meant that I had to sit through the rest of the prepared programme before getting to this part. The concert started with orchestra playing Les Préludes by Franz Liszt which was quite fitting since the music world is celebrating the 200^th birth anniversary of this composer. But while this piece was being played, I was already prepping myself for the piano concertos. And this also made me realize that it had been many months since I last saw a live performance of FILharmoniKA.

Finally the piano concerto portion of the concert started with Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Many know that Baroque music is not really my cup of tea but I still decided to listen closely and I was able to take note of the interesting set up with violinist Rechelle Alcances and flutist Benjamin Velasco Jr. who both had major parts in this piece. It is really odd that despite my previous aversion towards Baroque music, I am starting to appreciate it more and more with every performance of music from that era. Although the major catch is that I prefer to have the keyboard part performed on an actual harpsichord instead. Again, my thought during this performance was that it would’ve been a lot nicer if Dalandan played the piece on a harpsichord instead.

Rene Dalandan

The second piano concerto performed was the Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S.124 by Franz Liszt which is still in line with the celebrations surrounding his birth. I still remember the last time I saw a live performance of this piece which was just a couple of months before this and I wondered how many more times I would hear this again before the year ends. Seriously though, this was the time when I started enjoying the concert. I felt that Dalandan performed this concerto with flair and was in total command which gave the piece the character that I was looking for whenever this is performed.

Finally my most awaited part of the concert came on the second half which was the performance of the Piano Concerto No. 1 in D flat major, Op.38 by Aram Khachaturian. Ever since I first heard a recording of this piece, I’ve always wanted to see it performed live and now the chance finally came. This was truly the highlight of the evening as Dalandan managed to exceed my expectations. All I could say about is that any subsequent performance of this concerto had to measure up to Dalandan's rendition or else I’d be disappointed.

Rene Dalandan with guests

His encore was a heartfelt rendition Franz Liszt’s Consolation No. 3 in D flat major, S. 172 that he played as a tribute to his mentor Aida Sanz Gonzalez who passed away just weeks prior to the concert. I had to note that I saw Rene Dalandan a week later when he watched Noli Me Tangere, the Musical along with Cris Villonco’s family. It is such a small world after all. But I do hope that the audience for classical music concerts and musicals get larger.

Diomedes Saraza Jr. to headline Re-formation with the Manila Symphony Orchestra

August 27, 2011, 8:00 PM

Philam Life Auditorium

UN Avenue, Manila

Featuring:

Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Arturo Molina, conductor

Programme:

Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 5 in D major, Op. 107 Reformation
Antonino Buenaventura By the Hillside

Aram Khachaturian Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 46

Diomedes Saraza Jr. is no stranger to me and the rest of the Pinoy Violinist group. I, along with many members of the group remember fondly his memorable performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra earlier this year and since then, we couldn’t wait to see one of the most promising young violinists in the country perform once again. And now, the time has almost arrived as Saraza Jr. performs with the Manila Symphony Orchestra in its 3^rd concert of its season entitled Re-formation to be held at the Philam Life Auditorium this August 27, 2011 at 8:00 PM. What makes me really interested in this concert is Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 46 which remains to be the only violin concerto in my playlist that I have yet to see performed live.

Diomedes Saraza Jr.

The other pieces that the MSO under the baton of Arturo Molina has prepared for this evening are Antonino Buenaventura’s By the Hillside and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 5 which is also known as Reformation. This symphony is in keeping with the theme of the concert celebrating the 10^th year anniversary of the rebirth of the MSO after it disbanded for some years due to lack of support. So not only does the MSO continue the celebration of its 85^th year, but is also commemorates another milestone in its rich history. The previous concerts for this 2011 season had been very successful and I do believe that this upcoming concert continues the MSO’s streak.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra

Ticket prices:

P1000 Orchestra Center

P800 Orchestra Side

P500 Loge 

50% student discount

20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:

MSO Secretariat 523-5712, (0917) 366-2651