Ravishing Ravel of Dechosa and Petrushka’s abrupt ending

Pianist Ariel Dechosa and conductor Olivier Ochanine

Featuring:

Ariel Dechosa, piano

Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Programme:

Franz Joseph Haydn

     Symphony No. 100 in G major, Hob. 1/100 Military

Maurice Ravel

     Piano Concerto in G

Igor Stravinsky

     Petrouchka

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra greeted the year 2015 with a concert that featured a ravishing Ravel by pianist Ariel Dechosa and a Petrushka that ended rather abruptly. With the concert staged at the Meralco Theater once again due to the Cultural Center of the Philippinesbeing home to yet another touring musical for the most of January, I had no choice but to endure the horror of traveling along EDSA. But after the Christmas break and the papal visit, it was really nice to be back at the symphony.

The concert opener, Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 100 in G major, Hob. 1/100 Military, had a rather tentative start by the orchestra led by music director and principal conductor Olivier Ochanine. I guess that it’s harder to begin a quiet, soft and unassuming introduction than a loud, strong phrase like that of Beethoven’s Fifth. Thankfully, everything went smooth sailing once the winds kicked in at the Allegro. One of the most interesting aspects of this symphony was the use of “Turkish” instruments namely the bass drum, cymbals and triangle at the second and fourth movements. While I was watching, I couldn’t help but be amused upon remembering that this caused quite a sensation back then when it is nothing out of the ordinary right now.

Oddly, Ariel Dechosa’s take on Maurice Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G also had an incoherent start by the orchestra. The whip/slapstick that should’ve jolted an unprepared member of the audience sounded so distant as if the percussion section were offstage. And in yet another head scratching moment for me, the Dechosa on the piano overpowered the orchestra which is usually the other way around especially at performances at the CCP Main Theater. But I wasn’t complaining since I no longer had to struggle trying to hear the piano parts which were played magnificently especially during the dreamy second movement. I wish that this reverie would never end but Ravel decided to bring us back to the frenzy of the first movement in the all too brief closing section of the piece. Dechosa impressed the audience with such an energetic finish that he continued on with his encore of George Gershwin’s Prelude No. 1 in B flat major.

The second half of the concert was devoted to Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka, which was a nice contrast to the Haydn opener. Familiarity with the ballet from which this music was from benefited me greatly while listening to the orchestra. As they went on from each tableau, I had no trouble imagining the story of Petrushka unfold and couldn’t help but feel torn since I’m not sure whether to root or feel sorry for the puppet. As the orchestra neared the part where Petrushka dies at the hands of the Moor, his rival for the ballerina’s affections, the orchestra suddenly stopped. Then, there was a stray applause. But Olivier relaxed, releasing the tension in his shoulders, which is a sign that the piece has ended. I could only join the applause in confusion, checking the souvenir program once again confirming that the omission of the final parts of Petrushka wasn’t a misprint. The abrupt end definitely rattled me as my favorite moment, the mocking trumpet dialogue in the keys of C and F# during apparition of Petrushka followed by quiet pizzicato notes to end the piece wasn’t played at all.

RAd with Ariel Dechosa and Olivier Ochanine

I couldn’t recall being bothered like this at a concert. The omission left an itchy feeling that I desperately needed to scratch. And to get this off me, I had to play the omitted parts from a recording that I have as soon as I got home.

Pianist Ariel Dechosa performs Ravel in PPO’s January concert

January 23, 2015, 8:00 PM

Meralco Theater

Ortigas Avenue

Pasig City

Featuring:

Ariel Dechosa, piano

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Programme:

Franz Joseph Haydn

     Symphony No. 100 in G major, Hob. 1/100 Military

Maurice Ravel

     Piano Concerto in G

Igor Stravinsky

     Petrushka

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra greets the New Year as it features pianist Ariel Dechosa in its subscription series concert on January 23, 2015, 8:00 PM at the Meralco Theater.

Concert lineup for the evening includes Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 100 in G major, Hob. 1/100 Military, Maurice Ravel's Piano Concerto in G with Dechosa as soloist, and Igor Stravinsky’s Petrushka. PPO’s principal conductor and music director Olivier Ochanine conducts.

Pianist Ariel Dechosa

Born in Manila, Ariel Dechosa began his piano studies at age ten. Three years later, after winning the National Music Competition for Young Artists in Manila, he entered as a full scholar at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where he subsequently earned his Bachelor and Master of Music degrees under the tutelage of Prof. Arkady Aronov. Upon graduation, he was given the prestigious Harold Sauer-Award, the highest prize bestowed to a graduating pianist.

He continued his studies at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore where he earned a Graduate Performing Diploma as a student of Boris Slutsky. He has taken regular master classes with Leon Fleisher, Paul Badura-Skoda, Vladimir Feltsman, and Ruth Laredo.

Mr. Dechosa won Third Prize in the 1996 Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition, Third Prize in the 1994 Santa Barbara Symphony International Piano Competition, First Prize in the 1993 Five Towns Competition, and First Prize in the 1991 Great Neck Symphony Young Artists Competition.

An active soloist and chamber musician, he has performed in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Merkin Hall, and Corcoran Gallery of Art, among others. He has played with the Northwest Sinfonietta in Seattle and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra performing Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto. He has also been invited to perform at music festivals in the La Schola Cantorum Piano Series in Paris, Merano Festival in Italy, and the Lasker Music Festival in North Carolina.

Ariel resides in Inwood, West Virginia with his wife Vivian, and teaches at Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland. He is currently the Music Director of Inter-Atlantic Music Foundation based in the USA and Bulgaria.

Ticket prices:

P1500 Orchestra Center, Loge Center

P1200 Orchestra Side, Loge Side

P500 Balcony

-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

PPO IV: Ariel Dechosa’s Return

Pianist Ariel Dechosa

Featuring:

Ariel Dechosa, piano

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Programme:

Maurice Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 68

Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

The programme lineup that principal conductor and music director Olivier Ochanine prepared for the December concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cultural Center of the Philippines wasn’t the usual holiday fare that one would expect at this time of the year. Instead, a delicate and restrained orchestration of a piano suite dedicated to fallen friends, an intimate piano concerto that broke new ground during its time and a symphony that vindicated a composer’s return to form after a disastrous previous outing were the pieces that got performed. The PPO didn’t stray at all from their theme of epic evenings for their 29^th Season in this concert but five musicians from the brass section played a handful of Christmas tunes at the lobby before the doors to the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) were opened prior to the concert.

Some members of the PPO brass section

I think that it’s good that they’ve let the audience have a bit of Christmas cheer before the concert started since the programme was a bit exhausting and emotionally heavy. The opening piece, Maurice Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin wasn’t the usual opener like an overture that can easily hook a listener and put him in high spirits right away. This piece, starting with an exquisite oboe solo accompanied by wispy string passages, was elegiac and hinted of lament and of grief. Not necessarily epic in scope, it was in fact somber and devoid of any heavily emotive and sweeping strings and actual fireworks. Even the end of this piece didn’t have that triumphant note that eliminated grief and finding happiness in the end. I did find this piece very understated and that it actually took me more than just one listening to fully grasp how deftly the orchestration was done.

After the Ravel piece, I was glad that it was finally time for Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 68. As someone who plays the piano, I always look forward to piano concerto performances although I do admit that this piece didn’t excite me at all when I first heard it. The intimate and more refined nature of this work initially turned me off. And it didn’t help that the numerous times that I’ve seen this piece performed were done by music students who weren't able to sell this concerto. But throughout the years, the piece eventually grew on me which I hoped is a sign of maturity and I yearned to see this played by a competent pianist. And I couldn’t be happier this evening when Ariel Dechosa delivered an excellent rendition of this piece. Despite playing on a piano that was less than ideal, his mastery and proficiency with this shone through especially during the tender moments in the first and second movements. And the third movement with the playful dialogue between the piano and the orchestra was such a delight to hear that I finally managed to enjoy a live performance of this piece. And this is coming from me who had an aversion for the fourth concerto since I actually preferred the third and the fifth.

Conductor Olivier Ochanine

The last piece of the night was Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 and it was a test of endurance not just for the orchestra but also for the audience as well. Many people love the theme of the Adagio in the third movement but they had to wait patiently for the first two movements to end in order to get there. The first was not just a long one, but it was  brooding and gloomy as well like how the weather was during the previous week before this performance. Ochanine told me before that they were playing the uncut version of this piece and yet they eventually had to shorten the first movement. But the wait was worth it once the third movement came and it was another moment when I wished that I've taken my clarinet playing seriously. The sweeping strings, familiar to many people, immediately followed by a sublime clarinet solo brought out the Romantic in me. And I fully understood once again why this piece was requested by a lot of people when Ochanine asked for what they wanted the PPO to play this season. It wasn't easy to listen to since I couldn't just skip over to the movement that I prefer but it felt like a badge of honor being able to sit through this piece.

I found it amusing that I tried to guess what the orchestra was going to play for an encore. I knew that they already prepared something since the tubular bells were already set up although none of the pieces in the programme required that instrument. So I knew right away that they would be using that for the encore just like the last concert with the piano. And it was Leroy Anderson's Christmas Festival that they played which was also part of their during their Christmas concert at the Peninsula Manila a couple of weeks before this. To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled with this piece since it didn't match the excitement of their encore pieces from the previous concerts. But I did understand the need for a Christmas piece and also an easy one to perform since the orchestra was already very tired after the grueling Rach symphony.

Finally, despite being already exhausted, Oli Ochanine was very kind and still managed to give a very brief message for the readers of this blog.

Pianist Ariel Dechosa plays Beethoven with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Pianist Ariel Dechosa

December 16, 2011, 8:00 PM

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila

Featuring:

Ariel Dechosa, piano

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Programme:

Maurice Ravel Le tombeau de Couperin

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 68

Sergei Rachmaninoff Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Finally, it’s piano concerto time once again with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. I initially had some reservations with the piece though when I first read about it since it’s one of the most commonly played pieces especially by piano majors during recital season. But this time around, US based pianist Ariel Dechosa will be returning to the CCP stage to show these piano majors how Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 68 is done. Dechosa is a capable pianist who has won several competitions (NAMCYA awardee, 3rd prize at the 1996 Frinna Awerbuch International Piano Competition, 3rd prize at the 1994 Santa Barbara Symphony International Piano Competition, 1st prize at the 1993 Five Towns Competition, and 1st prize at the 1991 Great Neck Symphony Young Artists Competition). He currently teaches at Gilman School in Baltimore, Maryland and is also the Music Director of Inter-Atlantic Music Foundation based in the USA and Bulgaria. Now, I just need to know if he’ll be conducting a masterclass during his visit here.

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Other pieces to be performed during this evening are Maurice Ravel’s Le tombeau de Couperin and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27. The Rachmaninoff symphony has one of the most well loved melodies and a lot of people requested this to be played hence its inclusion to the programme lineup this season. So consider this concert as a Christmas gift of the PPO to its avid supporters. The Ravel piece on the other hand is the unfamiliar piece of the concert for me. But as I’ve always said, there is always a first time for everything and this will be my first time in hearing this particular piece performed live.

Ticket prices:

P1000 Orchestra Center

P800 Orchestra Side

P500 Balcony I Center

P350 Balcony I Side

P200 Balcony II

50% student discount

20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:

CCP Marketing Department 832-1125 loc. 1806

CCP Box Office 832-3704

TicketWorld 891-9999