Soprano Mheco Manlangit, tenor Radnel Ofalsa, conductor Herminigildo Ranera at PPO season finale

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's Metamorphosis finally nears its completion with its season finale happening on April 28, 2023, 8:00 PM at the Metropolitan Theater.

Conducting the season ending concert is the PPO's Resident and Associate Conductor Herminigildo Ranera whose composition, Lola Basyang Miniature Suite, makes its world premiere on this night.

Two of the country's most promising singers, soprano Mheco Joy Manlangit and tenor Radnel Del Rio Ofalsa, will be the concert's featured soloists performing various arias including L'espoir renaît dans mon âme from Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice, Prendi, per me sei libero from Gaetano Donizetti’s L'elisir d’amore, Si, ritrovarla io giuro from Gioacchino Rossini’s La Cenerentola, Je dis que rien ne m’epouvante from Georges Bizet’s Carmen, and Quoi! vous m'aimez? from Donizetti’s La fille du regiment.

Other music to be performed at the concert includes Dmitri Shostakovich's Festive Overture, Op. 96 and Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95, B. 178, From the New World.

This concert caps the PPO's 38th performance season dubbed Metamorphosis that saw five conductors take to the podium in their quest to become the PPO's next Principal Conductor and Music Director.

David Gómez-Ramírez mesmerizes at PPO season opener

Conductor David Gómez-Ramírez and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra 

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra opened its 38th season with flair as Spanish conductor David Gómez-Ramírez sets the tone for the season and also the standard for the rest the shortlisted conductors gunning for the position of PPO's Music Director/Principal Conductor

The concert had a mesmerizing start with Redentor Romero's Philippine Portraits handled deftly and reverently by Gómez.

He also led the orchestra to a very confident showing of Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88 bringing much needed optimism and cheer to an audience who had waited for more than two years for the resumption of the PPO's season. While the Dvořák symphony is an often played, repertoire staple, Gómez delivered a magnificent display of colors and textures that made this piece sound fresh and exciting.

By the time of the encore, Gómez both had the orchestra and the audience at the palm of his hands via a masterful rendition of the Intermedio from La Boda de Luis Alonso by Gerónimo Giménez.

The only blemish in what might have been a flawless outing was the performance of Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102 by Dmitri Shostakovich with Clement Acevedo as the piano soloist. At times, the orchestra was not in sync with Acevedo despite the pianist opting for a more relaxed and less frantic pace with this concerto. The orchestra's unfamiliarity with this piece was apparent by how tentative they were, lacking the cheekiness and playfulness that this defines this concerto. Thankfully, the sublime second movement showcased what a capable pianist Acevedo is which was also evident with his encore, a nostalgic take on Evocación from Iberia Book 1 by Isaac Albéniz.

Despite the misstep with the concerto, the PPO still had a promising start to the season. Display materials at the venue also made it known that the PPO's final two concerts of the season will be conducted by Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng on March 17, 2023 and Associate Conductor Herminigildo Ranera on April 28, 2023.

PPO's 38th concert season features music director/principal conductor hopefuls

After a couple of years of online and outreach performances, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra finally announced the return of their concert season, entitled Metamorphosis, to be held this September 2022-April 2023 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo and also at the Manila Metropolitan Theater.

The PPO's 38th Concert season will also feature five of the shortlisted conductors who are up in the running to be the orchestra's next Principal Conductor/Music Director.

David Gómez-Ramírez

Opening the season on September 16 is Spanish conductor David Gómez-Ramírez. Last seen with the PPO as guest conductor back in 2018, he has worked with many professional orchestras around the world. He has been chief conductor of the Sagunto Symphony Orchestra, and guest conductor in important orchestras as València, Seville, Madrid, Oviedo and outside of Spain, in France, Portugal, United Kingdom, Mexico, Russia, Romania, Italy, and Vietnam.

Grzegorz Nowak

On October 7, the PPO welcomes Grzegorz Nowak, for the second concert of the season. Nowak, the permanent Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London, UK, was also the Music Director of the Polish National Opera, Warsaw, Poland from 2017-2020 and other orchestras in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA. He has conducted orchestral music recorded in over 80 CDs that have received awards and 5-star ratings.

Noam Zur

Noam Zur leads the orchestra as they perform at the Manila Metropolitan Theater stage on November 11. Since 2017, he was the principal conductor and artistic director of the State Symphony Orchestra of Salta, Argentina. He has over 20 years of professional and conducting experience during which he developed an expansive repertoire in opera, ballet and symphony. He is also a composer and arranger, having recorded his own works in Funkhausorchester des WDR Köln in August 2016 which he conducted as well.

Mark Anthony Carpio

Philippine Madrigal Singers choirmaster Mark Anthony Carpio conducts the PPO on December 16, which will be the last to be held at the CCP before the major rehabilitation of the main building starting in January 2023. Personally handpicked by National Artist for Music Andrea O. Veneracion to succeed her as choirmaster of the Madz, Carpio is one of the most respected figures in choral music and a sought after choral clinician who has given extensive and in-depth workshops all nationally and internationally.

Shizuo Kuwahara

Japanese-American Maestro Shizuo Kuwahara conducts the PPO January 27, 2023. Kuwahara is the First Prize winner of the prestigious Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition in Frankfurt, Germany and Principal Guest Conductor of The Mariinsky Theatre, Russia. Kuwahara has led performances throughout Europe, North and South America, and Asia. He was also an Assistant and Cover Conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony and Orchestra de Paris.

Haoran Li

On February 24, 2023, the PPO will be under the baton of Haoran Li. He was Assistant Conductor of China Philharmonic Orchestra from 2019-2020 and the National Center for the Performing Arts Beijing, China in 2018.

The conductors and programs for the March 17 and April 28, 2023 concerts have yet to be announced.

The September, October, and December concerts will be held at the CCP while the November and performances in 2023 will be at the Manila Metropolitan Theater.

Pianist Clement Acevedo joins PPO 38th concert season opener

Pianist Clement Acevedo joins conductor David Gómez-Ramírez at the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's 38th Concert Season opener this September 16, 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).

Program for the evening includes Redentor Romero's Philippine Portraits, Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102 with Acevedo as the featured pianist, and Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88.

Clement Acevedo

Clement Acevedo is an award winning pianist who has performed in prestigious competitions such as the Heida Hermanns International Piano Competition in Westport, Connecticut, and the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), where he entered semifinalists in both 2004 and 2009. He won the Amati Award at the 2003 Amati Music Festival in Catskills, New York. Also, he has won in concerto contests hosted by the Manila Chamber Orchestra Foundation (MCO), James Madison University (JMU), and the UP College of Music, as well as the Rachmaninoff Piano Competition.

He performed with the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Herminigildo Ranera, the James Madison University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Robert McCashin, and the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra under the baton of composer/conductor Josefino Chino Toledo at the Merkin Hall in New York City, the Taichung National Theater in Taiwan, and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

He has recently accepted the position of Assistant Professor at the UP College of Music and Dance, to teach beginning the Academic Year 2022-23.

RAd's Lockdown Diaries: Bolshoi's The Bright Stream

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic shook the world, the arts and culture scene had been hit hard with live performances getting cancelled left and right, ongoing seasons getting cut short, and upcoming ones becoming uncertain.

As a response, many companies from all over the world uploaded some of their taped performances to be shown online with majority only available to view for a limited time. These offerings have become so numerous that it became a chore trying to weed out those that I really need to watch from those that I unfortunately have to miss.

Anything with the music of Dmitri Shostakovich is definitely a can't miss for me. So when the Bolshoi announced that the The Bright Stream  ballet was to be uploaded, I made sure that nothing else got in my way of it even if it was another streaming online performance happening at the same time.

What was streamed is the 2003 revival by Alexei Ratmansky of the ballet by choreographer Fyodor Lopukhov that premiered in 1935. Shortly after its debut, the ballet, along with Shostakovich, Lopukhov, and co-librettist Adrian Piotrovsky, fell out of favor with the Soviet regime following a scathing editorial published at Pravda.

The ballet was then banned, Shostakovich denounced yet again, Lopukhov stripped of his position as artistic director of the Bolshoi dance company, and poor Piotrovsky was sent to the gulag where he very likely met his end.

All this misfortune is hard to digest after seeing the actual ballet itself that basically revolves around a practical joke played by conspirators made up of some members of a visiting performing troupe and the younger members of the collective farm. The music is one of Shostakovich's most lighthearted and most accessible. And the main conflict is that of a husband falling for the visiting ballerina much to the jealousy of his wife.S uch paper thin plot could not have displeased Stalin that much had Shostakovich not been a repeat offender.

But times have changed and the revival has not only been performed numerous times at the Bolshoi Theatre but has also been performed at the Met, the Royal Opera House, and at the Kennedy Center. And because of the Bolshoi's efforts to make the lockdown more bearable, I was able to see Shostakovich's music brought to life through dance.

RAd's Playlist | Shostakovich: The Limpid Stream, Premier Recording

After seeing the ballet, it was expected that I put into spin the recording that prompted Ratmansky to revive it. Released in 1995 by Chandos, the full score of Shostakovich's The Limpid Stream, Op. 39 was performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Gennady Rozhdestvensky.

MSO closes season with Conicerto de Aranjuez and Shostakovich No. 5

The Manila Symphony Orchestra returns to the Cultural Center of the Philippines for their 2019-2020 concert season finale this February 5, 2019, 2020, 7:30 PM with a performance of the most popular guitar concerto and one of Shostakovich's War Symphonies.

Spanish guitar virtuoso Jacob Codover will be the featured soloist in Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Performances of Dmitri Shostakovich's Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96 and Symphony No. 5 in D minor, Op. 47 make up the rest of the night's program. The MSO's music director and principal conductor Marlon Chen conducts.

The MSO season finale concert will be on February 5, 2020, 7:30 PM at the CCP's Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater).

SORA Ensemble, PPO concert: a musical mix of sweet and spice (plus a dash of confusion)

SORA Ensemble, Yoshikazu Fukumura
and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

The program for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra season concert featuring the SORA Ensemble from Japan already promised a diverse offering with music from Dmitri Shostakovich, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Arturo Márquez that were totally unlike each other. This whirlwind of a program plus the confusion during the encore that I found amusing, all contributed for a memorable evening.

SORA Ensemble
bassoonist Rei Ishiguro, cellist Keiichi Yamada, violinist Kana Kobayashi,
and oboist Hiromasa Iwasaki

The evening kicked off with Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major Op. 70, a work that is appreciated more once taking into account the historical background behind the piece. Knowing how Shostakovich once fell out of Stalin's favor with this piece and how the revisionists view this currently, I couldn't help but wished for more a belittling character, dissent, and irreverence with how the PPO delivered this piece. I think that I was the only one who tried to contain his laughter once the trombone introduced the marching theme played by the piccolo.

By comparison, the Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major, Op. 84 Hob. I/105 by Franz Joseph Haydn might have seemed quite bland and unexciting when compared to the Shostakovich that preceded it. But having the soloists from the SORA Ensemble, composed of oboist Hiromasa Iwasaki, bassoonist Rei Ishiguro, violinist Kana Kobayashi, and cellist Keiichi Yamada, provided interest and a needed breath of fresh air and lightness with their conversational approach to their solo parts.

Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

PPO Music Director and Principal Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura had a memorable outing with Arturo Márquez's Danzón No. 2 in a previous concert and he was poised to deliver more spice with two of the Mexican composer's dances namely Danzón No. 7 and Danzón No. 8. By then, it seemed to me that the Haydn served to cleanse the palette in preparation for the Danzóns, with No. 7 featuring rich textures while No. 8 evoking an exotic take on Ravel's Bolero.

These two pieces were greatly appreciated by the audience and with the night still quite young, an encore of Danzón No. 2 was so imminent that I could almost hear the clarinet opening of that sultry music. But a bit of confusion regarding the score, which was not at the conductor's podium but rather offstage, forced Fukumura to do a repeat of Danzón No. 7 instead. The puzzled look of the harpist, who was already positioned at the piano, upon hearing a different piece was priceless and this became an inside joke to those who figured out this amusing detour.

Japanese ensemble SORA headlines PPO November concert

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra welcomes the SORA Ensemble from Japan for their upcoming concert this November 15, 2019, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). 

SORA Ensemble, composed of oboist Hiromasa Iwasaki, bassoonist Rei Ishiguro, violinist Kana Kobayashi, and cellist Keiichi Yamada, will be the soloists for Franz Joseph Haydn's Sinfonia Concertante in B-flat major, Op. 84 Hob. I/105. Other pieces to be performed at the concert include Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 in E-flat major Op. 70 and Arturo Márquez' Danzón No. 7 and Danzón No. 8. Music Director/Principal Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura will lead the PPO in this performance.

The SORA Ensemble was formed by Hiromasa Iwasaki, the principal oboist of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra and young musicians in 2008. Along with the motto Music at Anytime, Anywhere, they have performed more than a hundred concerts annually to cities, towns and villages in Hokkaido and other parts of Japan, to bring to people the energetic live performances of chamber music, symphony and other ensemble music. Their first album SORA with Hokkaido was released in 2018 commemorating the group’s 10th Anniversary.

Pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria shines in Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky concertos

My apologies if updates with the blog had been extremely scarce of late. People might’ve started to think that there hadn’t been any classical music concerts in here during the past few months. But there had been quite a number in fact, and September is geared to be extremely busy with at least six concerts that I know of.

Just recently, I witnessed the performance of veteran pianist Ingrid Sala Santamaria with the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Professor Arturo Molina. This concert held at the Meralco Theater was in line with the 5^th anniversary celebrations of the First Pacific Leadership Academy.

Sala Santamaria showcased her mastery in pacing oneself as she tackled two of the most popular piano concertos ever: Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23. Performing just one of the two is already taxing for a pianist and for her to do both in a single concert defies belief.

It was forgivable that both concertos were played in a more leisurely, relaxed manner than usual although I admit that there had been times when I wanted her to quicken the tempo as some portions dragged on. I thought that she appeared running out of gas towards the end of the Tchaikovsky but she showed that she still had it in her with her delightful encore of the final movement of Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25, a light, cheerful change from the heavy and brooding Rach and Tchaik.

While Sala Santamaria may no longer possess much of the speed and power of her peak years, she still exhibited sensitivity, musicality, finesse, and majesty. It helps also that she has a regal presence that hasn't diminished at all in time.

Prior to each concerto, conductor Molina led the MSO to a rousing rendition of Mikhail Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Lyudmila and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96.

It pleases me to point out that not only was the Meralco Theater filled to capacity, there was a diverse audience who were present ranging from Imelda Marcos, the regulars at the symphony, dozens of students, and surprisingly, even Gilas Pilipinas, the national basketball team that bagged the gold medal at the recent South East Asian Games.

Those who have missed this concert have other chances to see Ingrid Sala Santamaria as she performs Johannes Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83 with the MSO once again to be conducted by Christoph Poppen this October 14, 2017 at the BGC Arts Center, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. On March 16, 2018, she partners with Raul Sunico in Felix Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra in A flat major with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Olivier Ochanine, PPO deliver challenging Shostakovich Symphony No. 10

Conductor Olivier Ochanine

Concertgoers hoping for a post-Valentine’s night filled with romantic music were probably caught unaware as war music instead echoed inside the halls of the Cultural Center of the Philippines at the latest concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra that reunited them with former principal conductor/music director Olivier Ochanine.

Taking a breather from the PPO’s back to basics season, Olivier presented Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave in B flat minor, Op. 31, Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 in G major, Hob. 1/88, and a major work from the mid-20^th century, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93.

The realization came to me right after the concert that most of the night’s program was war music. I am fully aware of the circumstances that led to the composition and the nature of the Shostakovich symphony but it somehow passed my mind that the Tchaikovsky work is actually a rousing call to arms against the enemy. With the Marche Slave in B flat minor, Op. 31, Olivier wielded the orchestra to convey the primary theme’s increasing intensity. A patriotic and much romanticized take on war, this music didn’t let me feel the horrors and the grim reality of engaging into battle. No wonder it took me some moments to realize the true programmatic nature of this wok.

No traces of war at all could be heard when the PPO performed Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 in G major, Hob. 1/88 which I think is a great example of what a classical era symphony is. Cheerful, light, and sweet as a cotton candy, the PPO breezed through it. Keen eared regulars would’ve noticed how the Finale theme of this symphony was used in Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21.  

The Shostakovich symphony, on the other hand, was in direct contrast with the previous pieces. Filled with tension, defiance, violence, unease, and fear, the shadow of Stalin looms over this piece, offering no sense of relief even if this was completed months after his death. I’ve listened to recordings and watched performance videos numerous times but nothing still compared to experiencing the orchestra bring out the music live. The lower strings continued their streak of sounding rich and robust heard especially during the opening measures and the contrabassoon once again was crisp. Not surprisingly, the solo horn was shaky and had a few hiccups.

Knowledge about the symphony like how it relates to Soviet/Russian history and the rest of Shostakovich’s works, and knowing the "DSCH" and "Elmira" motifs inserted in the music definitely add to my greater appreciation of the piece. Olivier touched upon these during his pre-concert that which made a return for this evening. But even if I strip away all the historical and political context, I could still see and hear the merits of the piece with its structure, the contrasts, and the mood that it communicates.

This performance of the Symphony No. 10 is Olivier’s third Shostakovich symphony with the PPO following the Symphony No. 5 in April 2010 and Symphony No. 1 back in September 2015. I personally dig Shostakovich’s works especially his symphonies, string quartets and concertos even if his music may not be everybody’s cup of tea. For me whose music tastes gravitate towards the 20^th century works and beyond, this concert was a welcome break from the current season’s focus on the classics.

Olivier Ochanine reunites with PPO in February 2017 Concert

Former principal conductor and music director Olivier Ochanine returns to conduct the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra this February 17, 2017, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). This upcoming concert marks the first time Olivier conducts the PPO since their history making performance at the Carnegie Hall in New York, USA back in June 2016.

Music to be performed in this concert includes Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave in B flat minor, Op. 31, Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 in G major, Hob. 1/88, and Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93.

The Shostakovich’s 10^th Symphony was originally scheduled back in September 2015 but it got replaced by Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 around a couple of weeks before the concert much to my dismay. It looks like they’ve finally ironed out the kinks and it’s all systems go for Symphony No. 10 which I will see and hear live for the very first time.

In preparation for this, I watched again The War Symphonies: Shostakovich Against Stalin, a 1997 documentary by Larry Weinstein, re-released in DVD by EuroArts last year. The film focuses on the symphonies preceding the 10^th, in line with the revisionist view that Shostakovich wrote them in opposition to the Stalin regime.

The film features loads of interviews with Shostakovich’s contemporaries, some disturbing archival footage, and also music performed by the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev. Even if one is not familiar with Shostakovich’s music, the documentary serves as a history lesson on how oppressive regimes attempted to silence and/or manipulate artists and how arts and culture was used to serve their means as propaganda.

Granted that Shostakovich’s music has been closely tied to the history of Russia/Soviet Union and this link has given his work a great deal of mystery, intrigue and excitement. But even as one takes away all the political context, his works can stand on their own greatness, with a musical language that is unmistakably his. And I hope that audiences at the upcoming PPO concert will be able to hear Shostakovich’s musical genius as well.

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra 34th Concert Season 2016-2017

Timeless Classics, New Beginnings Concert VI

February 17, 2017, 8:00 PM | Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

Featuring:

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Program:

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

     Marche Slave in B flat minor, Op. 31

Franz Joseph Haydn

     Symphony No. 88 in G major, Hob. 1/88

Dmitri Shostakovich

     Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93

Ticket prices:

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50% discount for students

20% discount for senior citizens, PWD, government and military personnel

For inquiries:

CCP Marketing Department 832-1125 local 1806

CCP Box Office 832-3704

TicketWorld 891-9999

This week in concerts and Shostakovich studies

For those experiencing the post-holiday blues, the classical music performances lined up this week may be the perfect way to perk up the gloomy mood. And if vocal music is right up your alley, then get ready for a vocal performance overload over the next few days.

Marcelo Álvarez as Canio and Turiddu

The Metropolitan Opera Live in HD starts the ball rolling with the screening of a twin bill, Pietro Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana and Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci , happening on January 10, 2017, 6:30 PM at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas. In this new production from Sir David McVicar, tenor Marcelo Álvarez plays the dual roles of Turiddu in Cavalleria Rusticana and Canio in Pagliacci.

This Saturday, there is the tough choice on whether to catch La Voix Humaine or Tatlo. 3 Nations. 1 Voice. The BGC Arts Center Festival and MusicArtes, Inc. presentation of Francis Poulenc and Jean Cocteau’s La Voix Humaine features soprano Kay Balajadia-Liggayu with pianist Rudolf Golez on January 14, 2017, 6:00 PM at the Zobel de Ayala Recital Hall, Maybank Performing Arts Center. This one act opera, an Opera Intima offering by MusicArtes, Inc. will be under the direction of Anton Juan.

Our very own Ateneo Chamber Singers led by conductor Jonathan M. Velasco, the Gaia Philharmonic Choir from Japan, and the SYC Ensemble Singers from Singapore headline the Tatlo. 3 Nations. 1 Voice. on January 14, 2017, 7:00 PM at the Theater at Solaire. Gerard Salonga and the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra will have a special participation in this concert.

Capping the week will be the Opera Gala featuring tenor Arthur Espiritu happening this January 15, 2017, 6:00 PM at the Globe Theater, Maybank Performing Arts Center. Also a presention by BGC Arts Center Festival and MusicArtes, Inc., the concert will see Arthur joined by some of the country’s most promising classical vocalists like Stephanie Aguilar, Noel Azcona, Tanya Corcuera, Kay Balajadia-Liggayu, Ervin Lumauag, Lara Maigue, Krissan Manikan, Anna Migallos, Christian Nagaño, Nomher Nival, Stefanie Quintin, and Marielle Tuason. Collaborating artist in this concert will be pianist Dingdong Fiel. Stage direction will be by Leo Rialp.

The release this week of pianist Boris Giltburg’s upcoming album of Dmitri Shostakovich music has really gotten me excited. Recorded with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, led by conductor Vasily Petrenko, this album includes Shostakovich Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 35 with trumpet player Rhys Owens, and one of my all-time favorites, Piano Concerto No. 2 in F major, Op. 102. This album is truly a great and logical follow up to Petrenko and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s acclaimed recording of the Shostakovich’s 15 Symphonies under Naxos. An added treat in the album is the world premiere recording of Giltburg’s solo piano arrangement of the composer's highly personal String Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110, and the third movement Waltz: Allegro from String Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 68, all done with the permission of Shostakovich’s family.

This album will be released on January 13, 2017 and it will take quite an effort for me to get a physical copy since Naxos albums (and almost all classical music releases by other labels) are not available in record stores locally.

Nevertheless, this album just reinvigorates my desire to dig more about Dmitri Shostakovich’s life and his works. And I think that it’s about time that I devote future blog entries about my journey into the world of classical music aside from the concerts that I watch hoping that readers will also get the spark to take the plunge, go and watch concerts, and do some learning of their own too.

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra to make US debut at Carnegie Hall

June 18, 2016, 8:00 PM

Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage

Carnegie Hall

57th Street and Seventh Avenue, New York, NY

Featuring:

Cecile Licad, piano

Diomedes Saraza Jr., violin

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Olivier Ochanine, conductor

Programme:

Dmitri Shostakovich

     Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96

Jean Sibelius     

     Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47

Sergei Rachmaninoff     

     Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18

Redentor Romero

     Philippine Portraits

In the 33 years that the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra has been in existence, it is quite remarkable to find out that the country’s leading orchestra has never performed in US soil. But come June 18, 2016, all that will change as the PPO makes its US debut at the Carnegie Hall nonetheless. Leading the orchestra in this historic concert is Olivier Ochanine, the PPO’s former music director/principal conductor, who has worked for more than three years to make this project come to fruition.

The evening boasts a formidable program including two major concertos that will feature pianist Cecile Licad and violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr., two of the Philippines’ top caliber artists. Licad will perform Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 while Saraza will tackle Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D minor, Op. 47. Other pieces to be performed are Dmitri Shostakovich’s Festive Overture in A major, Op. 96 and Redentor Romero’s Philippine Portraits.

Licad has performed the Rach 2 with the PPO and Ochanine earlier this year at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater that also saw her perform Tchaik 1 at the same concert. Saraza, on the other hand, had his solo violin concert with pianist Greg Zuniega at the CCP Little Theater just a few weeks prior to that of Licad’s concert.

The PPO’s Carnegie Hall concert/US debut is made possible with the support of Philippine Airlines (the official carrier of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra), Smart Infinity, Rustan’s Commercial Corporation, One Meralco Foundation, with the support of PLDT Smart Foundation, Federal Land, Inc., and Metrobank Card Corporation.

Proceeds from the concert will go to a housing project of the Philippine Disaster Relief Corporation, Inc. in Tacloban for typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) victims.

Ticket prices:

$130

$110

$85

$70

$60

$50

$40

$35

$30

$25

$22.50

For inquiries:

CarnegieCharge 212-247-7800