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| Flutist Jin Ta |
Featuring:
Jin
Ta, flute
Hercules
Santiago, flute
Gary
Silangcruz, flute
Olivier
Ochanine, flute
Kiko
Candelaria, flute
Marie
Poblete, flute
David
Jerome Johnson, flute
Lin
Shumei, piano
Rommel
Cruz, bass
Gian
Vergel, drums
Programme:
Francis Poulenc Sonata
for Flute and Piano
Claude Bolling Baroque
and Blue from Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio
Giulio Briccialdi Flute
Quartet in A major
Friedrich Kuhlau Flute
Quartet in E minor, Op. 103
Astor Piazzolla Oblivion
Paul Taffanel Fantasy
on Themes from Der Freischütz
For
someone like me who isn’t very familiar with the flute repertoire, the Flutopia: A Flute Celebration at the CCP
provided a great opportunity for me to acquaint myself with the instrument. For
two days, the Cultural Center of the Philippines’
was bustling with various activities highlighting the flute that included free
mini-concerts, exhibits, flute repair services, masterclasses and workshops. But
the main highlight of the two day festival was definitely the Gala Concert held
at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) that featured Jin Ta,
principal flutist of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and also pianist Lin
Shumei.
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| Pianist Lin Shumei |
I
only got to know the concert programme only a few hours before the performance
started, so I really had no idea what to expect from the pieces that they’ve
prepared. The concert started with Jin Ta and Lin Shumei performing Francis
Poulenc’s Sonata for Flute and Piano, which is what I expected from this
concert: a sonata featuring the flute while accompanied by the piano. But the
following piece provided a bit of a surprise. The two, now joined by bassist
Rommel Cruz and drummer Gian Vergel performed Claude Bolling’s Baroque and Blue
from Suite for Flute and Jazz Piano Trio which was a delight to hear. An all
too familiar flute passage opened the piece and then was followed by a cool jamming
by the jazz piano trio before joining forces. I started to wonder why I hadn’t
been aware of this piece of music in the first place.
The
two flute quartets that followed also served as an introduction for me of this
chamber music setup. The first quartet was composed by Jin Ta, Hercules
Santiago, Gary Silangcruz, and Olivier Ochanine playing Giulio Briccialdi Flute
Quartet in A major while the second quartet had Kiko Candelaria, Marie Poblete,
and David Jerome Johnson, joining Jin Ta in performing Friedrich Kuhlau’s Flute
Quartet in E minor, Op. 103. I noticed that all the flutists in both quartets
used the standard flute. I wondered how having the same flutes would sound
since I half expected seeing a piccolo and perhaps an alto flute in the mix.
Remarkably, listening to flute quartet music proved not too challenging for me.
I liked how most of the melody/top line played by flute 1 was paralleled
(mostly in thirds) by flute 2 while the other two either provided a counterpoint
or long, sustained low notes. It was indeed like listening to multiple birds
chirping in perfect harmony.
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| Flutist Olivier Ochanine |
In
Astor Piazzola’s Oblivion (featuring the same musicians who did the Bolling
piece) provided a dramatic moment in the concert which was a nice contrast to
the Bolling that they did earlier. But the truly virtuosic piece was the one
that ended the concert, Paul Taffanel’s Fantasy on Themes from Der Freischütz.
I am not familiar at all with Der Freischütz so I feared that I wouldn’t be
able to grasp the themes in this piece. Thankfully, I didn’t need to be
familiar with it to appreciate Jin Ta handling it with such mastery. I was very
impressed towards the end when he maintained a clear melodic line amid a flurry
of ascending and descending arpeggios. For a single voiced instrument, Jin Ta
was able to create multiple layers as if there was another flutist playing with
him. For an encore, Jin Ta and Lin Shumei presented a Filipino piece, Lagi Kitang Naaalala by Levi Celerio. It
may not be a showstopper like the Taffanel but it was an exquisite way to end
the night.
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| Marimbist Aimee Mina-De la Cruz |
I do
think that I’ve learned a lot about the flute during the Gala Concert for the
show presented a very varied repertoire compared to the usual recitals that I’ve
been too. And for those who still didn’t get enough of the flute, they should
not fret for a flute concerto is coming soon courtesy of the opening performance
for the new concert season of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.
