PPO stage comeback in French-Ship concert

Adrian Nicolas Ong, Kyongmin Nam Fiel, Michaël Cousteau,
and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra 

When the final somber measures of Tchaikovsky's 6th Symphony faded into silence at the February 2020 season concert of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, no one in the audience expected that this would be the last thing they would hear before everything was brought to a close by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since then, the orchestra had to make do with online performances in their respective living spaces. When restrictions eased a bit, members were able to perform as small groups in online recitals. And of late, the entire orchestra was able to tour parts of Luzon via outreach programs wherein they played light classical fare mixed with pop pieces that appealed to the general public.

Finally after two years and almost five months, the PPO find themselves back inside the Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater, flexing their muscles performing an all classical program. All this thanks to A French-Ship Concert, a music event in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Philippine-French diplomatic relations.

Michaël Cousteau and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Under the direction of Michaël Cousteau, no longer a stranger to the PPO owing to previous guest conducting stints in 2009, 2002, and 2019, the orchestra showed no signs of rust as they breezed through Claude Debussy's dreamy Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune/Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. The late addition of Antonio Molina's Hatinggabi to the program featuring violinist Adrian Nicolas Ong also posed no problem for the PPO.

But the biggest drama of the night went to the performance of Camille Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Op. 33. There was a scramble to find a new cellist when Giancarlo Gonzalez, the previously announced soloist, tested positive for COVID-19. Finding a replacement for a concert happening in a matter of days was no easy feat. Some approached cellists declined but someone eventually stepped up to the plate. And that someone is Kyongmin Nam Fiel.

Hailing from South Korea, Nam-Fiel is no longer a stranger to the French Embassy's events. She has performed with her now husband Dingdong Fiel live scoring La Passion de Jeanne D’Arc/The Passion of Joan of Arc, France's entry at the 2018 International Silent Film Festival and at Après un rêve, the opening of the online edition of Les Jeudis culturels in 2020.

Nam Fiel's performance of the Saint-Saëns concerto, more reserved and less flashy, kept those who were aware of the circumstances figuratively holding their breaths and at the edge of their seats considering that this piece had no break in between movements. There was an almost palpable collective sigh of relief once she got through her final notes. Debuting with the PPO as a last minute replacement is no easy feat, but Nam Fiel rose to the occasion and has made this concert a truly memorable one for the books.

Kyongmin Nam Fiel, Michaël Cousteau, and Adrian Nicolas Ong

The final piece, Maurice Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye/Mother Goose, featured a greater variety of moods that stretched the PPO further. With a few tentative solos and some passages that could have been tighter, the orchestra showed that they have yet to return to peak form. But one has to remember that this was the PPO's first concert with a full classical program in almost two and a half years. They may have scraped of the rust, but they have yet to gain the endurance and that consistency that a full concert demands.

Overall, this was a fitting return of the PPO to the CCP Main Theater. This concert led to questions about the orchestra's 2022-2023 concert season. With the search for the new principal conductor/music director still ongoing, the upcoming season will feature a rotation of guest conductors. It will not be surprising if we see Michaël Cousteau have another return engagement with the PPO as well as Adrian Nicolas Ong and Kyongmin Nam Fiel to be featured soloists once again but under more favorable circumstances this time.

A French-Ship Concert

A French-Ship Concert in celebration of the 75th Anniversary of Philippine-French diplomatic relations was presented by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, the Cultural Center of the Philippines, and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.

A thoughtfully woven program in PPO's tribute to Hector Berlioz

Violist Rey Casey Concepcion, conductor Michaël Cousteau,
and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra paid tribute to French conductor Hector Berlioz in the occasion of the French composer's 150th death anniversary through a concert led by guest conductor Michaël Cousteau.

Conductor Michaël Cousteau and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Embassy of France, and Stores Specialists, Inc, the concert featured a thoughtfully woven program consisting of music by Berlioz and some of his contemporaries.

French Ambassador Nicolas Galey, soprano Rachelle Gerodias, conductor Michaël
Cousteau, violist Rey Casey Concepcion, baritone Byeong-In Park,
and CCP Board Member Baltazar Endriga

Right off the bat, Berlioz presence was felt with his orchestration of the French National anthem performed by the PPO (that included three timpanists) and sung by real life couple Rachelle Gerodias and Byeong-In Park.

The program started with Wagner's Prelude from Tristan und Isolde WWV 90. This piece is usually followed by the Liebestodt but in this evening, it surprisingly segued to Berlioz' Harold en Italie, Op.16 H. 68 instead that had me double checking the souvenir program to see if there hadn't been any mistake. The entrances and exit of violist Rey Casey Concepcion throughout the piece provided a bit of theatricality in the performance which is quite melancholic and relaxed as opposed to the explosive concerto. But Concepcion still delivered a display of technical virtuosity with his encore of Capriccio in C minor, Op. 55 'Hommage à Paganini' by Henri Vieuxtemps.

The second half of the concert consisted of Berlioz' Scène d'amour from Roméo et Juliette, Op. 17, H. 79 and Franz Liszt's Les préludes, S. 97. It was not easy listening to these pieces which aren't really my cup of tea. And being program music, it would've helped greatly knowing the context of the pieces. But I was later told Cousteau had a lecture at the Les Jeudis Culturels the night before explaining the musical connection between these pieces. It made me regret not attending the lecture so that I would've had a greater understanding and appreciation of the PPO's performance in this concert.

Songs and Symphony with the PPO

Conductors Michaël Cousteau and Agripino Diestro

Featuring:

Maria Krissan Manikan, soprano

Myramae Meneses, soprano

Jade Riccio, soprano

Elainne Marie Vibal, soprano

Ivan Niccolo Nery, tenor

Emmanuel de la Rosa, tenor

Jilllbert Chua, baritone

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Michaël Cousteau, conductor

Programme:

Cesar Franck Symphony in D minor

Jacques Offenbach Nous venons, arrivons de tous les pays du monde from La vie parisienne

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

     Protegga il giusto cielo from Don Giovanni

     Prenderò quel brunettino from Così fan tutte

     Fra gli amplessi from Così fan tutte

George Bizet

     Nous avons en tête une affaire from Carmen

     Mêlons! – Coupons! from Carmen

Giuseppe Verdi

     Parigi, o cara, noi lasceremo from La Traviata

     Libiamo ne'lieti calici from La Traviata

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s 29^th concert season has just recently concluded but they still had another performance entitled Songs and Symphony with the PPO at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) barely a week later. French conductor Michaël Cousteau led the PPO in a FrancoPhil event organized by the Embassy of France, the Alliance Française de Manille and Rustan's featuring voice students who were chosen from auditions that were announced months ago. This concert was the culminating activity that marked the end of the weeklong workshop that the chosen students took under the guidance of Stephane Werchowski and Florence Guignolet, two French voice experts from the Paris Conservatoire de Rayonnement Régional.

Ralph Timmermann, French Ambassador Gilles Garachon, Richard Künzel

and Ricarda Künzel

The first part of the programme consisted of the orchestra playing Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D minor. When I found out that this was the symphony to be played in this concert, I tried to make myself acquainted with it since I’ve never heard it before. During the course of my studies regarding this piece, I learned that the French didn’t warm up to the symphonic form compared to other countries in the region, hence the very limited number of such works from French composers. And sadly, the piece didn’t get through me at all despite my efforts. The orchestra performed it competently under the baton of Cousteau, but figuring out the cyclic nature of the work and also feeling that the second movement, notable for its use of the English horn, was alright, they still weren't enough for me to place this piece among those that appeal to me, let alone include it among one of my favorites. I guess that this was just one of those moments that the music didn’t connect to me at all. This is all a matter of preference since someone among the audience may have this certain piece as his or her favorite.

On the second half of the programme, the chosen participants had their moment to shine. The students who took the masterclass and performed at this concert were Maria Krissan Manikan, Myramae Meneses, Jade Riccio, Elainne Marie Vibal, Ivan Niccolo Nery, Emmanuel de la Rosa, and Jilllbert Chua. At first, I was a bit worried since the song selection wasn’t announced prior to the concert and I do like going into a concert knowing what was to be performed. My worry increased when I learned that the songs to be performed, arias by Offenbach, Mozart, Bizet and Verdi, were not just mostly unknown to me and but they are also in another language. But Florence Guignolet made things very accessible by employing lots of humor in this section. I must admit though that I got lost in whatever the narrative was since one song segued into the other. While I was confused with whatever the story was, the performers looked very comfortable and clearly enjoyed their moment on stage. Despite not having the technical competence of the professional opera singers, they performed with reckless abandon and without any restraint. This fun section of the program continued on up to the encore of Oui, voilà la vie parisienne by Offenbach from La vie parisienne.

Stephane Werchowski and Florence Guignolet with the masterclass participants 

The audience and the rest of the French Embassy officials, including the new Ambassador Gilles Garachon were pleased with the result of the workshop and the concert. I’ve heard some talk at the lobby making this an annual affair. If that is the case, voice students should already prepare for the next round of auditions.

French conductor Michaël Cousteau returns for songs and symphony with the PPO

April 28, 2012, 8:00 PM

Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater)

CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila

Featuring:
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Michaël Cousteau, conductor

Programme:

Arias by Offenbach, Mozart and Bizet

Cesar Franck Symphony in D minor

It was during the last concert of the 2008-2009 Transymphonia Season when French maestro Michaël Cousteau conducted the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in a concert entitled French Connection. This concert featured an all-French repertoire with Dr. Raul Sunico playing Camille Saint-Saëns Piano Concerto No. 5. And after three years, Cousteau returns once again to conduct the PPO in a concert called Songs and Symphony with the PPO this April 28, 2012, 8:00 PM at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). This concert is the culminating activity of the week long voice masterclass given to Filipino singers by two voice experts of the Paris Conservatoire de Rayonnement Régional: Stephane Werchowski and Florence Guignolet. The concert will feature arias by Offenbach, Mozart and Bizet and also Cesar Franck’s Symphony in D minor.

Conductor Michaël Cousteau

Songs and Symphony with the PPO is a FrancoPhil event  organized by the Embassy of France, the Alliance Française de Manille and Rustan's, with the support of the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Air France-KLM, BPI, Pernod Ricard Philippines, the Philippine Choral Directors Association,  le Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Paris (département supérieur pour jeunes chanteurs, le jeune choeur de Paris).

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Ticket prices:

P600 Orchestra Center

P500 Orchestra Side

P300 Balcony I

-50% student discount

-20% senior citizen, AFM members and for persons with disabilities discount

For inquiries:

CCP Box Office 832-3704, 832-3706

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