Francisco
Santiago Hall
Featuring:
Richard Bamping, cello
ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra
Gerard Salonga, conductor
Programme:
Johannes Brahms Tragische
Ouvertüre, Op. 81
Edward Elgar Cello
Concerto in E minor, Op. 85
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68
The
ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra Spotlight Series’ final offering this year
features the return of Richard Bamping, the Principal Cello of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, this September
20, 2014 , 8:00 PM at the
Francisco Santiago Hall at the BDO Corporate
Center Makati .
Richard
Bamping joins the orchestra and its principal conductor/music director Gerard Salonga in a performance of Edward Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E
minor, Op. 85, one of the most performed cello concertos ever. Two of
Johannes Brahms works, Tragische Ouvertüre, Op. 81 and Symphony
No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 will also be performed on this
night as well.
Richard
plays with a cello made by Andrea Guarneri from year 1674, one of the only
eight surviving of his work. And it will be fascinating to hear how this
priceless instrument sounds when he plays the Elgar Cello Concerto.
 |
| Cellist Richard Bamping |
In
an e-mail interview, I was able to ask Richard a few questions about the concerto
he is scheduled to perform.
I was able to see you back in 2010 when you
performed Dvořák's Cello Concerto with FILharmoniKA. What were your memories
regarding that concert? And what are you looking forward to in your return
performance in Manila
What
I remember from my last visit to Manila
was really dedicated music making from a bunch of really friendly people! As a
musician who is still a music lover, this is an ideal recipe from which to
create a tasty dish! I can't wait to hear what we can cook up this time...
What can you say about Elgar's Cello
Concerto? What makes this piece very special and what does it mean to you?
The
Elgar concerto is very special to me in that it was the piece of music which
made me want to play the cello when I was 6 years old. It was Jacqueline
du Pré’s recording which I heard on my 6th Birthday and I begged my parents for
a whole year to buy me a cello which I got for my 7th Birthday.
This piece has long been associated with
THE Jacqueline du Pré. How does a cellist approach this piece knowing that it
could possibly be measured against du Pré's definitive performance?
I
LOVE Jacquie's recordings of the Elgar, but I don't really see any recording or
performance as definitive. Great music is by its own durability going to be
interpreted many times by many people. For instance, Jacquie takes many
famous liberties with tempi and rubato where Elgar specifically asks for
something else. In fact it’s very interesting to learn the concerto from an
academic standpoint. Elgar was an amazingly accurate composer who notated every
tiny detail of interpretation in his music. Often, when one listens to Elgar
one thinks it is one gigantic piece of romantic rubato but to see it written
down, you realise that he had an idea for every micro second of the piece. It’s
almost like Mahler or Stravinsky in this respect. I've been living with
this piece for the past 35 years - I definitely have something to say about it :)
I learned from Gerard Salonga that the Elgar Cello Concerto was the first item to
be programmed for this concert. And rather than frame it, he chose pieces that
would offer the biggest sense of resolution at the end of the concert. Hence,
by the last movement of Brahms Symphony No. 1, Gerard hopes that the first time
the orchestra plays the theme in C major, everyone (orchestra and the audience)
will be hit by an overwhelming feeling of joy (pun intended by Gerard).
The Spotlight Series is the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra’s chain of concerts highlighting masterpieces from world
renowned composers, performers and music masters.
Ticket
Prices:
P1200
Orchestra Premium
P1000
Orchestra Regular
P600
Balcony
For inquiries:
Karlo
Cea 415-2272 local 2409, (0937) 410-3242
TicketWorld 891-9999
