MSO goes from classical to romantic in From Mozart to Mahler concert this May 30

The Manila Symphony Orchestra goes from classical to romantic for the second concert of its Centennial Season this May 30, 2026, 7:30 PM at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati.

Joshua Dos Santos

Billed as From Mozart to Mahler, the concert sees the return of Venezuelan conductor Joshua Dos Santos to the Philippine stage. Joshua was trained in Venezuela’s trailblazing music program El Sistema and was part of the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra (when it was still a youth orchestra) that went viral online for its Mambo encore at the BBC Proms back in 2007. He has been appointed associate conductor of the Simón Bolivar Chamber Orchestra in 2023.

The concert begins with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra in E-flat major, K. 364 with violinist Emanuel John “EJ” Villarin and violist Christian Wrona as the featured duo taking center stage for this classical piece.

Emanuel John Villarin 

EJ, a student at the Universität für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin, is an award-winning violinist gaining 1st prize at New York Yong Performers Prize in 2021 and the NAMCYA in 2020. He performs with a Gencer Cerit Eskisehir violin.

Christian Wrona

Christian Wrona is a Filipino-Canadian violist, who also studies at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler Berlin. An Asian Youth Orchestra alumnus, Christian is mentored by renowned artists including Tabea Zimmermann and Kim Kashkashian.

Manila Symphony Orchestra

The MSO goes romantic for second part of the concert with Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1 in D major. For this Titan of a symphony that challenges both the orchestra and the audience, the MSO gets joined by select members of the UST Symphony Orchestra. This collaboration is in celebration of the UST Conservatory of Music’s 80th Anniversary and acknowledgment of the ties between MSO and UST. Many past and present members of the MSO have been students and faculty members at UST.

UST Symphony Orchestra

The evening is poised to showcase the precision, clarity, and refinement of the classical period along with the emotional, expansive, and richly textured music of the romantic period.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra’s Concert II – From Mozart to Mahler is presented by the Manila Symphony Orchestra Foundation Inc. and Standard Insurance, along with EastWest Bank, and in partnership with the Austrian Embassy and the University of Sto. Tomas, and media partners the Manila Times, 98.7 DZFE-FM | The Master's Touch, and EON Group.

Violinist Bartek Nizioł, pianist Junhee Kim join PPO for Romanza concert

For this Valentine's Day weekend already overflowing with multiple concerts happening all over the Metro, try something orchestral with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's Romanza this February 13, 2026, 7:30 PM at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati.

Joining PPO music director and principal conductor Maestro Grzegorz Nowak are violinist Bartek Nizioł and pianist Junhee Kim for an evening of music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jeffrey Ching, Henryk Wieniawski, and Maurice Ravel.

Nizioł and Kim will be the soloists for Mozart's Concerto for Violin and Piano in D major, K. Anh. 56/315f. This unfinished piece from 1778 will be completed by Jeffrey Ching, the PPO's composer-in-residence. Romanza sees the world premiere of this Mozart/Ching work.

Nizioł will also have his shining moment on stage with Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Op. 22. Dedicated to celebrated Spanish violinist/composer Pablo de Sarasate, this work is one of the most enduring violin concertos of the Romantic era.

Bartek Nizioł

Violin prodigy Nizioł graduated from the Academy of Music in Poznań. He then resumed his education at the Conservatoire de Lausanne. Apart from winning the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in 1991, Nizioł has coveted awards in several international violin competitions. Nizioł has spent nearly four decades as both a soloist and a chamber musician, with over 20 albums. On numerous occasions, he has performed and recorded with Maestro Nowak.

Rounding up the program is Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé: Suite No. 2 which is music extracted from the ballet of the same name. Stravinsky calls this "not only Ravel’s best work, but also one of the most beautiful products of all French music.”

After the PPO concert, Kim will have a solo recital on February 15, 2026, 7:00 PM at Manila Pianos at Ronac Lifestyle Building, Paseo de Roxas Magallanes, Makati. Prior to that, he is also scheduled to conduct a masterclass on February 14, 2026, 2:00 PM at Pacific Plaza in Makati.

Junhee Kim

South Korean pianist Kim is known for his stage presence, tone, and refined sense of repertoire. Fusing technical mastery with emotional clarity, his musical interpretations showcase fresh perspectives on the classical piano tradition. Currently, Kim curates long-term projects for the Santa Barbara International Music Festival in Sardinia as its artistic director.

In 2025, he commissioned Ching for a reimagined version of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with piano and premiered it at a festival. He later focused on Franz Liszt’s lesser-known compositions and worked with WDR 3 to release Apparitions on Deutsche Grammophon.

Triumph, thanksgiving and Mark Bebbington's return at PPO's November concert

After joining the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in its successful UK tour back in May, British pianist Mark Bebbington returns once again to the Philippines to grace the PPO's upcoming concert this November 14, 2025, 7:30 PM at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati.

Billed as Triumph and Thanksgiving, the fourth concert of the 41st season sees Bebbington perform Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major, Op. 73 which is also known as the Emperor Concerto.

Another highlight of the concert is Sergei Gorchakov's arrangement of Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Hearing the Gorchakov version this time is a welcome change from the wildly popular and most performed arrangement by Maurice Ravel of the Mussorgsky solo piano suite. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Don Giovanni Overture serves as the concert opener.

Mark Bebbington

This upcoming PPO concert marks Bebbington's third time to perform in the country. His first being the opening concert of Maestro Grzegorz Nowak's inaugural season with the PPO back in September 2023 and the second being the send-off concert just in April of this year right before the UK Tour.

Reprinted below is the press release for the concert.

Triumph, Thanksgiving, and timeless classics in PPO Concert IV this November

After a series of performances showcasing technical mastery and global artistry, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) continues its 41st season with CONCERT IV: TRIUMPH AND THANKSGIVING on November 14, 2025, 7:30 p.m., at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati City.

With the passionate Maestro Grzegorz Nowak at the helm, PPO’s Concert IV promises an evening of sweeping emotions and classical brilliance, highlighting the timeless works of master composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Modest Mussorgsky.

A timeless repertoire for the world-class orchestra

The November concert opens with the drama of Mozart’s Don Giovanni Overture, one of the composer’s most celebrated operas. The opera follows the legendary character Don Juan as he seduces women while roaming around Spain with his trusted servant Leporello. Their daring escapades are set to Mozart’s enthralling music.

As it balances sharp wit with the impending consequences of Don Juan’s actions, Don Giovanni Overture displays Mozart’s ingenious ability to weave contrasting elements into one captivating piece.

The program continues with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major, Op. 73. Titled Emperor, this monumental piece embodies the German composer’s interpretation of heroism, as seen through his student and patron Archduke Rudolf. Composed in 1809 when Vienna was under siege by the French, the “Emperor” ultimately shows the triumph of the human soul.

PPO’s Concert IV: Triumph and Thanksgiving concludes the night with Sergej Gorchakov’s orchestral arrangement of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. The composition vividly takes its listeners on a walk through a gallery, inviting them to reflect on the works of Viktor Hartmann. The Russian painter and architect who had died young was a dear friend to Mussorgsky.

Originally written as a piano suite, Gorchakov’s lush orchestration beautifully transforms Pictures at an Exhibition into a gallery of sound.

Bringing classical elegance to life on the piano

Coming back to the country to bring to life the classic masterpieces, internationally recognized pianist Mark Bebbington will perform Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Major, Op. 73.

A certified champion of British music, Bebbington has emerged as one of Britain’s innovative pianists. He had also toured with the London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, and Royal Philharmonic orchestras. His prowess in performances and recordings promises to illuminate Mozart and Beethoven’s majestic passages.

Carrying musical sensitivity, Bebbington previously joined the PPO in its nine-concert tour across the United Kingdom. He was declared a “hidden gem” by the orchestra’s concertmaster and artist-in-residence violinist Diomedes Saraza Jr.

Offering gratitude with melodies

In revisiting a classical repertoire, the PPO underscores its own evolution as a dynamic and world-class ensemble in its 41st concert season. The fourth installment bears the theme “Triumph and Thanksgiving,” reflecting the celebration of artistic excellence and appreciation.

Through Concert IV, the PPO also offers heartfelt gratitude to its audiences who continue to support the orchestra’s mission of bringing classical music closer to every Filipino. Slated on November 14, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater, expect an evening of enchanting melodies with the nation’s premier orchestra.

Tickets for PPO concerts are priced at Php3,000, Php2,500, Php2,000, and Php1,500, available at TicketWorld. For an exclusive 20 percent discount, be a PPO subscriber. Email salesandpromotions@culturalcenter.gov.ph or call the CCP Box Office at +63931-033-0880 to purchase a PPO’s 41st concert season subscription.

For more updates on the PPO and its upcoming performances, visit the CCP’s website (https://culturalcenter.gov.ph/). You may also follow the CCP’s official pages on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for more information.

CCP's The Met: LIVE in HD screens Mozart's Le nozze de Figaro this July

Dive into a comic opera where the female lead doesn't die as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro hits the big screens on July 1, 2025, 5:30 PM at Glorietta 4 Cinema 1 located at the Ayala Center in Makati.

The screening of Le nozze di Figaro is the sixth installment of the 10th season of CCP's Met: LIVE in HD presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., and Ayala Malls Cinemas.

This production by Richard Eyre stars Olga Kulchynska and Michael Sumuel as the lovers Susanna and Figaro respectively. They are joined by Fedrica Lombardi as Countess Almaviva, Sun-Ly Pierce as Cherubino, Elizabeth Bishop as Marcellina, Joshua Hopkins as Count Almaviva, and Maurizio Muraro as Dr. Bartolo.

And making her Metropolitan Opera conducting debut is Joanna Mallwitz, chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin.

Reprinted below is the press release.

CCP’s The Met: LIVE in HD spotlights the melodic genius of Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro” this July

The Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) presents Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s brilliant arias in “Le Nozze di Figaro” as the sixth installment of CCP’s The Met: LIVE in HD - Season 10 this July 1, 2025, at 5:30 p.m., at Glorietta 4, Cinema 1 in Makati City.

Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) centers on servants Figaro and Susanna, who are about to marry. The Count and Countess, each with personal reasons, hope to stop the wedding. While trouble lurks in the shadows, Figaro and Susanna juggle shocking truths with their immense love for each other.

Chasing greater fame and financial security, Mozart based Le Nozze di Figaro on Paisiello’s Il barbiere di Siviglia, which Beaumarchais’s Le Barbier de Séville had influenced. He worked with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte to finish the opera. The then-emperor had refused permission to stage Beaumarchais’s iteration because of its German translation. As a precaution, Da Ponte omitted political content from Mozart’s work. After it succeeded, the two continued their partnership with Don Giovanni (1787) and Così fan tutte (1790).

The impeccable comedy welcomes the audience with whisper-like melodies that quickly build into a short-breathed little theme. Despite narrating comedic scenes, the piece is quite self-contained. Its overture beautifully sustains a slow middle section with a melancholy oboe solo.

Through scampering violins, flutes, and clarinets, Mozart narrated the Le Nozze di Figaro’s twists and turns in a succession of hectically upbeat figurations. Generally, the opera won over its audience’s affection. Hungarian poet Ferenc Kazinczy and “Father of the Symphony” Joseph Haydn even praised its lively ensemble scenes.

In 2017, BBC News surveyed opera singers for the best opera written. Le Nozze di Figaro easily came out on top of the 20 featured operas.

For this Met Opera’s version, lyric soprano Olga Kulchynska plays the forgiving Susanna while bass-baritone Michael Sumuel is her lover Figaro. Italian soprano Federica Lombardi also breathes life into the Countess. Joanna Mallwitz, chief conductor and artistic director of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, makes her Metropolitan Opera conducting debut in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.

Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro is laced with themes of love, class, and gender. Catch this classic on the sixth installment of CCP’s The Met: LIVE in HD Season 10 on July 1, at 5:30 p.m., at Glorietta 4’s Cinema 1 in Makati City.

The CCP, in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera of New York, the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., and Ayala Malls Cinemas, showcases Mozart’s masterful melodies in excellent Dolby Surround and high-definition video.

While introducing Filipino audiences to world-class artistic experiences through CCP’s The Met: LIVE in HD, CCP keeps true to its commitment to developing the nation’s appreciation for all art forms. Screening The Met’s intricate stagings in Philippine cinemas teases a deep admiration for the beauty of operas.

Regular tickets for CCP’s The Met: LIVE in HD - Season 10 are priced at Php350. Students and young professionals can avail of the special price of Php100 per ticket upon presentation of a valid ID. To purchase tickets, visit the ticket booth at the venue or book online via www.sureseats.com.

Keep track of the latest screenings of CCP’s The Met: LIVE in HD through the official Facebook account of the CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media or the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph). For current and future event updates, follow the CCP’s official social media accounts on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

Strings take spotlight in PPO's chamber music concert series

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra brings more chamber music performances online with the fourth installment of its Chamber Music Concert series premiering this March 26, 2021, 8:00 PM at the PPO Facebook page and the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Facebook page and YouTube channels.

The strings take the spotlight in this edition starting with cellist Giuseppe Andre Diestro and double bassist Ariston Payte III performing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Sonata for Cello and Double Bass in B flat Major, K. 292 (196c).

Violinists Berny Dulce Payte, Ma. Angelica Uson, Ayesa Cruz, and Gemma Bicaldo team up for Ignaz Lachner’s Quartet for Four Violins in G Major, Op. 107.

PPO launches chamber music concert series

As live performances (including concerts) still prohibited due to the ongoing pandemic, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra launches a new series devoted to chamber music and small ensemble performances.

Billed as the PPO Chamber Concert Series, the first concert will stream online on October 30, 2020, 8:00 PM at the Facebook page of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the Facebook page and YouTube channel of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

This upcoming series, to be shot on location at the CCP, will feature a selection of chamber music curated by the PPO's music director/principal conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura to be performed by members of the PPO.

The inaugural concert on  October 30, 2020, will focus on string instruments with PPO concertmaster and violinist Dino Akira Decena and cellist Giancarlo Gonzales performing Franz Anton Hoffmeister’s Duet for Violin and Cello in C Major, Op. 6 No. 1. The program will also consist of Gioachino Rossini’s Sonata for 2 Violins, Cello, and Double Bass No. 2 in A Major to be performed by violinists Jose Carlo Tuazon and Berny Dulce Payte, cellist Giuseppe Diestro, and double bassist Ariston Payte III.

The next installment of the series, streaming online on November 27, 2020, switches its focus towards the wind instruments. Program will include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Serenade for 3 Clarinets No. 1 K. Anh. 229/KV 439b performed by clarinettists Ariel Sta. Ana, Jayson Rivera, and Hernan Manalastas. It will be followed by Georgina Sánchez's Pregón de Danza for Clarinet and Cello to be performed by clarinettist Jayson Rivera and cellist Gerry Graham Gonzales.

The rest of the program includes Gioachino Rossini's Woodwind Quartet No. 4 in B flat Major featuring flutist Rosemarie Poblete, clarinettist Ariel Sta. Ana, bassoonist Frenvee Andra, and French horn player Ernani Pascual and will conclude with a performance of Ney Rosauro's Two Pieces for Flute and Marimba Op. 39 with flutist Hercules Santiago and marimba player Aimee De la Cruz.

As the series will be shot at the CCP, the change in scenery is a welcome change from all the housebound, lockdown/quarantine performances that has flooded the web ever since the pandemic began.

Lastly, chamber music performances have been overshadowed by full orchestra concerts for years now. It is a bitter pill to swallow that it has taken a pandemic and its subsequent restrictions to turn the spotlight on smaller ensembles. May this upcoming series provide the jump start, however unconventional it might be, for more chamber music performances once things go back to normal.

St. Scholastica's College stages Mozart's Die Zauberflöte/The Magic Flute

St. Scholastica's College Manila School of Music and the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation Inc. in cooperation with Guang Ming College present a production of Wolfgang Amafrud Mozart's Die Zauberflöte/The Magic Flute this November 8-12, 2019 at the St. Cecilia's Hall located inside the St. Scholastica's College Manila campus.

This opera in two acts stars Myramae Meneses as Pamina, Lorenz Lapresca and Nomher Nival as Tamino, Kevin Chen as Papageno, Mavel Bautista and Bernadette Mamauag as Queen of the Night, and Roby Malubay as Sarastro as well as alumni and students of St. Scholastica's College Manila School of Music. Maestro Juan Luis Muñoz conducts the SSC Orchestra.

The creative team consists of director Nazer Salcedo, music director Camille Lopez Molina, production designer Ohm David, and artistic consultant Paul Alexander Morales.

Performances will be on November 8 & 12, 2019 at 4:00 PM and November 10, 2019 at 3:00 PM. For tickets, please call 8567-7686 loc. 2288.

Pianist Noriko Ogawa, PPO deliver explosive season opener

Pianist Noriko Ogawa and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

The brave souls who were not cowed by an earthquake scare earlier in the afternoon and yet still trooped over to the Cultural Center of the Philippines for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s 37th concert season opener were rewarded with a memorable performance of that evening’s guest artist, Japanese pianist Noriko Ogawa.

Ogawa’s confident take on Sergei Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26 went beyond the energetic, bravura pounding of the keys. The clarity she gave each note highlighted the concerto’s sharp contours and sudden turns without making the piece a blurry, pyrotechnic mess. With her and the PPO under the baton of music director/principal director Yoshikazu Fukumura working in faultless tandem, never did it cross my mind that pianist and orchestra would engage on a frantic chase with this piece.

Pianist Noriko Ogawa

Thankfully, this didn’t matter with her encore which was a concise, 5 minute, solo piano version of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue that further showed her impeccable weaving and shaping of this popular tune heard without an orchestra accompanying her.

Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Ogawa’s spectacular performance somehow threatened to make the second half of the concert featuring Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70, B. 141 a bit anticlimactic. But Fukumura masterfully brought out the flavors, contrasts, and the tragic overtones in this piece making this symphony worthy of being programmed. The subdued end to the first and second movements in this symphony gave an eerie feel which was in direct contrast to how explosive the Prokofiev concerto ended.

I can’t help but commend horn player Atusko Tashiro, whose presence always gives me confidence, security and peace of mind, which she proved once again during the second movement.

Aside from a slightly tentative opening piece of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Overture to Don Giovanni, K. 527 and piano tuning issues that rankled keen listeners during the Prokofiev, it was still a promising start to the season considering that there had been doubts on whether the concert would still happen considering the earthquake and evacuations that happened hours before.

MSO concert features soprano Andión Fernandez, cellist Matias de Oliveira Pinto, Jeffrey Ching's opus

The Manila Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Marlon Chen, presents a series of firsts in their upcoming season concert Double Concerto happening on September 1, 2019, 6:00 PM at the Power Mac Center Spotlight, Circuit Makati.

Berlin based cellist Matias de Oliveira Pinto and soprano Andión Fernandez-Ching join the MSO for the Philippine premiere of Jeffrey Ching's ritualistic new work, Celestial-Infernal Grand Nuptial Rite.

The concert will also feature Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385 and Matias performing Franz Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto No. 1 in C major, Hob. VIIb/1 with cadenzas by Jeffrey Ching which has never been heard in local shores also. The thought of having a dash of Ching in a Haydn cello concerto is like having a mild breakfast tea spiked with strong liquor. 

And that alone should be more than enough reason to catch this performance.

Lenten concert of rarely performed sacred music at the Ayala Museum

The Cultural Arts Events Organizers presents a Lenten concert De Profundis, an evening of rarely performed sacred music happening on April 13, 2019, 7:00 PM at the Ayala Museum. 

The concert marks the Philippine premiere of Johann Sebastian Bach's Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir, BWV 131, one of his earliest cantatas and with text from Psalm 130, De Profundis, hence the concert's title (which translates to English as "out of the depths").

Also included in the program are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Laudate Dominum from Vesperae solennes de confessore, KV 339 and Gabriel Fauré's Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 which will be performed unabridged.

Leading the performers are soprano Stefanie Quintin andtheritone Cipriano "Zip" de Guzman, Jr. Both of them made waves last year with Quintin winning the Second Prize in the Professional Category at the 2nd ASEAN Vocal Competition in Singapore and De Guzman bagging the First Prize in the Open Category at the 17th Roma International Music Competition Grand Prize Virtuoso in Rome, Italy.

Joining them is the newly formed vocal ensemble PASIPO. Dedicated towards the art of virtuosic chamber music, the group will have its debut performance on this night. The ensemble is made up of Elle Tuason, Angelo Benipayo, Jasmin Salvo, Jane Wee, Leo Angelo Lanuza, Jan Briane Astom, John Philip Bautista, Airo Saret, and Carlo Miguel Bunyi. The multi-awarded Gabriel Paguirigan will be the evening's collaborating pianist.

Tickets are available at TicketWorld outlets, or through calling CAEO at 782-7164, (0918) 347-3027 or (0920) 954-0053.

Fukumura, PPO raise Brahms 2nd Symphony up a notch in latest concert

Yoshikazu Fukumura and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

An evening of comfortable viewing was what the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra's most recent concert delivered despite principal conductor and music director Yoshikazu Fukumura having to resort to plan B and stepping in to lead the orchestra himself due to unforeseen circumstances with the previously announced guest conductor/pianist who is unable to perform in the country

The program for that night, made up of German Romanticism with Carl Maria von Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz, Op. 77, J. 277 and Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 sandwiching the Viennese Classical of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543 is drastically different from the initial lineup. While these changes lessened the excitement for me, Fukumura more than made up for it by managing to raise the level of the PPO on this night.

When the updated program was released, I wondered why he chose to do the Brahms second symphony again and not another one that he is yet to conduct with the PPO. I suspect that he went back to this, as well as the Weber overture, since they are comfortable and do not really pose a challenge to him considering the circumstances that led him to conduct at this concert. So the resulting performance was pure pleasure to the ears. His first ever collaboration with the PPO was conducting this particular Brahms symphony while he was still a guest conductor and it earned him a very good impression on me. May I add that this Brahms 2 was an improvement over the previous one, with the chemistry between Fukumura and the orchestra more evident. The PPO thankfully have redeemed themselves from the uncomfortable experience I've had during the last time I saw them.

Lastly, I cannot recall the last time that I applauded a horn player so enthusiastically. This makes me hopeful that she gets to do the solo in the next concert that has one of the most exquisite horn solos in the repertoire.

Fukumura conducts Mozart and Brahms symphonies for PPO’s February concert

Conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura

Major changes have come to the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra’s next concert happening on February 8, 2019 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo) as Music Director/Principal Conductor now takes over conducting duties with a music lineup consisting of works by Carl Maria von Weber, Wofgang Amadeus Mozart, and Johannes Brahms.

When the 36th concert season was initially announced, the February concert originally featured Hungarian pianist and conductor Tamás Vásáry through the auspices of the Embassy of Hungary in the Philippines in what is geared to be a major music event for the year. But due to unforeseen circumstances, Vásáry is unable to perform in the country. That concert’s lineup would’ve included Frédéric Chopin’s Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat major, Op. 22, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543, and Zoltán Kodály’s Variations on a Hungarian Folksong, "The Peacock".

The updated program retains the Mozart symphony while Carl Maria von Weber’s Overture to Der Freischütz, Op. 77, J. 277 and Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 replace the other pieces with Fukumura now leading the orchestra.

Interesting to note that this will be Fukumura’s second time to conduct Brahms second symphony with the PPO with the first happening way back in November 2012 during his first guest conducting stint with the orchestra..

I would've preferred to have Fukumura programmed the fourth instead since that remains the only symphony of Brahms that he has yet to conduct with the PPO. He was scheduled to conduct it back in March 2018 but wasn’t able to due to unforeseen circumstances. Time will tell if Fukumura will be able to complete the Brahms symphony cycle with the PPO. But for now, better enjoy what Fukumura has in store for February.

CCP's Met Opera in HD 6th season opens with Die Zauberflӧte

Julie Taymor’s visually stunning take on Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflӧte opens the sixth season of the Met Opera in HD this January 8, 2019, 6:30 PM at Cinema 3, Greenbelt 3 in Makati.

This production stars Markus Werba as Papageno, Golda Schultz as Pamina, Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night, Charles Castronovo as Tamino, and René Pape as Sarastro with James Levine conducting.

Subsequent screenings lined up for this season are Giacomo Puccini's Tosca (February 12, 2019), Gaetano Donizetti's L'elisir d’amore (March 19, 2019), Giacomo Puccini's La bohème (April 16, 2019), Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Così fan tutte (May 21, 2019), and Vincenzo Bellini's Norma on June 11, 2019. Price of admission for each screening is P450. Subscription package for all 6 screenings is avaiable at P2,400.

The Met Opera in HD screenings are presented by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, the Metropolitan Opera of New York, and the Filipinas Opera Society Foundation, Inc., in cooperation with the Ayala Mall Cinemas.

The joy of a string quartet with the Mandelring Quartett

Mandelring Quartett
Sebastian Schmidt, Nanette Schmidt, Andreas Willwohl, and Bernhard Schmidt

The Berlin based Mandelring Quartett treated Manila audiences to the joy of hearing a string quartet performance characterized by an extremely balanced, tight, precise, and cohesive playing rarely seen on the local stage.

Composed of violinists Sebastian Schmidt and Nanette Schmidt, violist Andreas Willwohl, and cellist Bernhard Schmidt, the quartet presented a program that was thematically linked by the String Quartet No. 19 in C major, K.465 “Dissonanzen-Quartett” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The Mozart piece, with its purity and transparency, served as a great introduction to the Mandelring’s sound. I am typically drawn to the middle tones (2^nd violin and viola) rather than the outer ones and the quartet’s balanced playing made it easy for me to pick out those tones that add texture and depth to the overall sound. It was amazing to hear a quartet produce such resonating tones with just four musicians on stage.

This was soon followed by the world premiere of Jeffrey Ching’s Quartett-Dissonanzen. Meant to be a sequel to Mozart’s Dissonanzen-Quartett, this piece was composed for and dedicated to the Mandelring Quartett. Strains of the preceding Mozart that was still fresh in my mind made this more palatable than other Jeffrey Ching works that I’ve seen and heard before. The most interesting parts for me were the two fugues, the first had all four instruments muted as if the music was contained and itching to go out. At the second fugue, the mutes were off but the music was an inversion of the previous one. It was as if the music crossed to a mirror dimension and got transformed. There were some parts in the piece when the quartet did some bowing and plucking action without making contact with the strings. I know that these were notated on the score but I won’t pretend that I understood what those meant.

With the Dissonanzen pieces done and over with, it was time for me to relish Antonín Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 "American" which I consider as the little brother to his New World Symphony. No offense to Mozart, but I find this piece more appealing and charming as it has more character in it which the Mandelring was able to fully showcase. I also savored watching the quartet in action give the minutest of cues to each other. It was almost that each has a sixth sense of the others. Glorious also were the crescendos done with such balance that it brought me goosebumps. Sadly that this piece didn’t last that long. But they indulged the audience with more Dvořák with their encore of his Waltz in A major, Op. 54 No. 1.

RAd with the Mandelring Quartett

I am extremely pleased to have seen the Mandelring Quartett perform in here since it’s rare to see chamber music performances, especially by string quartets, by those who perform regularly and exclusively as such. Typically, musicians in here just form groups for a specific concert and then go their separate ways soon after. This often results in performances by a not so cohesive group and it shows that they’re individuals who just gathered to play this certain piece. But it wasn’t the case with the Mandelring Quartett’s performance. They may be four musicians, but they played as one. I wish that I was able to attend their masterclass the morning after but the early time didn’t allow me to catch it.

Lastly, it was unfortunate that Jeffrey Ching wasn’t present to witness the world premiere of his work. That meant also missing the chance to discuss the work with him over drinks right after the concert which we had done before a few times.