Katutubong Diva Bayang Barrios, Tatar singer Rumiya Niyazova join forces in concert

Hear the ethnic music of the Philippines and Russia on one stage as the Katutubong Diva Bayang Barrios and Russia's Rumiya Niyazova headline Beyond Borders: A Cultural Dialogue of Music happening on January 22, 2025 at the Asia Pacific College Auditorium in Magallanes, Makati.

Rumiya Niyazova

Rumiya Niyazova is an accomplished singer and theater actress and a resident performer at the LDM Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. She completed her studies at the Moscow Institute of Culture and the Arts. She currently anchors a travel show aired by the Russian Travel Guide channel.

For this concert, the sultry-looking singer will perform the music of Tatarstan, an autonomous republic situated within Russia where the largest ethnic groups are the Tatars. Their traditional music is a mixture of Turkic, Mongolic ad Finno-Ugric elements that bridge Mongolian and Hungarian music. Secular songs and sacred music are all part of Tatar music. Rumiya was a three-time winner of the International Tatar Song Festival.

Rumiya will be backed by String Fusion and Jerome Rico.

Bayang Barrios

Award-winning singer/songwriter Bayang Barrios uses her music to promote indigenous people’s rights, hope, peace, and environmental awareness. She started her career as the female lead vocalist in Joey Ayala’s ensemble, Ang Bagong Lumad. She went solo in 1994 and established her own recording company, Mayumi Records. She released her albums Alon, Biyaya, and Sariwang Hangin, among others.

Joining Bayang Barrios in this concert is her group Naliyagan as well as The Binan Folkloric Dance Troupe

Beyond Borders is produced by Sandra Lim Viray and Faye Miravite of Nadezhda Foundation in cooperation with Asia Pacific College and JB Music. Tickets are priced at P1,500 with cocktails at 6:00 PM preceding the 7:00 PM show. For inquiries, visit www.ticketmax.ph or contact (0915)497-9909.

Family drama 'Her Locket' gears for commercial run

After making the rounds at the film festival circuit here and abroad, the family drama Her Locket is gearing for a commercial run in cinemas starting on January 22, 2025, just a week before the Chinese Lunar New Year.

The Jewels
from L: Sophie Ng, Rebecca Chuaunsu, and Zoey Villamangca 

Directed by J.E. Tiglao, Her Locket stars Filipino-Chinese actress Rebecca Chuaunsu in the lead role of Jewel Ouyang, a woman who not only has lost her youth, fame, and fortune through time, but her memories as well due to dementia. The unearthing of an old locket triggers the return of Jewel's memories especially that of her turbulent youth and family life. Jewel's lucidity also offers the chance to resolve at last an unfinished business that can turn her life around.

Elora Espano, Rebecca Chuaunsu, and Boo Gabunada

Through Jewel's memories, the film gets to explore the lives of the Chinese community in the Philippines. It also highlights the struggles that the succeeding generations face as they are forced to adhere to Chinese culture and traditions that sometimes clash with the lives they want to carve for themselves.

Tommy Alejandrino and Sophie Ng

Standouts in the film are Elora Españo as Jewel's caregiver Teresa, who puts up with a difficult patient while on the other hand, being a receptive listener to her ward's stories. Noteworthy also is Sophie Ng as the young Jewel capturing the rebellious and carefree nature of a teenager much to the dismay of her conservative Chinese parents. While his screen time was too brief, Tommy Alejandrino made a mark as Dave whose persistence and charm managed to temper Jewel's feistiness.

Benedict Cua, Francis Mata, Roberto Uy Kieng, and Matthew Seaver Choy

As for Rebecca Chuaunsu, her multi-faceted portrayal of the elderly, present day Jewel bagged her a handful of Best Actress trophies from Sinag Maynila 2024, the Festival International du Film Transsaharien de Zagora in Morocco, and the Wu Wei Taipei International Filipino Film Festival in Taiwan. It won't be surprising if she finds herself nominated at local film awards in the future.

The cast of Her Locket

A special screening was recently held at Fishermall in Quezon City with other cast members Boo Gabunada, Sophie Ng, and Francis Mata in attendance. National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricky Lee also graced the event.

The film also stars Jian Repolles, Tommy Alejandrino, Zoey Villamangca, Norman Ong, Nellie Ang See, Angela Villarin, Ashlee Factor, Matthew Seaver Choy, Roberto Uy Kieng, George See, Rolando Inocencio, Atty. Kesterson Kua, Atty. Allan Jao, and Dr. Philip Tan Gatue.

At the post screening panel, Chuaunsu revealed the difficulties she encountered while making the film. She narrated that brainstorming the storyline had to be online via Zoom since it was still during the height of the pandemic. She also recalled that when principal photography wrapped up, her husband became ill. And while the film was in post production editing, he unfortunately passed away. All this and the semi-autobiographical nature of Her Locket made the film very sentimental for Chuaunsu.

In last year's Sinag Maynila, Her Locket dominated the field bringing home 8 awards namely Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Ensemble Acting.

Her Locket, produced by Rebecca Chuaunsu Film Production, in cooperation with Rebelde Films, and distributed by Solar Pictures, opens in cinemas nationwide on January 22, 2025.

Russian violinist Aylen Pritchin joins PPO in January 'Europa' concert

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra ushers in the new year with a switch as Russian violinist Aylen Pritchin joins the orchestra's upcoming concert on January 17, 2025, 7:30 PM at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Circuit, Makati.

With PPO Music Director and Principal Conductor Grzergorz Nowak leading at the podium, the concert now sees Pritchin, replacing the initially announced David Radzynski, take on the megapopular Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Other pieces to be performed are Zoltán Kodály's Dances of Galánta and Antonin Dvořák's Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, B. 163 taking the audiences on a brief journey to Russia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic hence the concert being billed as Europa.

Aylen Pritchin

Aylen Pritchin is one of the most sought-after and versatile artists today. He performs repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary, playing on period and modern instruments.

He has recorded a handful of CDs and posted below is his latest release under Mirare with pianist Lukas Geniušas featuring the music of Claude Debussy, Reynaldo Hahn, and Igor Stravinsky.

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, this post contains affiliate links. A small commission is earned when purchasing through these links with no additional cost to the consumer.

Aylen Prtichin, Lukas Geniušas

Debussy • Hahn • Stravinsky

https://amzn.to/3DH5EDF

Reprinted below is the Cultural Center of the Philippines' press release for the PPO's upcoming Europa concert.

PPO Concert IV: ‘Europa’ blends world-class Filipino talent with the elegance of Europe

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra—the country's leading music ensemble—kickstarts the new year with the fourth installment of its 40th concert season, dubbed “Europa,” on January 17, 7:30 pm, at CCP at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati City.

PPO’s Concert IV: ‘Europa’ features world-class violinist Aylen Pritchin. He performs the elegant and diverse sounds of European classical music, playing works by master composers Zoltan Kodály, Peter Tchaikovsky, and Antonin Dvořák. Among the world’s most sought-after violinists, Pritchin is known for his versatility in contemporary music performances of both period and modern instruments.

Under the baton of PPO music director and principal conductor Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, the concert will open with Kodály’s Dances of Galánta, bringing audiences on a melodic journey to Hungary. A homage to the composer's hometown, the 1993 folk-inspired masterpiece Dances of Galánta allowed Kodály to display his extensive skills as an ethnographer and musical pedagogue through its spiritual tunes.

Pritchin will also perform Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto No. 1. This masterpiece successfully held Tchaikovsky’s burning love for Russia through its majestic Canzonetta. When Tchaikovsky finished composing the piece, it was to be performed first by Leopold Auer and Karl Davydov in a concert at the Russian Musical Society in St. Petersburg in 1879. But the performance didn't push through after the musicians declared it too difficult to play. For years after its composition, the concerto gained a reputation as unplayable (following failed attempts by Iosif Kotek and Emile Sauret) until violinist Leopold Damrosch successfully performed it in a New York concert in 1879.

The PPO’s Concert IV: Europa concludes with Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8, an inspiring composition celebrating the beauty of nature. The surroundings of Dvořák’s country house in Vyoská inspired his masterpiece in 1889. In merely 18 days, he completed the symphony’s sketch and finished its scoring in Prague. With its striking and colorful thematic ideas with varying Czech flavors, Dvořák’s Symphony No. 8 premiered in 1890 as part of his induction into the Czech Academy of Science, Literature, and the Arts.

Through PPO’s 39th Concert Season, dubbed "Forte," the CCP continues to honor its commitment to showcasing and promoting world-class Filipino artistry while providing unique cultural experiences to its audiences. The concert season runs until April 2025.

Tickets for PPO concerts are priced at Php 3,000, Php 2,500, Php 2,000, and Php 1,500, available at TicketWorld. Be a PPO subscriber and enjoy up to 25 percent discount. To purchase a PPO’s 40th concert season subscription and other inquiries, email salesandpromotions@culturalcenter.gov.ph or call the CCP Box Office at +63931-033-0880.

For more updates on PPO’s future performances, follow the CCP and PPO’s official Facebook and Instagram accounts. You may also visit the CCP website at www.culturalcenter.gov.ph for news on future concerts, masterclasses, workshops, and other events.

Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Hans Zimmer 'bootleg' concerts make their way to Manila

Fans of The Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter franchises, as well as those of Hans Zimmer and the films he had scored, got into a frenzy when KBeam Events and Multimedia unwrapped a post-Christmas treat in the form of a trio of concerts featuring music from these beloved films happening in July 2025 at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila.

The announcement revealed that these three concerts will happen on a span of just two days with The Magical Music of Harry Potter happening on July 7, 2025 at 5:30 PM, The Music of the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit happening on July 8, 2025 at 5:30 PM, while The Music of Hans Zimmer and Others will have two performances happening on July 7 & 8, 2025 at 9:00 PM.

One cannot blame the excitement brought by this announcement especially when teased that a cast member from the film franchises (a Weasley for Harry Potter, a Pirate from the Pirates of the Caribbean for Hans Zimmer, unspecified though for Lord of the Rings) will make a special guest appearance in each of the concerts. It’s even probable that Potterheads have not yet recovered from Harry Potter actors James and Oliver Phelps (Fred and George Weasley) visiting the country for the launch of HBO Max last November, so news of a Weasley (possibly a different one) coming to the Philippines got considerable online buzz.

But upon closer inspection, the promotional images especially the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter concerts are not on brand with hardly any images at all taken from the films. It becomes more telling when comparing these to the posters of the previous Harry Potter concerts held at the Theatre at Solaire back in 2019 and 2023. This led to some wondering if these recently announced concerts are licensed productions or not.

After some digging, it is found out that these three concerts are actually produced by Star Entertainment GmbH based in Germany. What’s alarming is that Howard Shore himself, the Academy and Grammy Award winning composer of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has issued a statement back in April 2023 warning people that the Star Entertainment produced concert is not official and that there is a current lawsuit against them. This warning stemmed from a disastrous performance of such a concert at the Portsmouth Guildhall in Portsmouth, UK.  Additionally, negative reviews of these concerts can be easily found online.

Local fans of these franchises may still be blinded by all the initial excitement these concerts have generated and may fail to scrutinize the true nature of these productions. May this serve as a warning considering that their wallets still full of Christmas money and ticket selling is just a few days from now. It will be a pity if they shell their money to concerts that will ultimately disappoint.