UST Chamber Orchestra in Concert

This concert, featuring the UST Chamber Orchestra conducted by Renato Lucas, was the culminating performance of the UST String Department Week. And it was made extra special with the inclusion of guest soloist, cellist Iñaki Etxepare. This was held at the Main Gallery of the UST Museum which was a rather intimate setting if one ignores all the preserved animals around.

Cellist Iñaki Etxepare

Etxepare is one half of the Pik Nik Dúo that performed during the Music and Poetry Concert a couple of days before this concert. His presence was made possible by Instituto Cervantes and the Spanish Program for Cultural Cooperation. And despite not being slated to perform, the other half of the duo, Marta Roma was present at the concert to lend her support.

Just like the duo’s previous concert, I only got incomplete information regarding the programme for the concert. I was only aware of Etxepare’s scheduled performance of Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Hob VIIb: 1. I only found out about the rest of the programme once I got into the venue. It makes me uncomfortable not knowing the programme beforehand and I wasn’t prepared at all for the Entrance of the Queen of Sheba by George Friedrich Handel and the Suite in the Olden Times (Holberg’s Suite) by Edward Grieg. But I had no choice but to sit through it before the familiar Haydn cello concerto.

Fortunately, the first two pieces were pretty accessible. The Handel did have a delightful oboe duet amidst the strings and no longer was I uncomfortable. And the Grieg piece was based on dances so there was no need for esoteric knowledge of this piece at all. I just let myself relax and enjoy since it was lively music after all. But I also liked the Air (Andante religioso) part since it was a nice slow change of pace which made me appreciate more the fast Rigaudon that featured a violin solo.

Finally, it was time for what I came to UST for: the cello concerto. I prepped myself up for this by listening to a recording featuring Rostropovich. I’ve mentioned before that I’m not really an avid fan of Haydn’s music but this concerto is very accessible even for the unitiated. I’ve always thought of this piece as clean, pure, lively and not really heavy on the drama but Etxepare surprised me with his cadenza when nearing the end of the first movement. There was unexpected tension and drama in it which I wasn’t prepared for at all. There weren’t any surprises like that during the second and third movements. And I just let myself enjoy the final movement which could probably make an emo’s head explode because of the inherent joy in that part. Fortunately, it was the audience’s applause, instead of exploding heads that filled the gallery after the performance.

For an encore, Etxepare played a lullabye which he said is a song for small children in a place at the north of Spain. It was lovely hearing him play pianissimo in such an intimate setting. It was just a bit creepy when I remembered all those preserved animals around. After finishing the lullabye, he got a bit cheeky pretending that he had fallen asleep.

To everyone’s delight, food was served outside the museum and it offered me the chance to have a brief chat with some of the orchestra members as well.