Chopin Manille 2010 Bicentenaire Cecile Licad II

Just a couple of days after her solo concert, renowned Filipino pianist Cecile Licad performed once again for the fifth concert of the Chopin Manille 2010 Bicentenaire series. This was without a doubt, the main highlight of the series since she was scheduled to play Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21 with the Manila Symphony Orchestra conducted by Arturo Molina. And people knew it as well since a very diverse crowd ranging from the well dressed members of the high society to the young music students filled the Philamlife Auditorium. All of them were eager to see Licad perform this famour concerto.

But the Chopin concerto was the last piece for that night which meant that the orchestra had to play something else. Chopin composed almost exclusively for the piano so the other pieces had to be from other composers. And these pieces were Richard Wagner’s Overture to "Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg", Franz Liszt’s Les Preludes and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Op. 34.

The first half of the concert featured the orchestra playing the Wagner and Liszt pieces. I am remotely familiar with these pieces and this half was a real test of my patience. I was actually more eager to listen to the second half of the concert but I had to sit throughout these two pieces.

As expected, the second half was the most awaited part of the concert. And Rimsky-Korsakov’s delightful Capriccio Espagnol was a good way to start it. I’ve seen the orchestra play this piece before during the NAMCYA guitar winners’ concert a few months back. But for this night, the tempo felt a bit too slow than what I’m used to. Still, the clarinet and violin solos were quite lovely.

And saving the best for last, Licad then played the Chopin concerto. So long have I waited to see her play this piece live and it was absolutely sublime. In this concerto, there are certain parts that I absolutely adore and Licad nailed them perfectly. Kudos to the first bassoon for not letting me down as the second movement Larghetto was winding down. It was exquisite and he had a lovely tone during the counterpoint.

The audience thought that despite a superb performance from Licad, it was still not enough as they demanded an encore and she obliged with a handful of them. She played a couple of Chopin pieces: Etude in C Minor, Op. 10, No. 12 and Waltz in D Flat Major Op. 64, No. 1. And then she played a handful of pieces which I again failed to note the titles and their respective composers. But a couple of them she played as encores as well during her solo concert. After the concert, Licad was mobbed by members of the audience all wanting to have her autograph and their photos taken with her. Spotted among the audience were Rudolf Golez and Raul Sunico who were previous performers of the concert series.

Pianist Cecile Licad

Finally, the concert series is almost over since the next performance is still months away. I’ve had my fill of Chopin and I think that it’s time for me to have a change of pace. It’s time for me to rest a bit since I’ve been through a lot of concerts this March and it’s been tiring. But I’m still far from getting tired of all the concerts and the music; I just need to recharge so that I’ll be energized for the next concerts/recitals just lurking around the corner.

Chopin Manille 2010 Bicentenaire Cecile Licad I

The Chopin Manille 2010 Bicentenaire series had one of its main highlights with their fourth concert. And the reason for this was no other than Cecile Licad, who is considered as one of the most celebrated pianists in the Philippines. And because of this, a handful of distinguished people from the Philippine art scene were present at the Philamlife Auditorium to see Licad in a solo recital still featuring Frédéric Chopin’s music.

The concert started with a very familiar piece. And that was when I realized that Licad’s piece for the first half is exactly the same as Raul Sunico’s second half from the concert a few days before. I’ve always thought that Licad would play another set of pieces during the first part of the concert but she instead started with the four Scherzos: Scherzo No. 1 in B Minor, Op. 20, Scherzo No. 2 in B Flat Minor, Op. 31, Scherzo No. 3 in C Sharp Minor, Op. 39 and Scherzo No. 4 in E Major, Op. 54.

Fortunately, she let the audience applaud after each Scherzo. But I guess that she had no choice since the audience started applauding even before the reverbaration died from the final chord of the first piece. I’ve seen her play before and she didn’t disappoint. She played with the command, authority needed with the imposing chords of some of these scherzos. And she showed the delicate touch which was featured in the contrasting themes of these pieces. She was also a bit animated in her playing. Some might find it engaging but some might find it distracting.

I guess that the audience was engaged by her playing since the applause got louder as she finished the rest of her pieces. Playing the four scherzos, in my opinion, was a very good and exciting way for Licad to start the night.

Unfortunately, the second half of the program was a bit of a letdown for me since it featured the 24 Preludes, Op. 28. This set of pieces has always perplexed me and it’s not easy for me to appreciate fully although I really like a few from this set like Preludes No. 9 and 20. I guess that one has to really be familiar with all the pieces in here and not only that, but also to be able to look at the piece as a whole in order to really appreciate it. And it’s one that I’ve somewhat struggled with up to now. It’s also a test of patience since it’s quite a long piece when all 24 pieces were played and some people who weren’t familiar with the piece were trying to grasp from other people when it would end. But despite my bias regarding this piece, I still was able to appreciate the masterful way Licad played. Although I admit that I listened more closely to the sections that I liked more.

As expected whenever Licad performs here, the crowd gave her a resounding standing ovation which prompted her to do several encores. I was only familiar with the first one which was Chopin’s Etude No. 3 in E Minor, Op. 10 which is actually a regular encore performance from her. If I’m not mistaken, she did four more after that but I failed to get the titles of those other pieces. But the crowd was absolutely in high spirits after every encore and Licad radiated joy as she made her curtain calls. So it’s no surprise that after the concert, people flocked to the table set up to have their programmes, CD’s, books and other memorabilia signed by this remarkable woman.

Pianist Cecile Licad