The fifth concert of the 27th Season of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines was the first concert of the year for me. Included in the programme lead by conductor Oscar Yatco were Paul Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber; Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11 and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68. The featured pianist for the Chopin piece was Albert Tiu.
As I settled into my seat about 10 minutes prior to the start of the concert, I heard the usual tuning of the instruments backstage. From the discordant tones stood out a clear passage played by a lone violin. It was from Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68. But I had to wait since that was the last piece of music to be played that night.
As I settled into my seat about 10 minutes prior to the start of the concert, I heard the usual tuning of the instruments backstage. From the discordant tones stood out a clear passage played by a lone violin. It was from Brahms Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68. But I had to wait since that was the last piece of music to be played that night.
I admit that I wasn’t too familiar with the Hindemith work so I can’t really comment on how the orchestra played it. I did find the second movement quite interesting with the main theme repeated over and over as it got passed on from one group of instruments to another only to end up abruptly with a loud chord. And then what came next was a variation of that same theme but done with a jazzy feel to it by the trombones. And add to it the use of several lesser known percussion instruments like the tubular bells that added another facet to this very interesting movement. But during the end of the fourth and final movement, the brass section completely overpowered the strings and I could barely hear a sound from them despite their frantic bowing.
The next piece to be performed was the Chopin which is one of my favorite pieces of classical music. And I am glad that Albert Tiu delivered. He absolutely made the piano sing despite a few missed notes at the end of the difficult passages during the first and third movement. The second movement though was divine and the bassoon responded beautifully during the solo parts that supported the delicate and clear sounds from the famous slow section of this concerto. Again, I noticed that the brass section, particularly the horn was too loud. And unlike the bassoon solo which complimented the piano well, the horn sounded harsh which didn’t go well with the soft piano passages from this movement.
The audience responded well to the Chopin with some already applauding even when the last note was still being played. Tiu then treated the audience with an encore of a piano transcription of Le Cygne by Camille Saint-Saëns. He was later mobbed by adoring fans at the lobby during the intermission.
The next piece to be performed was the Chopin which is one of my favorite pieces of classical music. And I am glad that Albert Tiu delivered. He absolutely made the piano sing despite a few missed notes at the end of the difficult passages during the first and third movement. The second movement though was divine and the bassoon responded beautifully during the solo parts that supported the delicate and clear sounds from the famous slow section of this concerto. Again, I noticed that the brass section, particularly the horn was too loud. And unlike the bassoon solo which complimented the piano well, the horn sounded harsh which didn’t go well with the soft piano passages from this movement.
The audience responded well to the Chopin with some already applauding even when the last note was still being played. Tiu then treated the audience with an encore of a piano transcription of Le Cygne by Camille Saint-Saëns. He was later mobbed by adoring fans at the lobby during the intermission.
Pianist Albert TiuThe Brahms started out nicely with the ascending and descending tunes of the introduction accompanied by the steady beat of the timpani setting the mood for this heavyweight work. The solo parts were remarkable especially the oboist during the second movement. I wish that I could say the same for the sweet yet haunting violin solo but as I’ve noticed earlier, the horn was too loud again for me to appreciate this wonderful tune. But the horn finally delivered at the fourth movement during the famous horn call. The flute that immediately followed echoing this call was up to the task and he also played his part well.
It seemed like it was all coming together as the final movement comes to a triumphant end but somehow it didn’t turn out as well as I would’ve expected. A flute noticeably stuttered, a horn had a very cautious entry, and in a strange turn, during the second brass chorale that usually sends a shiver down my spine, the brass section was somehow underwhelming. This was the part where the hair at the back of my neck was supposed to rise but it didn’t. I’m not sure if the orchestra ran out of gas at the end. It’s not like they crashed and burned and had it all wrong in the end but it was more like it didn’t end right. The applause at the end which should’ve been the loudest was a bit restrained compared to the audience’s enthusiastic response to the Chopin piece.
Overall, it was a satisfying performance by the orchestra. The Chopin alone was worth it. I still feel a bit overwhelmed by the brass section but it made me think if adding a few members to the string section would’ve improved their sound production. Speaking of the strings section, during the orchestral tutti at the beginning of the Chopin piece, a member from the 2nd violin section stood up and left the stage. He came back after the first movement and exchanged instruments with the Associate Concertmaster. I think that the Associate broke a string or something and had to have it fixed. Fortunately, the one who left returned during the pause between the first two movements and everything went well during the rest of the performance.
It seemed like it was all coming together as the final movement comes to a triumphant end but somehow it didn’t turn out as well as I would’ve expected. A flute noticeably stuttered, a horn had a very cautious entry, and in a strange turn, during the second brass chorale that usually sends a shiver down my spine, the brass section was somehow underwhelming. This was the part where the hair at the back of my neck was supposed to rise but it didn’t. I’m not sure if the orchestra ran out of gas at the end. It’s not like they crashed and burned and had it all wrong in the end but it was more like it didn’t end right. The applause at the end which should’ve been the loudest was a bit restrained compared to the audience’s enthusiastic response to the Chopin piece.
Overall, it was a satisfying performance by the orchestra. The Chopin alone was worth it. I still feel a bit overwhelmed by the brass section but it made me think if adding a few members to the string section would’ve improved their sound production. Speaking of the strings section, during the orchestral tutti at the beginning of the Chopin piece, a member from the 2nd violin section stood up and left the stage. He came back after the first movement and exchanged instruments with the Associate Concertmaster. I think that the Associate broke a string or something and had to have it fixed. Fortunately, the one who left returned during the pause between the first two movements and everything went well during the rest of the performance.
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