My Dreams for My Children

Despite a having a busy day hopping from one place to another within the metro, made worse by the uncooperative weather, I still managed to arrive on time despite being wet at the FEU Auditorium in Manila to catch a concert entitled My Dreams for My Children.

This concert featured two very promising violinists: Diomedes Saraza Jr. and Regina Buenaventura. Accompanying them was the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Arturo Molina. Either of these violinists could've carried the whole show by themselves so when a concert featured these two, it should be no surprise that people would flock to the concert hall. And people did arrive at the FEU Auditorium despite the lousy weather and it was a full house with some people standing at the back of the hall.

For this concert, Saraza Jr. played the 1st movement of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35 and Camille Saint-Saëns' Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso. But before that the Manila Symphony Orchestra started the concert with their rendition of Antonino Buenaventura's By the Hillside.

For the second half of the concert, it was Buenaventura's turn with another Tchaikovsky piece: Souvenir d'un lieu cher (Memory of a Beloved Place). And then she played the 1st movement of another concerto, Johannes Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77. And just like the preceding part, the orchestra performed first a handful of Happy Birthday Variations by Mildred Hill/arr. Peter Heidrich. And the two soloists performed Navarra by Pablo de Sarasate which capped the concert.

The Manila Symphony Orchestra is a competent orchestra and I've heard them play well numerous times. But their sound somewhat felt a bit dry during this night. I guess it had something to do with the less than stellar acoustics of the FEU Auditorium. This place is aesthetically beautiful and full of history but I do hope that they improve the acoustics soon. I wasn't able to fully appreciate the Buenaventura piece because of this. And their Happy Birthday variations was very entertaining especially when I considered the amusing reaction of the audience for the more popular variations presented.

The soloists were impressive and Saraza Jr. earned points for playing two of my favorite pieces in the violin repertoire. Unfortunately, the concerto being limited only to the first movement was not enough. But he did show flair and mastery of technique with his pieces. Buenaventura, on the other hand was more expressive with her Tchaikovsky piece. Again, the Brahms concerto being just the first movement wasn't enough. I guess that this was the compromise for having two great soloists in just one concert. Playing the full concerto would've made the for a much longer show and for some people, it might be too tiresome.

After the concert, I had a blast catching up with a few friends whom I haven't seen for a while. And it helps a lot when cocktails were served. Also, I always take advantage of having the opportunity to have a brief chat with the artists. Thanks once again to Martin Lopez for the invite.

PPO Signature Series Concert VII

My mood during the February concert of the signature series of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra wasn't the best and I somehow had to convince myself to watch the performance. But now, things are different and I looked forward to this performance, the penultimate concert for the season, with much enthusiasm. Piero Gamba was originally announced to conduct but he had a family emergency so he wasn't able to come. And it was Aries Caces, PPO's resident conductor, who eventually led the orchestra at this performance.

The night’s programme consisted of Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, Op. 84, Jean Sibelius’ Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 featuring Joseph Esmilla. Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 in D Major, Op. 25 “Classical” and lastly, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Overture – Fantasy.

There have also been a few changes in the programme leading into the performance. The Beethoven piece was an addition and I do welcome additional pieces than the other way around. And it was actually Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol that was originally announced, then replaced by Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Oveture before ending up with Romeo and Juliet.

Before the show started, Esmilla was hanging out at the lobby, complaining of the heat but very appreciative of the people who wished him luck at his performance. I was very much amused to see a young boy wearing a barong who eagerly had his programme signed by Esmilla even if the show didn’t start yet.

Well, the concert started with the Beethoven piece. I had to strain my ears in order to hear the earlier parts. It’s one problem that I have whenever I am seated in a not so good section. I’m quite familiar with this piece. It’s quite enjoyable especially in the end when the music gets exciting. But at this moment, I was just patiently looking forward to the Sibelius piece.

Esmilla was a delight to see perform. A few people expressed regret that I wasn’t able to catch his performance about a couple of months ago and I vowed to myself that there was no way for me to miss this. Unfortunately, it’s still a struggle for me to listen to his parts as the sound doesn’t come across as loud enough at my section. I really had to actively listen to it and if one is not familiar with the piece and didn’t know what to expect, it would be not easy for him to appreciate. But those people who told me to watch Esmilla were absolutely right. And I’m glad that I was able to see him play a romantic piece such as this. I can’t imagine him playing something like a Bach piece. He was met with thunderous applause after the concerto. Then, he treated the audience with an encore and if I’m not mistaken, it’s Tango Etude No. 3 by Astor Piazzolla. He might’ve complained of the heat earlier before the show, but he definitely raised the temperature of the hall with this encore.

So it’s no wonder that the lobby was in high spirits during the intermission. And during this time, I had the pleasure of meeting incoming PPO music director Olivier Ochanine who just arrived that day. And Esmilla went back there and was promptly congratulated by a lot of people who were very pleased with his performance. The atmosphere at the lobby was more vibrant compared to the other concerts that I’ve been to this year. I really felt the adrenaline rush which is quite usually felt during rock/pop concerts.

Violinist Joseph Esmilla

So when the concert resumed, I found it hard to settle back and listen to the Prokofiev piece. Adrenaline was still pumping and it was not easy for me to get back listening actively. And it didn’t help that I don’t like this piece to start with despite it being by Prokofiev. Also for the same reason during the first part, I was anticipating more the next piece to be played. All I can say about the performance of Romeo and Juliet was that the young couple seated beside me was all cuddled up throughout the duration of the piece. The cuddling only ended when the woman leaned forward to applaud after the final note was played. The rest of the audience clearly enjoyed this popular piece and they were really on a high.

It was such a treat when the orchestra played the very delightful Hungarian Dance No. 5 by Johannes Brahms as an encore. That piece always brings a smile to my face and I do find the orchestra version lovelier than the piano version. And the audience was all smiles when they left the hall to socialize at the lobby.

I can’t stress it enough that the atmosphere was very different that night. I guess I really felt the contrast since I was very much troubled during the previous concert of the PPO. Right now, I’m looking forward to the final concert of the season. It’s a gala night which means that I have to think a lot longer on what to wear.

PPO Signature Series Concert V

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.

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.

Pianist Albert Tiu

The 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.