Dvořák's Cello Concerto

Last February, I was geared up to watch the Symphonic Inaugural Gala of FILharmoniKA. But a death in the family at that time meant that I had to miss out on this concert. I still have the ticket for that date and it serves as a reminder of what could’ve been. Fortunately, I was able to watch parts of the concert when it was broadcast on television but it’s still not the same as being there live.

So it’s no surprise that I was very glad to have made it to FILharmoniKA’s second concert for this season entitled Dvořák’s Cello Concerto. So after attending a convention in another part of Metro Manila, I traveled towards the Philamlife Auditorium to see for the first time this orchestra and their conductor, Gerard Salonga. And for this night, the main draw was Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra’s principal cellist, Richard Bamping. Obviously, he was the featured soloist in Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor, Op. 104, B. 191. But before that, the orchestra was to play Scheherazade Op. 35 by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

As I’ve said previously, I’ve never seen this orchestra perform live so I tried not to expect too much. That was easier said than done since their opening piece, Scheherezade, is one of my favorites and my eyes and ears would be on their concertmaster playing the solos representing the title character of the piece.

The orchestra played this piece well and I felt very nostalgic since there are a lot of moments in this piece that I associate with personal moments. I did get goosebumps during my favorite part in the third movement highlighted by the clashing of the cymbals amidst that lovely melody played by the strings. But I admit that I felt nervous for the concertmaster at the end. Overall, it was a fine performance and I was glad that it was a familiar piece that they played on my first time to see them.

The next piece that they played is the part a lot of people paid for to see. Proof of that is that people from the second and third PREDIS Young Artists Series that happened hours before this concert rushed to see Richard Bamping play this popular cello concerto by Dvořák. Popular this concerto may be for cellists, but for someone whose primary instrument is the piano, I’m not really familiar with this.

But despite this, I enjoyed this performance more than the previous Rimsky-Korsakov piece. And the orchestra seemed to be more pumped up and inspired by having Bamping as their soloist. I felt a bit silly when I recognized the second movement and finally associated it with the right title and composer. I did feel a bit bad about not trying to listen to this piece a few times before this concert despite having the long holiday break. I would’ve really appreciated the performance more if I did just that. Then again, I felt really relaxed during the cello concerto and I wasn’t nervous at all for Bamping.

For an encore, Bamping played Hindi Kita Malimot and the orchestra accompanied him in this piece. As I’ve said before, if you’re a foreign musician and you take the time to learn a Filipino piece, you’re automatically loved by the local audience. Too bad that he tried to jeopardize it by playing another encore, a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach whose works for the keyboard I’m not totally fond of. Fortunately, I was really in good spirits so I was able to appreciate this encore.

Right after the concert, I went backstage to do my usual stuff of getting my souvenir programme signed. And he seemed very happy with his performance and the outcome of the concert. As for me, I can state it enough that I was extremely glad to see FILharmoniKA and Gerard Salonga perform live. Their next concert is still a few months away but I am already looking forward to it.

Cellist Richard Bamping

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.

2009 NAMCYA Winners Guitar

The guitarists featured in this concert are all young since they were the winners of the 2009 NAMCYA (National Music Competition for Young Artists). My knowledge of the guitar repertoire is very limited so I was looking forward to expanding my horizons with this concert.

It’s a good thing that Carlo Antonio Juan, honorable mention at the competition, started the afternoon concert with Asturias by Isaac Albéniz, a piece familiar to me since it was originally written for the piano. It made me felt at ease although he looked quite nervous being the first soloist. But he eventually relaxed as he went on to play his other pieces which were Un Sueño en la Floresta by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, Mysterious Habitats by Dusan Bogdanovic, Iyo Kailan Pa Man by Angel Matias Peña and Kudyawit by Bayani de Leon. I’d like to note that Juan’s third piece started with a very interesting bass line that sounded modern and contemporary. And the rest of it was just sublime. It was the first time I’ve ever heard anything by Bogdanovic and it was hauntingly beautiful.

Ramoncito Carpio, who got the second prize, was the next to perform his set and in he is more of an extrovert compared to the more laid back Juan. The three pieces he played were Tarantella by Johann Kaspar Mertz, Fantasy Variations by Jose Valdez which was based on the Philippine Folksong “Sarung Banggi” and Koyunbaba by Carlo Domeniconi. He played them with the confidence of a showman and by the time he finished the Presto of the Koyunbaba, the audience was enthusiastic in their applause. The two soloists’ performances made up the first part of the concert. I admit that it wasn’t easy for me to sit and watch guitar solos. Lack of familiarity with the gutar repertoire and not really knowing what to expect proved to be my handicap. But I’m glad to have sat it out since I got to listen to Bogdanovic whose music still resonates in my mind.

The second part of the concert was when the familiar music came to me. The Manila Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Arturo Molina started it with Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol. It was a totally different change of pace from the guitar solos since this piece has a brilliant and lush orchestration with delightful percussions especially at the end. There were nice solos played the both the concertmaster and the principal clarinet. The orchestra played with this piece with the flair needed and I was very much satisfied.

The finale of the concert was reserved for the first prize winner Franco Raymundo Maigue. And he performed the very popular Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquin Rodrigo. For this piece, the orchestra was conducted by Michael Dadap. The guitarist was technically proficient especially with his cadenzas but I felt that he lacked the emotional pull needed for this piece especially with the Adagio of the second movement. I guess this is where the lack of life experience comes in. But then, I had to remind myself that Maigue, along with Juan and Carpio aren’t seasoned professional performers.

As I’ve said, these three guitarists are still young. There were times when they took their bows that they looked delighted and a bit perplexed that people were applauding them and that these people actually paid their tickets to watch them. But I think that given time and more experience, these three will be able to connect more with their audience aside from impressing them with their impeccable technique.

NAMCYA Honorable Mention Carlo Antonio Juan