The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates 50 years and beyond

Buenaventura is a renowned composer, conductor, and teacher born in Santa Maria, Bulacan, who has been notable in writing sacred music and cinematic symphonies. Bathaluman Concert Overture was commissioned by the Music Promotion Foundation and completed on February 24, 1965.

From the nostalgic and mystical opening number, PPO moved forward to National Artist for Music Lucrecia Kasilag’s Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra. Joined by young pianist Aidan Ezra Baracol, PPO exhibited the East-meets-West kind of music Kasilag was very well known for.

Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra is a full orchestration for this two-piano modern concerto that employs southern Philippine instruments: kulintang, agong, babandil, dabakan, and gandingan. The first movement uses the rhythm of the bamboo poles in the Muslim dance called singkil, in the style of a ground-bass. It is called the allegro in white, for it uses only the white piano keys. The second movement is slower and cast in a simple variation form; the theme is based on a nine-measure Muslim chant called dende-o-dende. The movement is veiled in oriental mysticism with an underlying syncopated ostinato background. The final movement is a rondo of heightening excitement achieved by using a triple rhythm set against a duple rhythm.

To say that Baracol played the piece excellently is an understatement. He was composed and precise, cohesive in his movements, and truly connected with the conductor, the orchestra, and the audience. He deserved his multiple standing ovations and encore performance that brought the first set of the concert to a rousing finale.

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Baracol is just 18 years old, and yet, he has already received the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Ani ng Dangal award last 2022. He has received college entrance scholarships and admission at the Royal Academy of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the Royal College of Music in London, and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music in Singapore.

The second part of the concert was graced by the distinguished tenor Arthur Espiritu as the soloist under the baton of Maestro Herminigildo Rañera. Espiritu charmed the audience with Charles Gounod’s Salut! Demeure e Chaste et Pure! from the opera Faust then took them on an emotional ride with Che gelida manina from Giacomo Puccini’s opera La Bohème. 

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Despite the renovated theatre’s acoustic limitations, Espiritu managed to soar with his voice and connect with the recipient audience. Espiritu ended the set with Augusto Espino’s Kundiman ng Langit, a love song patterned after the traditional genre of kundiman. But with the audience raving for more from the esteemed tenor who once sang at the famous La Scala di Milan, Espiritu obliged with an encore of O Sole Mio by Alfredo Mazzucchi and Eduardo di Capua.

To cap off the evening, revered pianist and former CCP president Raul Sunico played George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. He proceeded with his encore of Ernani Cuenco’s Bato sa Buhangin, which brought the lineup’s time-travelling theme to the contemporary period. Although the gala concert needed a more energetic finale, it was still met with standing ovations primarily for the company’s longstanding reputation and gilded roster of achievements.

Read also: Raul Sunico receives the Commander of the Order of the Star of Italy

PPO started as a simple group of musicians formed to accompany performing artists at the then CCP Theatre. It debuted with Luis Valencia as its first music director and Julian Quirit as concertmaster. In 1979, it was re-organised with Oscar Yatco at the helm and driven by a new vision—to be among the best in the world.

Esteemed local and international conductors have led the PPO through the years, like National Artists Francisco Feliciano and Ryan Cayabyab. Not to mention the long list of foreign and Filipino artists who have performed with them also. For 50 years, the resident orchestra of CCP has been nurturing and showcasing the talents of many Filipino musicians through its educational programmes, workshops, internships, and tours. In celebration of its milestone, PPO had its 38th concert season from 2022 to 2023 with renowned conductors, musical directors, and musicians. Still, PPO is searching for its new principal conductor and looks forward to bringing its music to more parts of the country and the world.

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