Piano Virtuousos
Just a bit of an update:
Marianne and I went to see the performance last night. It was one of those very rare occasions where one left the venue with “woooooow!” still ringing in her ears. The pianists were awesome and the selections were both crowd-pleasers while at the same time challenging. At piece #1 alone (Concerto in E flat Major for Two Pianos and Orchestra, k 365), Marianne and I were already thinking to ourselves, “I should’ve taken piano lessons!” My favorites were “Carmen Suite”, “Le Grande Tango”, “Mayon Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra”, “Salidumay/Kay Ganda ng OPM (performed by Ryan Cayabyab and the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra) and the finale “Rhapsody in Blue”. Raul Sunico did not read the notes the whole time while everybody else had his or her music sheet.
Lighting was superb, especially in the second half when both Philippine Philharmonic and San Miguel Philharmonic orchestras were performing with the eleven (not twelve as I had earlier mentioned) pianists. By the end of the program, only those who had weak knees didn’t give the musicians a standing ovation; the whole United Nations-like house was on its feet. It doesn’t happen all the time, especially with PPO performance. It’s not that the orchestra is bad–it’s just that the pieces that the group usually performs take a lot of getting used to.
Sidenote: I saw a former boss during the break.
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Rome gave me the tickets to tomorrow’s Piano-orchestra-ballet concert, Virtuosos, A Wealth of Piano Masters, at the CCP. Marianne will be my date. 
It’ll be nice to finally bring one of my closest friends to one them artsy-fartsy shindigs.
The sound of genius
A gathering of a dozen piano virtuosos
By Rome Jorge
The Manila TimesImagine 12 of the best pianists performing with two philharmonic orchestras, playing the keys to George Gershwin’s irresistibly endearing “Rhapsody in Blue.” Imagine four pianists on two keyboards performing Franz Liszt’s highly animated “Hungarian Rhapsody” as ballet dancers transform every note into movement. Imagine a solo pianist bringing to life, with just one hand Gaetano Donizetti’s, opera classic “Lucia di Lammermoor.” Close your eyes and feel a multitude of fingers caress and strike the ivory, as the timbre resonates on your being, the swirling passion set your heart aflutter, as the sonic pyrotechnics become brilliant colors in the mind’s eye.
Now, imagine no more.
On March 3 at 8 p.m., the incredible comes true. Virtuosos, A Wealth of Piano Masters unites for the first time twelve of the finest masters of the ivory keys: Raul Sunico, Manuel Maramba, OSB, Ryan Cayabyab, Della Gamboa Besa, Mary Anne Espina, Rudolf Golez, Anamarie de Guzman, Najib Ismael, Regina Montescarlos, Peter Porticos, Nena del Rosario Villanueva and Greg Zuneiga. Joining them on stage are Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton conductor Eugene Castillo, with guest cellist Renato Lucas and the members of Ballet Philippines, under the direction of Monique Duque, at the only venue worthy of such grand spectacle—the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). BNP Paribas, France’s leading bank and staunch supporter of the arts, makes the event possible.As CCP president Nestor Jardin explains, the concert is for a cause worthy of such a grand event: Organizing grassroots cultural programs to preserve and promote community artistry as art therapy for children in conflict zones, and the continued operations and improvements to Cultural Center itself.
This once-in-a-lifetime event is as much a thrill for its highly esteemed performers as it is for its audience.
Each a master by any standard, these highly esteemed and well-regarded musical geniuses nonetheless are star-struck fans of each other. Though many have performed at events with each other, it is on this occasion that they will perform together for the first time.
