PPO's Sound Kaleidoscope: Oriental Beauty in Western Sound

MANILA, Philippines – On March 20, 2015, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra—the country's leading group of classical music artists—held the seventh concert of is 32nd season, named Sound Kaleidoscope. As the name implies, the theme of this season, led by the masterful baton of Mr. Olivier Ochanine under the CCP, promises to show the diversity of skill and flexibility of talent that makes the PPO the country's most distinguished group in the world of classical music.

The seventh concert was conducted by Mr. Yoshikazu Fukumura. Maestro Fukumura, born in 1949, started his musical career on a high note, having initially trained under Japan's prestigious Toho Music School. Over the span of more than fifty years, the maestro has performed with, and skillfully led, the orchestras of countries across the continents, from the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in the UK, to the Myanmar National Symphony Orchestra in Asia. Maestro Fukumura has graced the isles for the seventh concert of this season.

The theme of the night seemed to be classical orientalism: the pieces chosen represented a time when the West was new to the ways of the East, which was covered in mystery and exoticism. Maestro Fukumura, with his extensive travel experience and classical training, led the program to a flourish.

The program opened with the Overture to Rossini's Semiramide; brisk, powerful strings blended harmoniously with graceful woodwinds and horns. Sudden, energetic bursts of the full orchestra punctuated the constant strokes of the strings. The piece, which is the opening to a story about the conquests of Babylonian royalty, effectively captured the audience for the rest of the performance.

The second piece was Haydn's Symphony No. 82 in G (“L'Ours”). Amongst the four pieces performed that night, this perfectly showcased the impressive cadence of the PPO's string section; they were able to shift effortlessly between the differing tempos of the symphony. True to the symphony's intention, the vivace was indeed spirited and lively; the allegreto expertly controlled; the minuet was sweet and nuanced; and the energy of the piece was sustained up to the last note of the fast-paced finale.

The third piece, Ravel's “Ma mère l'Oye,” was most excellently executed, and evoked the exoticism of the composition, which features tales of fairies and far-away lands. Of the five sub-pieces, the audience was most hypnotized by the flawless rendition of the Laideronnette, impératrice des pagodes. For this portion, the Maestro—whose Asian roots have probably given him a profoundly intuitive understanding of Eastern elements and the pentatonic scale—managed to bring the audience to the imperial courts of the Middle Kingdom, much like the fairy tale behind it: a young girl transported by a magical green dragon to a faraway land.

The night ended with Khachaturian's Masquerade Suite. Contrary to the whimsy of the previous four pieces, this was dark and heavy; the PPO's performers were able to shift from a light and whimsical hand to something foreboding and emotionally overwhelming. The Slavic tune managed to inspire feelings of cold and uncertainty—as though we were subjects under Rasputin's czarist Russia.

The music, enthralling as it was, could not stop the audience from admiring the Maestro at work. At different times during the performance, one could see his passion and dedication to the art of music: at certain moments, his eyes were closed, with his face frozen in agonizing ecstasy; at other times, he seemed fierce and frightful, like a magician controlling specters from the depths of the earth. By the end of the performance, he was visibly exhausted from what was undoubtedly hard work;  yet he and the orchestra managed, perhaps possessed only by the love of music, to give an encore of the Masquerade, with the second performance even more forceful than the first.  One could see from the performance the true nature of genius: the ability to produce something of great magnificence, only after all one's strength is gone.

The final concert of the season will be conducted by Mr. Olivier Ochanine on April 24, 2015, at 8 PM, at the CCP Main Theater. Information on concert details or ticket purchases can be found at www.culturalcenter.gov.ph .