FILharmoniKA opens first symphonic season

MANILA, Philippines - FILharmoniKA opened its first symphonic season at the PhilAm Life Theatre last Feb. 19 with a program that demonstrated almost everything an orchestra of such topnotch caliber is capable of doing.

“We want more people to become interested in what our orchestra is about,” said FILharmoniKA music director and conductor Gerard Salonga during the intermission in the two-hour inaugural gala concert.

While many of the pieces in the repertoire were those by popular classical composers as Peter Tchaikovsky (Romeo and Juliet Overture), Johannes Brahms (Academic Festival Overture), Alexander Borodin (Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor) and Mikhail Glinka (Overture to Rusland and Ludmilla), it also served up contemporary fare from the likes of Mike Hanopol (an orchestral version of Laki Sa Layaw), Henry Mancini (The Pink Panther), John Williams (Theme from Schindler’s List) and Morricone, Ennio and Andrea (Cinema Paradiso with Ed Pasamba in Cello).

Gerard admitted that his taste for classical music was “acquired.”

 “I grew up listening to jazz and pop rather than classical. It’s only when I heard a particular movie score that I got interested in the genre,” he said.

Another highlight of the show was the piece Mindanao Sketches written by National Artist Antonio Buenaventura which FILharmoniKA recorded for one of the albums of its Musika Nation music series.

Since many of FILharmoniKA’s members are young musicians (Gerard included), they daringly utilized non-traditional “instruments” such as whistle, hand claps and finger snaps in some of the pieces which had the audience applauding the avant-garde touch.

The dates of the FILharmoniKA’s 2010 Symphonic Orchestra Season are Dvorak’s Cello Concerto featuring Richard Bamping on cello, April 17; Licad plays Gershwin featuring Cecile Licad on piano, July 2 and 3; Game On! featuring music from video games and FILharmoniKA: The Magnificent Seven featuring music from the world’s greatest film composers including Danny Elfman, Henry Mancini and Ennio Morricone.

All the shows will be held at PhilAm Life Theater.          

FILharmoniKA’s inaugural gala concert was presented by AmbientMedia. Part of the proceeds from the show will go to the Philippine Institute for the Deaf.