The event was also billed as "a special Maestro Filipino presentation" which FEBC President Dan Andrew Cura described as a "soft debut" for Eugene Castillo who was appearing at the CCP auditorium for the first time as conductor of the PPO.
That night, Castillo held magnificent sway over two formidable symphonies: Beethoven’s No. 8 in F Major and Vasili Kalinnikov’s No. 1 in G Minor. Beethoven’s Eighth is generally regarded inferior to the Seventh, but Beethoven himself averred it was as great.
Certainly, the work showed him in high spirits, and Castillo etched the four movements – allegro vivace e con brio, allegretto scherzando, tempo di menuetto and allegro vivace – with clarity and refined sensitivity, distinguishing treatment and structure one from the other while conveying a wide variety of tonal colors and timbers. The glowing melodies from the strings contrasted dramatically with the chords of the horns. The Menuetto came as a respite, the tutti passages of the finale bristling with robust, fiery energy.
In A. Buenaventura’s Youth, Castillo reflected its martial character. A call to arms and to action, the composition opened with the brasses which predominated, interspersed with brief melodic strains.
After the Beethoven symphony, lyric soprano Aileen Espinosa-Cura successively rendered Abelardo’s Mutya ng Pasig, Santiago’s Ano Kaya Ang Kapalaran, San Pedro’s Diwata ng Pagibig and De Leon’s Ganyan ang Pagsinta each lyrical in its fashion, San Pedro’s lessoso. Conductor Cecinio Ronquillo hewed closely to the demands of each song. With feeling and restraint, Cura demonstrated a wide range, reaching top notes like a coloratura, her volume keeping up with the orchestral fortissimos.
The Russian Kalinnikov is relatively unknown here. His early deprivation affected his health, leading to an early death at 35. Consequently, he wrote few but exceedingly fine compositions, his Symphony in G Minor being no exception.
The program notes make out the allegro moderato to be descriptive music depicting "the cold Russian winters". Chopin does describe cold, chilly wintry winds through the piano. Kalinnikov’s first movement could apply to any weather – or to anything, for that matter – but it is an eloquent beginning.
Castillo’s control of dynamics was superb throughout Filigree, hardly audible pianissimos gradually built up to mighty torrents of sound manifesting the composer’s impetus and power. Such admirable contrasts characterized the orchestral interpretation, and with increased pace, the ensemble releasing all its tonal resources in the finale, created a veritable maelstrom.
Castillo’s intense, dynamic conducting must have so drained him that after the prolonged applause, curtain calls, shouts of "Bravo!" and "Encore!", he exited just as the audience was starting to give him a standing ovation.