September concert specials / Rock musical / Tutti Celli

Olivier Ochanine’s first engagement with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he is the new principal conductor and music director, was highly dynamic.

Recently, French-American Ochanine laid bare the PPO’s 29th concert season at the CCP theater. It will open on Sept. 10 with “La Musique Francaise” which will feature Japanese violist from the Seattle Symphony, Sayaka Kokubo. The America Viola Society Magazine described his performance of Paganini as “dazzling”. He will interpret Berlioz’s Harold in Italy; the PPO will render the seldom heard Le Boeuf sur le Toit by Milhaud, Pastorale d’Ete by Honegger, and Ravel’s “Bolero”.

The MCO Foundation’s “Great Performance Series 2010” opens on Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m., Philamlife Theater, with “Trio Con Brio”. Leading young instrumentalist — violinist Joseph Esmilla, pianist Rudolf Golez and cellist Victor Coo — will be featured. Both Esmilla and Golez entered Julliard at a very early age; Esmilla studied with Dorothy Delay (who accepts only brilliant students), and Felix Galimir at the Mannes School for Music. Golez studied with Seymour Lipkin, one of Cecile Licad’s mentors, and after graduation, went to Graz, Austria, for further studies. Taiwan-based Coo graduated at the Michigan State U. and Maryland U. under the tutelage of Suren Bagratuni.

All three instrumentalists frequently perform as chamber musicians and soloists abroad.

Sometime ago, pianist Roberta Rust performed at the Fleur de Lis auditorium. On Sept. 5, she will give a full-length recital again in the same venue at 6 p.m. Rust, an eminent pedagogue of Lyn U., Florida, has taught Oliver Salonga and Jonathan Coo. Described by the NY Times as a “powerhouse of a pianist”, she has made acclaimed recordings of Debussy, Villa-Lobos, Prokofieff and American modern composers.

Of the latter she will play John Sharpley’s Four Preludes, George Rochberg’s Blues from “Carnival Music”, George Gershwin’s Two Songs Transcriptions, Scott Joplin’s “A Mexican Serenade” and “The Maple Leaf Rag”, among others.

Classic compositions will be Haydn’s Sonata in E Flat Major, Johann Christian Bach’s Sonata in G Major, and Schubert’s Impromptu in E Flat.

On Sept. 6 at the Philamlife Theater, Russian-born Israeli pianist Victor Goldberg will give a piano recital. Winner of the Vladimir Horowitz Piano Competition in Ukraine, and the Arianne Katcz Competition in Tel-Aviv, Goldberg drew from a NY critic this observation: “His playing cannot help but elicit the strongest images of the young Rubenstein and Horowitz”.

David Dubal, in his book on world pianists from Mozart to the present, notes that Goldberg is an artist of “smoldering intensity”. To Jerome Lowenthal, Goldberg “reveals the very soul of the art”. Goldberg will interpret Scriabin’s Sonata No. 5 in F Sharp Major, Shostakovich’s Sonata No. 2 in B Minor, Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons and Stravinsky’s three movements from Petrouchka.

Tonight at 8, Filfest presents “Tutti Celli” at the Insular Life Theater in Alabang. Eight cellists headed by celebrated Renato Lucas will interpret compositions by Bach — hence the clever sub-title “At the Bach of Our Minds” — Haydn, Villa-Lobos and Metallica which was expressly arranged for eight celli.

Tomorrow, Sunday, the rock musical Banaag at Sikat will have its last performances at the CCP Little Theater, 3 p.m., and 8 p.m., The Rock musical is a collaboration between National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera who wrote the libretto, and National Artist for Theater Design Salvador Bernal who designed the sets and costumes. Music is by Lucien Letaba who juxtaposes turn-of-the-century Philippine music (1911) with Indie Rock. The new musical is based on Lope K. Santos’ literary work Banaag at Sikat which points up the breakup of the Filipino family and the rise of socialism along with it.

Jose Estrella directs a cast consisting of Ayen Laurel, Franco Laurel, John Arcilla, Roeder Camanag, Angeli Bayani, Banaue Miclat and Al Gatmaitan. Other players are Clottie Lucero, Emlyn Santos, Greg de Leon, Raymond Roldan and the Tanghalan Actors Company members/alumni Ricki Benedicto, Jonathan Tadioan, Kat Castillo, Tara Cabaero and Cheryl Santos.

Maria Elcon Cabasag, Kathlyn Castillo, Martha Comia, Aandrei David, Jejie Esguerra, Hazel Maranan, Gino Ramirez and Rachel Alfonso Rubio complete the cast.