MANILA, Philippines - Internationally acclaimed artists, Filipina pianist Cecile Licad and German cellist Alban Gerhardt perform in two special concerts slated on Sept. 15 and 16, 8 p.m. at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ (CCP) Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (Main Theater).
Cecile Licad’s artistry is a blend of daring musical instincts and the superb training of a “musician’s musician.” Her natural talent was honed by three of the greatest performers/pedagogues of our time: Rudolf Serkin, Seymour Lipkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski (all at the famed Curtis Institute of Music). She gained international recognition when she received the prestigious Leventritt Gold Medal in 1981.
Alban Gerhardt has established himself in the past decade as among the great cellists of our time. He performed with the Berlin Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony, National Symphony and NDR Hamburg, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic at Hollywood Bowl and Disney Hall, and Cleveland Orchestra. He has also performed with top conductors such as Kurt Masur, Christoph von Dohnányi, Christoph Eschenbach, Sir Neville Marriner, Marek Janowski, Sir Colin Davis, among others. He has collaborated with composers like Unsuk Chin, Peteris Vasks, Brett Dean, Jörg Widmann, Osvaldo Golijov, Mathias Hinke and Matthias Pintscher. He performed in international festivals such as the “Proms” in London and the Edinburgh Festival. He was honored with the ECHO Classic Award in 1998 and 2003. His first recording with British label Hyperion won the Midem Classic Award in 2006 at Cannes.
For Licad and Gerhardt’s duo performance on Sept. 15, the program includes Chopin’s Scherzo No. 3, Gyorgy Ligeti’s Sonata for Cello Solo, Beethoven’s Sonata for Cello and pPano in A, Op. 69, Janacek’s Fairy Tales (1923 version) and Prokofiev’s Sonata.
On Sept. 16, the duo artists will perform with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of conductor laureate Oscar Yatco. The program includes: Glinka’s Russlan and Ludmilla Overture, Shostakovitch’s Concerto for Violoncello and Orchestra No. 1, Op. 107, and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26.
Ticket prices are P3,000, P2,000, P1,000, P500, P300 and P200.
For information and ticket reservations, call the CCP Marketing Department at 832-1125 local 1805; Ticketworld at National Book Store at 891-9999; and CCP Box Office at 832-3704.