MANILA, Philippines — Last Oct. 25 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, French conductor Michaël Cousteau and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra offered a grand tribute to the legendary French composer, Hector Berlioz.
Entitled “Berlioz and Friends,” this concert commemorated the 150th death anniversary of Hector Berlioz, who was widely regarded as the inventor of the modern orchestra.
To officially open the event, Soprano Rachelle Gerodias and baritone Park Byeong-in performed an exceptional rendition of the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” arranged by Hector Berlioz for orchestra.
The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Cousteau and featuring soloist Rey Casey Concepcion on viola, performed a selection of works of Hector Berlioz and his contemporaries through a program that included “Harold in Italy, op. 16” and “Romeo and Juliet: Love Scene,” as well as Wagner’s “Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod” and Lizst’s “Les Preludes.”