Duos: Sunico-Cousteau, I. Santamaria-H. Galang

The peaks in “The French Connection” concert jointly presented at the CCP main theater by the AF headed by Olivier Dintinger and by the CCP headed by Nes Jardin, were Saint-Saens’ “Egyptian Concerto” with Raul Sunico as soloist, and Bizet’s L’Arlesienne Suite, with French Conductor Michael Cousteau wielding the baton over the PPO.

Sunico, arguably the most sought-after pianist today, manifested brilliance and bravura. Masterfully, his fingers ran all over the keyboard in awesomely thundering chords, arpeggios and feathery runs. Through the orchestra’s varied tempi and gradations of volume, Sunico conveyed clear, richly hued tones, and a startling display of technical excellence. Of sparkling eloquence.

After soloist and orchestra played the exotic Egyptian melodies (which the composer had heard on the Nile) Egyptian Ambassador Salwa Moufied (seated beside me), broke into lusty applause.

With his direct, precise, straightforward podium manner, Cousteau was in tight control, drawing from the ensemble vigor, zest and intensity in Bizet’s L’Arlesienne Suites, the rhythms ranging from allegro deciso to allegro vivo.

With utmost economy of means, Milhaud’s Suite Provencale depicted eight dances, “gathered from 18th century folk tunes, dressed with a pleasing orchestral rainment, adding an occasional piquant color of polytonal writing.

“The long finale presents the full orchestra with stunning coloristic and polytonal effects, and with intriguing syncopations in the woodwinds. The original theme is given a stately final hearing, and the suite ends abruptly.” Cousteau remarkably reflected the work’s spirited character and ambience. Comparatively, Fauré’s Suite from Pelleas and Melisande was simple, almost bordering on tedium.

It was a triumphant night for Cousteau and Sunico who both got several curtain calls from the full house.

The recent induction rites installing FCCP officers headed by Minerva Tanseco, president, and Elizabeth Cristobal, vice-president, at Soufflé in Rockwell ended with a concerto performance of eminent pianists Ingrid S. Santamaria and Harold Galang.

Ingrid, who usually plays with Reynaldo Reyes in their Romantic Journey series featuring romantic composers, she as soloist and Reynaldo as orchestra, rendered Rachmaninoff’s Concerto in C Minor, with Harold taking the orchestral part.

The C Minor Concerto is one of Rachmaninoff’s greatest works and the most frequently interpreted. Ingrid opened the composition with full chords repeated in growing sonority and intensity, while exhibiting tremendous power which seems to increase at her every engagement. She made every note in each movement compelling and arresting.

The first movement was replete with arpeggios and intricate passage work, with the soloist giving meticulous attention to form and content, lyrical as well as dramatic.

By contrast, the second movement was tranquil, the cadenza characterized by subtle expressivity. The final movement, made familiar by the theme which has served as inspiration for the song “Full Moon and Empty Arms”, ended in a grand majestic, towering climax.

Harold Galang lent admirable support, alternately representing muted strings, woodwinds, blaring brasses and horns while rendering the various challenging passages with fluency and grace.

To the hearty and prolonged applause, the duo responded with the vibrant third movement of Mendelssohn’s Concerto in C Minor, infusing this with panache.