Brahm’s talent for conveying a mood was eloquently expressed by the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the vigorous, impetuous baton of Gerard Salonga in the Tragic Overture, the gloom deepened by the percussions, particularly the timpani sounding an alarum.
In his biography, Brahms had no specific tragedy in mind but musicologists surmise the Overture was meant as a prelude to such masterpieces as Medea, Hamlet, Macbeth, or Faust. The strings, strikingly cohesive, sustained the Overture’s melancholic character.
Although Hans von Bulow thought out the triumvirate “Bach, Brahms, Beethoven,” Brahms neither matched nor surpassed Beethoven. But academicians agree Brahm’s four symphonies are his best works, and Salonga was in firm command throughout Brahm’s Symphony No. 1, Op. 68. The introduction to the first movement and finale had an engaging lyricism, the three vast movements ending in a pervasively triumphant conclusion. Again, the timpani took on a dominant role in the firmly constructed symphony, with the ensemble under Salonga faithfully conveying its form and substance.
Richard Bamping, principal cellist of the HK Philharmonic Orchestra, played Elgar’s Cello Concerto Op. 85 with marked finesse, his tones ranging from sparkling and incandescent to fluid and restrained, his pianissimos utterly delicate.
Bamping’s interpretation of the Concerto was profoundly inspired, passionate and intense in the bravura passages. Dexterous pizzicatos led to the second movement, opened by an eloquent recitative, the scherzo marked by a most vigorous bowing. Both cellist and ensemble interpreted the slow movement with deep, meditative tranquility, the dialogue leading to the finale wherein the cellist became increasingly rhapsodic, the orchestra following suit up to the climactic ending.
Lusty applause and a standing ovation ensued, the cellist giving an encore after several curtain calls.
Established US-based pianists Rene Dalandan and Marites Fernandez played a fusion of jazz and classic at the premiere performance of Brubeck’s Points on Jazz: A Ballet, and Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances. Brubeck’s work had abrupt rhythmic changes, diverse contrapuntal devices and polytonalities. Bernstein’s piece from his musical “Westside Story” based on Romeo and Juliet, had a swift, intense dramatic delineation of the fierce conflict between the Montagues and the Capulets. Percussionists Ederic Sampedro and Gomer Giron, and the xylophone player Aimee de la Cruz heightened the electrifying impact produced mostly by Dalandan’s tremendous power.
Originally composed for orchestra, Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances, similarly brisk and dynamic, had the closest, spirited collaboration between the outstanding pianists.