PPO recreates its first ever concert for 50th Anniversary Gala on May 12

CAINTA, Philippines — How time flies! The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), which was established back in 1973, is now 50, and it is celebrating its golden year with a special PPO 50th Anniversary Gala, slated at the Metropolitan Theater on May 12 at 8 p.m.

The Metropolitan Theater serves as the temporary home of the PPO while the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP)’s Main Building is still undergoing rehabilitation.

For this milestone, the PPO, CCP’s resident orchestra, shall recreate in part its very first concert, which took place on May 15, 1973. In that debut concert, the PPO was under the baton of Maestro Luis C. Valencia, its first musical director, with Julian Quirit as concert master. Back then, the PPO performed Alfresdo S. Buenaventura’s "Bathaluman" and National Artist Lucresia Kasilag’s Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra. The late National Artist was the president and artistic director at that time. The 1973 concert also featured Manuel de Falla’s "Noches en los Jardines de España" and G. Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue," with guest performer, pianist Benjamin Tupas.

The PPO has certainly come a long way through the years. Initially intended to just be a live orchestra to accompany performing artists at the CCP Theater when it was founded in 1973, it has since grown, both in size and in talent. From that initial state, the PPO underwent reorganization in 1979, with Professor Oscar C. Yatco at the helm. Three years later, the PPO was born with a new vision — to be ranked among the best in the world. Breeding excellence, the PPO has through the years grown to become the country’s leading orchestra.

The PPO

Now, under the baton of Maestro Rodel Colmenar, who is known as the founder and music director of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra, the PPO will relive its first concert by performing Buenaventura and Kasilag’s masterpieces, with young pianist Aidan Ezra Baracol as guest performer.

Colmenar has proven his great skills and passion for music on international platforms and has collaborated with several outstanding local and foreign classical artists. As a conductor, he is significantly involved in the Kurt Masur Conducting Workshop in Detmold, Germany, and in the masterclasses of French conductor Jean Sebastian Bereau and Italian conductor Pierro Gamba.

Meanwhile, young virtuoso Baracol is currently a Grade 12 scholar at the Philippine High School for the Arts. In the last three years, he has won 16 local and international piano competitions, notably the Junior Piano category of the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA). He is a scholar of CCP.

In the upcoming concert, another performer will be critically acclaimed Filipino tenor Arthur Espiritu, who will be performing "Salut! Demeure e Chaste et Pure from Faust" (Charles Gounod), "Che gelida manina from La Boheme" (Giacomo Puccini), and "Kundiman ng Langit" (Augusto Espino).

With his impressive vocals and great stage presence, Espiritu has performed in various operas, concerts and recitals across the United States and other countries, thus showcasing his versatility and range as a performer. He took part in the CCP opera production of "Lucia di Lammermoor" in 2020.

The PPO 50th Anniversary Gala

The anniversary concert is culminating with the strong performance of renowned pianist D. Raul Sunico, who will be playing G. Gershwin’s "Rhapsody in Blue" under the baton of PPO resident conductor Herminigildo Ranera.

A former president of the CCP, Sunico has brought home several awards in piano competitions held abroad; while conductor Ranera, who is also a multi-awarded performer, has been a three-time prize winner or the NAMCYA in 1982 and 1983 as a performer in Trombone, Baritone, and Tuba (Chamber Music) categories.

Tickets to the PPO 50th Anniversary Concert are available at the CCP Box Office, located at Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez, Vicente Sotto Street, from Tuesday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can also get tickets at the TicketWorld via www.ticketworld.com.ph. Ticket prices are: P3,000 (Loge Premium and Orchestra Center Premium), P1,500 (Orchestra Left and Right), and P800 (Balcony Center, Right, and Left).