As part of its centennial season and in commemoration of 80 years of Filipino-American friendship, the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) presents “Liberation,” a gala symphony concert at the Manila Metropolitan Theater on July 4 starting at 7:30 p.m.
The program features works by Filipino and American composers whose music reflects the artistic exchanges and cultural connections of the two nations in the past eight decades.
Former MSO assistant conductor Col. Antonino Buenaventura’s prize-winning composition, “Youth,” opens the evening. Conducted by the composer himself, the work premiered during the 1946 MSO gala symphony concert and portrays youth as “the epitome of vigor, energy, and love, standing at the threshold of life’s journey.”
The piece captures the optimism, resilience, and aspirations of a nation emerging from war and is “dedicated to the youth of the land whose faith in democracy and freedom has been kept inviolate even unto the gates of death.”
The program continues with Lucio San Pedro’s “Concerto in D Minor” for violin and orchestra. Recognized as the first complete violin concerto written by a Filipino, the work was composed in 1948 as San Pedro’s final output upon completing his composition studies at The Juilliard School in New York. The concerto reflects the educational exchanges that have connected Filipino and American music, and occupies an important place in the development of Philippine classical music. It will be performed by violinist Jeanne Marquez, a recent graduate of Juilliard.
Representing the American tradition are Artie Shaw’s “Concerto for Clarinet,” featuring Jeanne Marquez’s older brother, Jason Marquez, a Filipino American principal clarinetist in Michigan and Texas, and George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture for orchestra” arranged by Robert Russell Bennett. Together, these works showcase the breadth of American music, drawing from jazz, popular music, and the symphonic tradition.
The award-winning Jose Reyna Jr. who has been hailed as the “Filipino Toscanini” for his panache and artistry on the podium, conducts this concert that also celebrates the MSO’s continuing role in marking important moments in the nation’s cultural life.
The Manila Metropolitan Theater has been associated with the MSO since the theater’s inauguration in 1931. The concert also serves as a homecoming for the MSO, which will embark on a partnership with the theater in the seasons ahead.
The concert is presented by Manila Symphony Orchestra Foundation Inc. and Standard Insurance, and co-presented by EastWest Bank and Pagcor in partnership with Bagong Pilipinas, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and the Manila Metropolitan Theater.—CONTRIBUTED
For tickets, log on to https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph/shows/show.aspx?sh=LIBERATN26
