PHILIPPINE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA 39th Season – Concert II “Italian Night”

PRESENTED BY:

The Cultural Center of the Philippines

DATE/ TIME/ VENUE:

October 13, 2023 | 7:30 PM

CCP @ Samsung Performing Arts Theater

DESCRIPTION:

“Switch,” the 39th season Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), continues with its second concert to be conducted by its new Music Director and Principal Conductor, Maestro Grzegorz Nowak. The featured soloist for this concert is Swiss-born cellist Wen-Sinn Yang, who will perform Antonin Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor. The program also includes Sarung Banggi: A Symphonic Serenade by Potenciano Gregorio Sr. (arr. Angel Peña), and Felix Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony.

 Wen-Sinn Yang is one of the most versatile cellists of the present day. His performances not only revive the music of 19th century cello virtuosos but also introduce his audiences to modern composers. Alongside his activities as an internationally renowned soloist, Wen-Sinn Yang is also a highly sought-after chamber music partner. Wen-Sinn Yang’s wide-ranging repertoire is documented on more than 30 CDs. His 2005 recording of the six solo suites of J.S. Bach was praised by critics for its profound awareness of historically informed interpretation performed on modern instruments. Yang has been Professor of Violoncello at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich since 2004 and also regularly conducts international master courses.

TICKET INFORMATION:

Discounts:

50% for Students

20% for Senior Citizens, PWD, Government and Military Personnel, and Athletes

For ticket inquiries, group discounts, and subscriptions:

• Call the CCP Box Office at + 63 931 033 0880 or email

salesandpromotions@culturalcenter.gov.ph.

• Call TicketWorld at 09175506997 (Globe) / 09999545922 (Smart), or visit

https://premier.ticketworld.com.ph/

ABOUT THE PHILIPPINE PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA:

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra is the country’s leading orchestra. It was established in 1973 as the CCP Philharmonic Orchestra, which was originally intended to accompany performing artists at the CCP Main Theater. In 1979, it was reorganized through the efforts of former First Lady Imelda R. Marcos together with Maestro Oscar C.  Yatco. The PPO has since collaborated with renowned Filipino and foreign artists either as soloists or conductors. It continues to promote music appreciation among Filipinos through its regional outreach concerts and workshops. The PPO is now headed by its new Music Director and Principal Conductor, Maestro Grzegorz Nowak. Coinciding with its 39th concert season, the PPO is also celebrating its 50th Anniversary.

ABOUT THE CONDUCTOR:

GRZEGORZ NOWAK

Music Director and Principal Conductor

Polish conductor Grzegorz Nowak is the new Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. A much-sought-after conductor with a long career in opera and concerts, Maestro Nowak is a highly-esteemed Permanent Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. He was the music director of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw, Poland, from 2017 to 2020, and other orchestras in Poland, Germany, Switzerland, and the USA. For years, he was able to record orchestral music in over 80 CDs that have received awards and 5-star ratings.

Grzegorz Nowak’s career propelled to international level after he won various prestigious awards and prizes. He has performed alongside many of the most widely respected soloists of our time, including Martha Argerich, Yefim Bronfman, Nigel Kennedy, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Gil Shaham and Krystian Zimerman, and has worked with such singers as Janet Baker, Kathleen Battle, Marilyn Horne, Gwyneth Jones, Sherrill Milnes and Anja Silja.

ABOUT THE SOLOIST:

WEN-SINN YANG, cello

Enthusiasm for the unknown and constant research distinguishes Wen-Sinn Yang as one of the most versatile cellists of the present day. His performances not only revive the music of nineteenth-century cello virtuosos such as Adrien François Servais and Karl Yulievich Davydov, but also introduce his audiences to such modern composers as Aribert Reimann and Isang Yun.

Alongside his activities as an internationally renowned soloist under conductors including Sir Colin Davis, Lorin Maazel, Mariss Jansons, Shiao-Chia Lü, Grzegorz Nowak, Daniel Klajner, Yukata Sado and Michael Hofstetter and with such orchestras as the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra the Shanghai Symphony, the NHK Tokyo, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Russian State Orchestra of Moscow, Wen-Sinn Yang is also a highly sought-after chamber music partner. His mastery and technical skill are not only strongly expressive but also particularly sensitive, which continues to open up ever-new listening perspectives.

Wen-Sinn Yang’s wide-ranging repertoire is documented on more than 30 CDs. These include not only the principal works for violoncello by Boccherini, Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Saint-Saens, Lalo, Tchaikovsky and Dvořák, but also compositions by Henri Vieuxtemps, Frank Martin, Leonid Sabaneev and Sofia Gubaidulina. Many of these are distinguished as premiere recordings.

Yang, in cooperation with Bavarian Television, recorded the six solo suites of J.S. Bach in 2005. This DVD, released by Arthaus, was praised by critics for its profound awareness of historically informed interpretation performed on modern instruments.

Yang has been Professor of Violoncello at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich since 2004 and also regularly conducts international master courses.

www.wensinnyang.de