Renowned pianist returns to the CCP
INTERNATIONAL pianist Monique Duphil returns to Manila to open the 36th season of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) tonight, 8 p.m., at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Hailed by critics for her “flawless technique, power, and a sound, lively musical imagination,” Ms. Duphil is the featured soloist of the PPO season opener under the baton of PPO music director Yoshikazu Fukumura.
Ms. Duphil will perform Maurice Ravel’s Concerto in G Major, a piece that was written by the composer for one of Ms. Duphil’s very own teachers, the celebrated Marguerite Long. Ravel dedicated this concerto to Long and on the first page of the score are the words “A Marguerite Long.”
Ms. Duphil considers Long as one of her most important teachers for many years. She was nine years old when she started studying with Long.
Long, who is regarded as France’s foremost woman pianist during the first half of the 20th century, premiered Ravel’s Concerto in G Major in 1932 to great acclaim. Her debut of the piece has been regaled as “legendary” by music historians.
Ravel’s Concerto in G Major is described by Zoran Minderovic in allmusic.com as a “splendid orchestration, which tempts the listener to experience this work as a brilliant, and almost self-sufficient, demonstration of sheer musical color, reflects the composer’s interest in jazz, evidenced by trombone glissando and similar effects.”
Ms. Duphil’s forthcoming performance will be her second at the CCP. She performed with the PPO and conducted piano master classes in 2017.
The PPO’s 2018–2019 season, its 36th, also marks the Orchestra’s 45th founding anniversary. For more information, call the CCP Box Office (832-3704), TicketWorld (891-9999) or visit culturalcenter.gov.ph.