FRENCH CONDUCTOR MICHAËL COUSTEAU, PPO PAY TRIBUTE TO BERLIOZ AT THE CCP
TO commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of French composer Hector Berlioz, the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the Embassy of France to the Philippines, with Stores Specialists Inc. present Berlioz and Friends on October 25 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) at 8 pm.
Widely regarded as the inventor of the modern orchestra, Hector Berlioz gained a reputation as an innovative composer whose unconventional body of work and exuberance made him a hero of romanticism in France, alongside writer Victor Hugo and painter Georges Delacroix. He was a close contemporary of Franz Liszt, who transcribed Berlioz’s orchestral works for the piano, and Richard Wagner, who found inspiration in Berlioz’s works for his own compositions. As part of the 50th anniversary of the CCP and the 37th concert season 2019-2020 of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, French conductor Michaël Cousteau will fly to Manila to take the baton for a one-time-only concert with the PPO, featuring soloist Rey Casey Concepcion on the viola.
Michaël Cousteau has established himself internationally as a musician of unusual versatility, conducting operatic and symphonic repertoire ranging from the Baroque period to contemporary works. He is particularly known for developing innovative programs, having offered master classes and mentoring to young musicians in
France and abroad.
In 2009, he conducted the PPO for a French musical program, featuring pianist Raul Sunico as soloist. He returned in 2012 to participate in an operatic program with several young talented Filipino singers.
This tribute to the musical legacy of Hector Berlioz frames the French composer’s works in perspective with pieces by his friends and contemporaries through a program that includes Harold in Italy, op. 16 and Romeo and Juliet: Love Scene, as well as Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod
and Lizst’s Les Preludes.
Berlioz and Friends is presented with the generous support of the Alliance Française de Manille, Air France and Don Papa Rum.
While in Manila, Cousteau will also conduct a musical lecture on the life and works of Hector Berlioz, titled “Ma vie est un roman qui m’intéresse beaucoup” (“My Life is a Novel that Fascinates Me”) at the Alliance Française de Manille in Makati City on October 24, as part of “Les Jeudis culturels” (“Cultural Thursdays”). This event is free and open to the public. To register, send an e-mail to lesjeudisculturels@gmail.com.
Tickets to the CCP concert are priced at P400, P500, P800, P1,200 and P1,500, and are available through the CCP Box Office at 8832-3704, or via Ticketworld at 8891-9999 or www.ticketworld.com.