Cecile Licad pays tribute to Chopin

In observance of Frederic Chopin’s bicentenary, pianist Cecile Licad performs in an all-Chopin recital on Saturday, March 27, 8 p.m. Philamlife Theater, UN Avenue, Manila.

Program: Chopin’s 4 Scherzos and 24 Preludes. She is soloist of the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Molina on Monday, March 29, 8 p.m. also at Philamlife Theater playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 i F minor.

She will go on an outreach concert with MSO in Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija on March 23 and another solo concert at the Atheneum School of Noveleta, Cavite on March 30, 6 p.m.. Call 7484152 or 09065104270.

Earlier, Licad gave a preview of her tribute to Chopin at, of all places, Ayala mall.

Music impresario Pablo Tariman reported on that joyous event:

“The music of Chopin had an unlikely exposure in – of all places – the Ayala Malls Thursday (March 18) and it ended in a rousing standing ovation for Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor performed with unbelievable subtlety and fervor by the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Arturo Molina.

The first part were solo pieces (a Chopin scherzo, an etude and four Buencaminos) and the apt curtain-raiser for the Chopin concerto was Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnol with violinist Gina Medina shining on her assigned part.

Of course all eyes were on the soloist, Cecile Licad, who succeeded in silencing the malls and transforming it into a worthy venue for Chopin, Buencamino and Gottschalk. In the concerto, one saw rarefied vision of simplicity, truth and poetry. With that stunning interpretation, MSO manager Jeffrey Solares commented it looked like the F minor concerto was specially composed for Licad by Chopin.

The rousing standing ovation led by Don Jaime Zobel de Ayala was reciprocated by Licad with another rarely heard Pasquinade by Gottschalk for an encore. The sight of those mall-goers cheering Licad and the MSO were enough to convince one that classical music had found new converts and a friendly home at the malls.

A German musician in the audience, Mattie Ackerman, said that the Chopin concerto was really composed for a small home crowd in Chopin’s turf. That it succeeded in getting more than warm reception at the malls is proof that real music lives – not just in the formal concert halls but in the most unlikely places like the shopping center.

It also revealed that the MSO under Molina is one orchestral force to reckon with and is worthy of all support. Licad’s first rehearsal with MSO was already on a performance level and that reflects the high level of musicianship of this orchestra. Molina was thoroughly in command and Licad paid him high compliments. The “unsung hero” is of course the 7-foot Bosendorfer piano which enabled Licad to forge luminous coloring of various shades from the instrument.

Just a few days before her Manila engagement, Licad played with the Stamford Symphony that had music writer Jeffrey Johnson writing thus: “There is a moment in the first movement recapitulation where two ideas unexpectedly collide. By changing only one chord Chopin magically fuses ideas that were separated by significant amounts of music earlier in the movement. Licad brought out the ecstasy in this transformation. She waited for the cellos and violas to articulate the downbeat and then let the pulse drift ever so slightly as the juxtaposition of themes became apparent. Licad plays Chopin with extraordinary musicianship. She voiced complex arabesques with clarity, and often in perfect rhythm, without indulging in endless beat-stretching. This made the places where she used rubato very effectively. She and (conductor) Preu worked well together and projected a sense of confidence and security in this work that is much more difficult to perform live than it sounds. She also played with an elegant sense of lyricism. The second movement came to life with the care she gave to voicing and the lovely whispered sound she drew from the piano.”

Meanwhile, the Chopin Manille 2010 Bicentenaire celebration continues with the recital of Raul Sunico at Philamlife Theater on Wednesday, March 24 and Cristine Coyiuto on April 8.