Saturday, March 13, 2010

CECILE LICAD IN CHOPIN BICENTENARY CONCERTS


CECILE LICAD IN CHOPIN BICENTENARY CONCERTS. 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 outrech 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.



CECILE LICAD DEBUTS WITH RUSSIAN STATE ORCHESTRA. Cecile Licad, the country’s most celebrated pianist, makes history when she debuts in Russia with the Russian State Orchestra at the famous Tchaikovsky Hall as soloist in Brahms No. 1 in April next year.

Her first Russian engagement came after she appeared with a touring Russian orchestra in Germany as soloist in Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 last year.

Licad who will arrive today (March 15) as the headliner in Ayala Corporation’s Bravo Filipino series and as one of the highlights of Chopin Manille 2010 Bicentenaire sponsored by the French Embassy, Alliance Francaise, Philamlife and ROS Music Center.

The acclaimed Filipino pianist is also slated to jam with famous saxophone player Wynton Marsalis in a program inspired by the era of silent films and will be highlighted with both jazz and classical music.Last February, Licad was in Syracuse in celebration of the Chopin bicentennary. Playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor with the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra (SSO) under conductor Kazuyoshi Akiyama, Licad received a rousing standing ovation and drew praise for her “masterful” second movement. A music lover wrote on the internet Licad’s performance was sensitive, nuanced, bold and imaginative.

Last month, Licad figured in a special fund-raising concert at the Philippine Center and drew raves not only for her Chopin but also for her Buencamino numbers.

Wrote Nelsie T. Parrado to the Philippine Center staff in New York : “ The music I heard last February 24 at your concert still reverberates in my consciousness. Indeed, you are a National treasure! The sound coming from the Steinway piano is something I have not heard from ordinary persons playing it.I do not usually listen to Chopin, but at the concert, I gained a lot insight on his music.”

Licad’s all-Chopin program at the Philamlife Theater on March 27 consists of 4 Scherzos and the 24 Preludes. On March 29, she will be soloist of the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Molina in Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor. The same concerto will be heard in Science City of Munoz, Nueva Ecija on March 23 under the auspices of Mayor Nestor Alvarez.Another solo outreach concert in the Atheneum School in Noveleta, Cavite will take place March 30.For inquiries, please call 7484152, 3573811 or 09065104270.