The Manila Symphony Orchestra held its third centennial concert entitled “LIBERATION: Celebrating 80 Years of the Philippine Republic” at the Metropolitan Theater last July 4.
The concert marked a symbolic homecoming for the MSO, renewing its long-standing partnership with The Met, a venue associated with the orchestra since the theater’s inauguration in 1931.
The event also served as a tribute to the orchestra’s original gala performance held on July 5, 1946, at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, which took place just a day after the inauguration of the Republic.
The program was designed to mirror the artistic exchanges and cultural connections between the Philippines and the United States over the past eight decades. The event featured a blend of works by both Filipino National Artists and American composers.
Under the baton of guest conductor Jose Reyna, Jr., the MSO played “Youth,” a prize-winning composition of Col. Antonino Buenaventura that originally premiered at the 1946 MSO Gala. Conducted at its debut by Col. Buenaventura, who would later become National Artist for Music, the piece serves as a testament to the optimism and resilience of a nation emerging from war.
The orchestra then performed “Concerto in D Minor” for Violin and Orchestra by another National Artist for Music, Lucio San Pedro. Composed in 1948 following San Pedro’s studies at the Juilliard School, this piece is recognized as the first complete violin concerto written by a Filipino composer. It was brought to life by soloist Jeanne Marquez, a recent Juilliard graduate whose performance highlighted the work’s distinct Filipino flavor and romantic tradition.
Next for MSO is a showcase of American jazz and symphonic fusion through Artie Shaw’s “Concerto for Clarinet” featuring Filipino-American clarinetist Jason Marquez, Jeanne’s brother.
The orchestra rounded out the program with George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess: A Symphonic Picture.” Arranged by Robert Russell Bennett, the piece showed the breadth of the American musical landscape.
For the MSO, the concert was not just an exercise in nostalgia, but a demonstration of continuity as it embarks on its second century. By featuring a new generation of artists such as Reyna, Jr. and the Marquez siblings, the orchestra reaffirmed its commitment to nurturing talent and making orchestral music a vital part of the Filipino experience.
As Jeffrey Solares of the MSO Foundation, Inc. noted, the ultimate goal remains tied to the dreams of the orchestra’s pioneers, “100 years from now I would hope that the MSO will continue the same dream of Alexander Lippay, Herbert Zipper, the Legardas and all the pioneer musicians – to make orchestral music a viable livelihood for those who dedicated their lives and their talent for its pursuit and to make it a regular part of every Filipino’s cultural experience, to make orchestral music and its practice an agent for transforming young people, inculcating discipline, sense of teamwork, responsibility, and leadership, to develop better Filipinos.”
“LIBERATION: Celebrating 80 Years of the Philippine Republic” was presented by the MSO Foundation, Inc. and Standard Insurance, co-presented by EastWest Bank and PAGCOR, and co-produced by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and The Metropolitan Theater. —Seymour Sanchez
