The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) continues its magical 42nd concert season, Modulatio, with CONCERT III: BOLERO, on November 6, 2026, at 7:30 pm, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater in Makati City.
Under the baton of internationally acclaimed Maestro Grzegorz Nowak, the PPO will enchant audiences with a lush repertoire featuring French composer Claude Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, French composer Maurice Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso and Bolero, and French composer Camille Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, op. 61, B minor.
In this third installment of the concert series, Filipino violinist Kaycee Galano performs with the PPO, showcasing her musicality and dexterity as well as the incomparable uniqueness of Filipino artistry.
Varied inspirations in a heartfelt repertoire
For its Concert III, PPO begins the musical evening with Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. Inspired by Stéphane Mallarmé’s poem “The Afternoon of a Faun,” Debussy begins with the dreamy tune of a flute to narrate the story of the mythological half-human, half-goat creature enchanted by nymphs and naiads. The composition eases into almost improvisatory passages that refuse to settle in any key or tonal center. Debussy’s avant-garde decision later inspired his fellow composers to experiment beyond the traditional tones.
Following Debussy, Ravel’s Alborada del gracioso beautifully evokes mystery and romance. Derived from the lyric poetry of the Middle Ages that parting lovers sing, also known as “dawn songs,” this orchestral showpiece celebrates the next romantic meeting, built up with a typical Iberian rhythm. It remains one of Ravel’s career highlights with its colorful virtuosic solo interjections.
Ravel’s Spanish-flavored ballet score Boléro serves as the centerpiece of PPO Concert III. Russian dancer and actress Ida Rubinstein had encouraged the composer to create an orchestral transcription of Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz’ Iberia in 1928. However, the rights were granted to the Spanish conductor Enrique Arbós. Already enamored by the idea of composing an original from a harmonic and instrumental theme, Ravel set out to holiday in Saint-Jean-de-Luz, and Boléro was born.
A one-movement orchestral piece with snare drum rhythm designed around repeating Spanish melodies, Ravel’s Boléro sports a gigantic crescendo and a surprise modulation that hammers into its spectators’ brains. Despite only having two repeating tunes, the composition is among Ravel’s most celebrated works from the experimental decade of the 1920s.
Capping the third concert of the season is Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, op. 61, B minor. This composition was inspired by Saint-Saëns’ lifelong bond with Spanish violinist Pablo Sarasate, much like his first two violin concertos.
In 1859, a 15-year-old Sarasate casually requested a violin concerto from Saint-Saëns. This encounter sparked an artistic relationship between the two, motivating the latter to blend his adoration for the violinist’s technique into the composition’s exotic harmonies.
Together with the PPO, the dramatic bravura theme and staccato rhythm of Saint-Saëns’ Violin Concerto No. 3, op. 61, B minor will be reimagined by Filipino violinist Kaycee Galano. Established as one of the leading young violinists of her generation, Galano has performed concertos with orchestras in Europe, China, North America, and the Philippines.
Guided by Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura in 2018, Galano once shared the stage with the PPO at 17 years old and interpreted Hector Berlioz’s Le Corsaire Overture and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 4, Op. 36, F minor. Still carrying her signature wonder and style, she returns for PPO Concert III: Bolero this November.
In 2021, Galano won first prize at the Mary Lane Memorial Violin Competition, and participated in the 2021 Shanghai Isaac Stern International Violin Competition and the 2022 International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Before making her Carnegie Hall debut in October 2019, she participated in the 1st International Viktor Tretyakov Violin Competition in 2018.
Myths, daydreams, and little romance in PPO Concert III: Bolero
Boasting a luxurious repertoire that showcases varied narratives about mythological creatures, romance, and real-life bonds, PPO Concert III: Bolero promises an unforgettable evening. The nation’s premier orchestra, together with its featured soloist Galano and principal conductor Maestro Nowak, continues to display the musical prowess it has rightfully earned after 42 concert seasons.
Following the success of the second concert of the 42nd series, PPO Concert III: Bolero is a clear testament to music’s transcendent ability to bring stories, emotions, and reflections from the past into the future.
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