It was an evening of musical joy and exuberance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines when two Italian maestros pianist Fermo Roscigno and conductor Ruggero Barbieri teamed up with the acclaimed Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) to pay homage to the music of Italian composer Muzio Clementi and Philippine conductor/ composer Redentor Romero.
The concert was presented jointly by the CCP, Philippine-Italian Association and Rustan’s under the auspices of the Embassy of Italy to the Philippines to showcase the cultural aspect of bi-lateral relations between the Philippines and Italy.
A highlight of the evening was Maestro Roscigno’s rendering of Clementi’s Concerto in C Major for Piano and Orchestra (Cadenzas by Fermo Roscigno) which had its premiere in South East Asia that night, and was performed on a Fazioli, the newly acquired piano of the CCP and the first of its kind in the Philippines. Incidentally, the Fazioli is now considered by many musicians to be the finest piano of today.
The elder brother of Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Roscigno (giving the occasion a neat local touch), Maestro Roscigno studied piano under the tutelage of Maestro Vincenzo Vitale at the Conservatorio di Musica di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He also attended the Specialist Courses in Italian Music in Venice. His many performances have taken him to numerous concerts halls around the world. Under the baton of its former musical director Maestro Barbieri, the PPO—fresh from its hugely successful and much acclaimed concert in New York’s Carnegie Hall—was at its musical best, with its tonal quality and brilliance proving why it is the premier orchestra in the country.
Providing generous support to make the evening possible as major sponsor was Calata Corporation and The Peninsula Manila as the official hotel.