When I first heard about this concert, my initial thoughts were, "Liszt... again?" I just came out of a concert featuring Liszt's 2nd concerto at the time, and being the borderline personality that I am, I figured I could do with some variety.
But after factoring in several things, I eventually got swayed into watching it: 1) I've been hearing a lot of buzz about ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor, Gerard Salonga, and if I'd want to become the concert connoisseur I intend to be, I'd have to at least prime myself with all the orchestras around, this burgeoning entity a non-exception; 2) It's going to feature Cecile Licad, for chrissakes! Enough said! And: 3) BECAUSE TOTENTANZ (They had to hold the repertoire info from concert-goers beforehand to brew suspense. I guess it worked, to some degree.)
Okay--I know I've been rash in dismissing this concert to be another Liszt affair that features one of his not-so-stellar concertos, which is why I couldn't help but be guilty-excited the moment I learned that this notoriously difficult showpiece was in the set list. And who better to initiate me to a live Totentanz experience than one of the country's most renowned classical pianist--who, in all abashedness, I haven't seen perform live yet?
And so just like any other concert I've attended in the past, this will probably bring me some monumental firsts which are most certainly not worth forgetting.
I might have hyped over Totentanz a little bit too much, so just to let readers know, the concert also features other Liszt masterpieces, such as Symphonic Poem No. 2 Tasso, Lamento e Trionfo, S. 96, and his more famous concerto Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major, S. 124, also to be played by Ms. Licad.
And as if that night could handle all the epicness in the world, ABS-CBN Philhamornic also lined up Beethoven's Egmont Overture op. 84 and Saint-Saëns' Danse Macabre Op. 40, two perennial concert favorites.
So "The Pianist's Pianist" it shall be.
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