27 November 2015 - The Philippine Embassy in Beirut, in collaboration with the Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music, successfully organized a Piano Quintet Concert on November 24 at the Pierre Abou Khater Auditorium of the Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth, featuring the multi-awarded Filipino pianist Dr. Abelardo G. Galang II.
Prominent and senior officials of the Lebanese government graced the event, starting with the Patron of the Concert, Lebanese National Higher Conservatory of Music President Dr. Walid Moussallem; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants (MFAE) Head of the Africa, Asia and Australia Section Maher Kheir; MFAE Deputy Director of Protocol Nadim Souraty; Ministry of Labor’s Head of External Affairs Department Denise Dahrouj, representing the Labor Minister Sejaan Azzi; Former Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Ambassador William Habib; Dean of Faculty of Religious Science and Director of Islamic and Christian Studies Fr. Malek Sieslek, SJ; Brigadier General Maroun Mehana, representative of the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Jean Kahwaji; General Amer Khaled, representative of Interal Security Forces Director General Ibrahm Basbous; Colonel Abdul Rahman Itani, representing General Security Director General Abbas Ibrahim;
Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Monsignor Gabrielle Caccia; and Dean of the Honorary Consular Corps and Singapore Honorary Consul General Joseph Habis, led the diplomatic and consular dignitaries present, including Mexican Ambassador Jaime Enrique Inocencio Garcia Amaral, Belgian Ambassador Alex Lenaerts, Danish Ambassador Rolf Michael Hay Pereira Holmboe, German Ambassador Hutch Martin, Polish Ambassador Wojciech Bożek and Madame Bożek, Turkish Ambassador Çaĝatay Erciyes, Pakistani Ambassador Aftab Ahmad Khokher, Bulgarian Ambassador Petko Dimitrov, Irish Honorary Consul General and former Lebanese Ambassador Georges Siam, Finnish Honorary Consul General Zafer Chaoui and Madame Tonia Chaoui, and Swaziland Honorary Consul General Nasri Lahoud.
Two prominent Lebanese companies supported and sponsored the event: Bob Finance S.A.L, represented by Manager Michael Abdelnoor, who is accompanied by Marketing and Sales Head Ziad Rouhanna, and Château Ksara S.A.L., represented by no less than its Chairman and CEO Mr. Zafer Chaoui.
The Lebanese, Filipinos and VIP guests present were serenaded by Dr. Galang performing a series of Philippine Love Songs/Kundiman including Harana composed by Francisco Buencamino, Bituing Marikit composed by Nicanor Abelardo and arranged by Professor Augusto Espino, Theme and variations on Walang Angay by Lucrecia Kasilag; and Filipino Folksongs: Planting Rice, Ili-ili Tulog Anay, Leron Leron Sinta, Caturog na Nonoy and Atin Cu Pung Singsing arranged by Professor Augusto Espino; and finally by the Quintet’s soulful and masterful rendering of the magnificent Piano Quintet in F minor Op. 34 composed by Johannes Brahms.
Dr. Galang obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance (1992) from the University of the Philippines. He was awarded the Grand Prix in the 1992 Philippine Piano Competition along with a scholarship from Japan Solidarity Committee for Asian Alumni (JASCAA). He obtained two Masters degrees in Music (Piano Solo Performance and Chamber Music) from Musashino Academia Musicae Tokyo (1996) and the Hochschule für Musik “Hanns Eisler” Berlin (2000) where he trained with the German pedagogue, Klaus Bäßler. He obtained his Doctorate degree in Music with honors from the Technische Universität Berlin (2010).
Dr. Galang performs regularly in solo recitals, chamber concerts and as lead pianist. He was featured in the All Nation's Festival in Rome, the International Piano Concert Series in Oberkirchen, and the Artists' Festival in Berlin. He has worked with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Manila Symphony Orchestra, and the Otto Symphoniker, and collaborated with international artists including Jonathan Kelly (Solo Oboist, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra), Juan Pechuan, (Solo Oboist, London Symphony Orchestra) and Arthur Hornig (Cellist, Rundfunk Symphonic Orchestra Berlin).
A recording artist under the German label Tobios Records, Dr. Galang's discography include Schumann and Chopin (2004), an audiobook CD entitled "In Vino Veritas" in collaboration with German TV Personality Jürgen von der Lippe (2006 - Emons Verlag) and Kundiman, Philippine Art Songs (2008) with acclaimed Filipino bass-baritone Jonathan de la Paz Zaens. In 2010, Dr. Galang recorded a three-CD album containing 12 Sonatas of Italian–German Baroque composer Giovanni Benedetto Platti, the first pianist to do so thus earning praises from German music critic Klaus Geitel.
The Concert also featured the famous ArtOn String Quartet, composed of Mr. Ondin Brezeanu (Violin), Mr. Silviu Gherasimescu (Violin), Mr. Hayk Ter Hovhannisyan (viola), and Ms. Magdalena Sokola (Cello). The ArtOn String Quartet is a multi-national group established by members of the Lebanese Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008 who have decided to direct their musical temperaments and personalities toward passionate chamber music. They all graduated from prestigious conservatoires in Bucharest (Romania), Yerevan (Armenia) and Krakow (Poland). As individuals, they have performed as a soloist and members of various ensembles and orchestras on the stages of their native countries and abroad. The Quartet is renowned for the emotional intensity of its performances, rich palette of tone and colors of their instruments and imaginative programing, including their own improvised cadenzas inspired by their own national folk music.
The concert, the first of its kind in the history of Philippines-Lebanon relations, aims to promote deeper cultural understanding, mutual appreciation and people-to-people linkages between the two countries. In her speech, Ambassador Ruiz also stressed that the concert is part of the Embassy’s series of activities leading towards the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Philippines and Lebanon in October 2016. END