PRESS RELEASE
October 26, 2018
PPO CELEBRATES 45TH ANNIVERSARY WITH
CONCERT FEATURING JAPANESE VIOLINIST RYU GOTO
The
Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra celebrates its 45th anniversary with a
concert, featuring Japanese violinist-conductor Ryu Goto, on November 15, 2018,
at 8pm, at the historic Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila City.
 |
| Magdagdag ng caption |
With
his impeccable technical credentials and an impressive musical flair,
violinist-conductor Ryu Goto has established himself as a significant voice in
classical music, with a large and growing following in Asia, North America and
Europe.
Greatly
influenced by electric guitarists such as Jimi Hendrix, Ryu is known for his
aggressive, fiery style of playing.
Conductor
Lorin Maazek once said that Ryu “has rightfully taken his place among the top
echelon of today’s young performers.” Composer Tan Dun described Ryu as someone
with “a deep understanding and appreciation of music coupled with natural
talent, flair and impeccable technique make him a singularly world-class
violinist and performer.”
Ryu
began his profesional career at age seven when he made his debut at the Pacific
Music Festival in Sapporo, Japan, playing Paganini’s Violin Concerto No.1. In
2011, he graduated from Harvard University with a bacherlor’s degree in
Physics, and is currently studying violin with Prof. Ana Chumachenco.
Since
then, Ryu has appeared as a soloist with some of the world’s leading
orchestras, including National Symphony Orchestra (DC), London Philharmonic,
Münchner Philharmoniker, Wiener Symphoniker, Sydney Symphony, Philadelphia
Orchestra, Orchestre National de Lyon, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal,
Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Hamburger Symphoniker and Shanghai Symphony
Orchestra.
Ryu
has performed in many of the world’s most prestigious venues, including
Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Tokyo Suntory Hall, Sydney Opera House, Shanghai
Grand Theater, Taipei National Concert Hall, Vienna Musikverein, Munich’s
Herkulessaal and the Philharmonic Hall Gasteig, performing with renowned conductors
such as Lorin Maazel, Tan Dun, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Fabio Luisi, Leonard
Slatkin, Kent Nagano, Myung-Whun Chung, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Andrés
Orozco-Estrada and Jonathan Nott.
Early
this year, Ryu celebrated Bernstein’s 100th anniversary with a performance of
the composer's masterpiece “Serenade,” with the NHK Symphony Orchestra. In
March, he joined the New York Philharmonic touring Asia, under the baton of
Maestro Jaap van Zweden. In addition, Goto gave a tour of 10 sold-out recitals
throughout Japan in the summer of 2018.
Aside
from being a violin superstar among his generation, Ryu is known for his
philanthropic works. He has been working with student musicians throughout the
world, mentoring their development and conducting master classes in conjunction
with the world’s top institutions. His efforts include the “Ryu Goto Excellence
in Music Initiative Scholarship,” with the NYC Department of Education, as well
as collaborations with institutions such as the Juilliard School and the
Harvard Bach Society Orchestra. He does extensive musical outreach in
developing countries in Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa.
The
younger brother of the violinist Midori has been popular in his home country
Japan. He starred in his own documentary “Ryu Goto’s Odyssey," a chronicle
of his career and personal life from 1996 to 2006. He served as spokesperson
for the East Japan Railway Company. From October 2015 to March 2017, Ryu
appeared in the TV Asahi’s weekly show Untitled Concert, which was listed in
Guinness World Records as “the longest-running TV program for classical music.”
Ryu
records for Deutsche Grammophon, in collaboration with Universal Classics
Japan. A member of the US-Japan Council, Ryu has been honored with an award
from the Japanese American Bar Association as a Japanese-American leader. He
holds a 3rd degree black belt from the Japan Karate Association, and is fluent
in multiple languages including English, Japanese, French and Chinese. Ryu
performs on the Stradivarius 1722 violin “Jupiter” on loan to him from Nippon
Music Foundation.
For
his Philippine concert this November, Ryu will be performing and conducting
Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Season and Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 8, Op. 88,
in G Major. The concert is also in celebration of the 60th anniversary of
Manila Cathedral.
This
served as his second concert in the country. In 2016, Ryu was the guest
performer when Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura debuted as the PPO music director and
principal conductor.
The
PPO has also performed with Ryu, playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E
minor, op. 64, during the recently concluded Asia Orchestra Week 2018, which
happened in Tokyo and Kuji, Japan.
