The recently announced Virtuosos, A Wealth of Piano Masters is an unprecedented gathering of twelve of the finest piano masters in the Philippines. And they come irrespective of age too, with an 11-year old among the star-studded performers. In no particular order, the twelve masters are: Raul Sunico, Manuel Maramba, OSB, Ryan Cayabyab, Della Gamboa Besa, Mary Anne Espina, Rudolf Golez, Anamaie de Guzman, Najib Ismael, Regina Montescarlos, Peter Porticos, Nena del Rosario Villanueva and Greg Zuneiga.

Besides the twelve pianists, two orchestras – the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra – and ballet dancers from Ballet Philippines will also be in attendance. This spectacular performance will be held on March 3rd at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Now, these are the type of performances that I would love to see happening more often throughout the world – especially in smaller nations not normally famous for their musicians. After all, like any other aspect of the arts, only through these kind of big and heavily marketed performances can public awareness of classical music be improved.

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The New York Times reviews the second installment of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra’s three-week “Magic of Mozart” minifestival. From the beginning – where Mr. Jeffrey Kahane performed the No. 17 in G and No. 20 in D minor, leading the orchestra from the piano – to Michelle Kim and Rebecca Young’s strong showing in the Andante, Mr. Kozinn describes and brings opinion to the powerful performance.

And just as a teaser, read a short excerpt of Mr. Kozinn’s detailed review:

Operatic gestures are even more clearly defined in the sinfonia concertante, the ultimate soprano and mezzo-soprano duet. Ms. Kim, the orchestra’s assistant concertmaster, and Ms. Young, its associate principal violist, proved sensitive partners, particularly in the supple Andante. Often their tandem lines had a warm, chamber music quality, offset effectively by the orchestra’s hefty string sound and its beautifully focused winds.