I was about 8 old when my grandparents took me to watch Cecile Licad at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She was a celebrated teenage prodigy and Lola wanted me to be inspired to take my piano lessons more seriously. That never happened, unfortunately. Her performance, though, was unforgettable. I still remember the intensity on her face as she played “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Back at home, I recall poring over her biography and her photos in the souvenir program many, many times. On Wednesday, September 24, am very much looking forward to Cecile's concert with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and conductor Grzegorz Nowak at the Manila Metropolitan Theater titled The Pianist’s Pianist. On the program are the two concertos from her acclaimed recordings with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under André Previn—Chopin’s Concerto No. 2, which earned her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque from..
