MANILA -- Music transcends all barriers, including probably Friday payday traffic and the superstition that supposedly befalls this date.

So it shouldn't matter that the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) is opening its year-long 37th concert season on Friday the 13th.

Dubbed "Gold Classical Music Treasures," the 37th season is meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It will run from September 13 this year to April 24, 2020 at the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo.

For its first guest soloist, the PPO brings Japanese pianist Noriko Ogawa under the baton of its music director and official conductor for the past two years, Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura.

The program features Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s "Don Giovanni Overture," Sergei Prokofiev’s "Piano Concerto No. 3" and Antonin Dvorak’s "Symphony No. 7."

According to a statement provided by the CPP, Ogawa gained worldwide recognition by winning in the 1987 Leeds International Piano Competition.

She has performed with major orchestras in Europe, Japan and the US. These are Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, Czech National Symphony Orchestra, St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra.

Since 2015, she's been serving as associate artist for Ravel and Rachmaninov Festival.

Among her advocacies, Ogawa founded Jamie’s Concerts, a series for autistic children and their parents. She is also a cultural ambassador for the National Autistic Society in the United Kingdom.

Classical music for the people

The 37-year-old premier orchestra of the country is the busiest group of classical musicians nowadays. They've been all over the country the past couple of years, giving the common people or the "masa" a taste of what many perceived as high-brow music.

They've been all over the country, even CCP president Nick Lizaso has lost count how many times he's been out with the PPO. Lizaso is spearheading the provincial tours in cooperation with local governments and some major sponsors as part of the CCP Office of the President's outreach programs.

"Linggo-lingo umaalis kami," Lizaso told ABS-CBN News in jest. He later corrected himself that at least two or three times a month, the PPO has performances in the provinces.

It's a humongous task, given the number of musicians, the instruments and equipment to be brought with them. Then there's the cost of board and lodging of the musicians and staff members.

"Basta lumipad kami, mga 90 kami sa eroplano. As much as possible, we would like to cover the whole country. We cannot finish kung once a month," he said.

• READ: Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra to hold free concert in Manila this month

Lizaso has also been the major force in the annual PPO concert at the Philippine General Hospital every January. These annual concerts are meant for indigent patients and the hospital staff members, including the janitors and security guards, or those who have no access to hearing live the type of music the PPO has to offer. The healing effect of classical music has been proved to be good especially for cancer patients.

The PPO, after all, is the resident company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and is regarded the national orchestra.

Besides Ogawa, the PPO recently announced its guest conductors and soloists for the 37th season.

Topping the list is ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra music director and conductor, Gerard Salonga. He was recently seen in the two-night sold out concerts of his sister, Lea, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila, titled "Perfect 10."

Salonga will be guest conductor of the PPO with internationally acclaimed Filipino soprano, Andion Fernandez, as soloist. At present, Salonga is also in his second season as assistant conductor of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Berlin-based Fernandez was a soloist of the Deutsche Opera Berlin from 2001 to 2010. Among her accolades was being prizewinner in the Operalia International Opera Competition or the Placido Domingo World Opera Contest and being awarded Cardiff Singer of the World. She is married to Filipino-Chinese composer Jeffrey Ching.

Salonga and Fernandez are slated to play on Valentine's Day in 2020. The pieces they are going to perform include Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s “Pathetique” Symphony no.6 op.74 in B minor, National Artist of Music Lucio San Pedro’s "Ang Buwan sa Kabundukan," Franz Schubert’s "Erlkönig" and Manuel De Falla’s "Siete Canciones Populares Españolas."

Four conductors and a wedding

Besides Fukumura leading the PPO in five concerts and Salonga in one concert, there will be two other guest conductors -- French conductor Michael Cousteau and PPO's long-time associate conductor, Herminigildo Ranera.

On October 25, Cousteau's list includes Richard Wagner’s "Tristan and Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod," Hector Berlioz’s "Harold in Italy op.16" and "Romeo and Juliet: Love Scene" as well as Franz Liszt’s "Les Preludes."

Coustea's versatility ranges from operatic and symphonic repertoire, from the Baroque period to contemporary works. Featured soloist will be Rey Casey Concepcion on the viola.

On November 15, Maestro Fukumura returns to the podium with the SORA Ensemble of Japan as featured soloists. The group was formed by Hiromasa Iwasaki, the principal oboist of the Sapporo Symphony Orchestra in 2008.

Along with the motto “Music at Anytime, Anywhere” they have performed more than a hundred concerts annually while travelling to different cities, towns and villages in Hokkaido and other parts of Japan, to bring the energetic live performances of chamber music, symphony and other ensemble music to the people.

The concert repertoire consists of Dmitri Shostakovich’s "Symphony no.9 op.70," Franz Joseph Haydn’s "Sinfonia Concertante op. 84 in B-flat Major" and two works by Arturo Marquez, "Danzon no.7 and Danzon no.8."

For its Christmas offering slated on December 20 with Ranera, the PPO will perform two works by Samuel Barber, "Adagio for Strings" and "Die Natali op.36."

"Adagio for Strings" is a popular choice for background music in movies like in Oliver Stone's classic "Platoon" and the 1992 drama, "Lorenzo's Oil." (Why such as somber piece for a pre-Christmas concert?)

At any rate, the concert also includes Darius Milhaud’s "Concerto for Percussion and Small Orchestra," and Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s "Capriccio Italien op.45." Percussionist Aimee De la Cruz and soprano Alexa Kaufman will be soloists for the evening.

The bassoon heralds the New Year when Adolfo Mendoza is featured soloist in the fifth concert of the PPO season on January 24, 2020. The program includes Antonin Dvorak’s "Serenade for String Orchestra op.22 in E Major," Mozart’s "Bassoon Concerto in B-flat Major" and Cesar Franck’s "Symphony in D minor."

Japanese heartthrob

On March 13, Japanese handsome violinist Ryu Goto returns to Manila to perform again with the PPO.

Goto has established himself as a significant icon in classical music, with a large and growing public in Asia, North America and Europe. Fukumura leads the orchestra in a repertoire consisting of Zhou Tian’s "Concerto for Orchestra," Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s "Violin Concerto op.35 in D Major" and Ludwig van Beethoven’s "Symphony no.5 op.67 in C minor."

The grand finale of the PPO concert season, on April 24, is an exciting collaboration with the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra. Ray Wang again plays the cello with the PPO, this time under Fukumura. Wang currently serves as head of Junior Music Department and senior lecturer in strings at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

The evening program will feature Carl Orff’s "Entrata for Orchestra," Franz Joseph Haydn’s "Cello Concerto no.2 in D Major" and Hector Berlioz’s "Symphonie Fantastique op.14."

On its 37th year, the PPO has remained the country’s leading orchestra in the Asia-Pacific region.

Now if only the PPO management could realize that it's time to move its monthly concert at the CCP from Friday to another day on a weekend.

If it's truly an orchestra for the people, it should think that most classical or instrumental music lovers have no personal chauffeur-driven vehicles who can brave Friday traffic. Most especially on pay day and Friday the 13th.