A tribute to late musical director and former principal conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Ruggero Barbieri
At age 60, Italian Maestro Ruggero Barbieri passed away on March 20, Sunday, at the Pope John XXIII Hospital in Bergamo, Italy. The former musical director of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) succumbed to brain aneurysm.
Born on May 5, 1961, Maestro Barbieri is famous for being the first foreign musical director and principal conductor of PPO. The Italy-born musician honed his skills and talents at the Giuseppe Verdi Conservatory of Milan, the Music Academy of Pescara, and the Konservatorium für Musik in Vienna. He trained under acclaimed European conductors like Julius Kalmar, Franco Ferrara, Mario Gusella, and Alceo Galliera.
His international career began in 1989 after he was selected as one of the six Conducting Fellows among a hundred applicants from all over the globe to study under the legendary Leonard Bernstein at the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome. He was the assistant conductor of Maestro Aldo Ceccato for Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España in Madrid from where he came to Manila to take up his post with the PPO.
Maestro Barbieri regarded his eight-year term as music director of the PPO, from 1996 to 2004, as his golden years. He was behind the success of the top musical ensemble in the Asia-Pacific region, having led its first-ever tour to Europe in 2001.
In 1997, he founded the Intramuros International Music Festival, introducing the Philippines to Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem.
Maestro Barbieri headed PPO’s concerts through several places such as the music capital Madrid, other cities in Spain, including Gijon, Pontevedra, Santiago de Compostela, Burgos, and Miranda de Ebro, and also Prague in the Czech Republic and Klagenfurt in Austria.
After his tenure in PPO, the maestro returned to his hometown in Bergamo, where he ventured out as guest conductor with various orchestras in Paris and all over Europe. He even served as principal conductor of the Bergamo Musica Festival Gaetano Donizetti Orchestra.
In recognition of his contributions to promulgate Spanish music and culture worldwide, Maestro Barbieri was conferred with the highest honor given to artists, the “Cruz de Isabel la Catolica” by His Majesty King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
Since 2003, the maestro would return to Manila every December to conduct the PPO at the grand annual “Christmas Concert at the Pen,” a highlight of the holiday season in the Philippines until the pandemic.
Maestro Barbieri also served as guest conductor to the Zambales-based Pundaquit Virtuosi for its European tour in 2019 sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in Manila.
Maestro Barbieri regarded his eight-year term as music director of the PPO, from 1996 to 2004, as his golden years.
“It would take too much time to describe the astonishing successes we had in cities such as Bruxelles, Berlin, Frankfurt, Wien, Madrid, Barcelona, Oporto, Paris, Milan, and Rome, among others, where the tour successfully ended by the very famous Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church or Gedaechtnis Kirche, located in the heart of Berlin,” said Maestro Barbieri, who was supposed to be the incoming resident conductor of Pundaquit, if not for the health crisis. Pundaquit Virtuosi was founded by violinist Coke Bolipata to give underprivileged kids a future in music.
The Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Klagenfurt Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Sinfonietta, the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Television Orchestra of Madrid, the Haydn Symphony Orchestra in Bozen, the Symphony Orchestra of Lugano, the Pomeriggi Musicali Symphony Orchestra of Milan, the National Symphony Orchestra of Argentina, the Orchestra of the State of Mexico, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, and the Ashdod Symphony Orchestra from Israel are just some of the orchestras that Maestro Barbieri had conducted.
On March 12, Maestro Barbieri was rushed to the hospital as he suffered from blood clot in his brain. He is survived by his sisters Daniela and Frederica, as well as his 21-year-old son, Piolo Barbieri. News of the maestro’s demise was confirmed by Piolo through Rustan’s CEO Zenaida “Nedy” Tantoco.
Here are some last goodbyes from those who knew the conductor personally.
Mai Kaufman, mom of the Philippines’ youngest soprano Alexa Kaufman.
Maestro Ruggero’s passing is a monumental loss. His love for the Filipinos and music will always be appreciated and remembered. My sincere condolences and prayers for his family and loved ones.
*****
Nedy Tantoco, Rustan’s Group of Companies chair and Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc. president
The most outstanding quality I admired the most about Maestro Ruggero Barbieri was his total commitment to his music as a musical director and principal conductor of the PPO. The European concert tour, which involved playing in four cities in Spain including Madrid, Czech Republic, and Klagenfurt Austria. My Father, Ambassador Tantoco, agreed to be a principal sponsor and on top of that my dad and I accompanied the entire group of 90 persons during this tour together with Balthazar Endriga, then chairperson of the CCP. It was truly a big success and an unforgettable experience.
*****
Nes Jardin, culture consultant, Ballet Philippines pioneer, and former president of CCP and Cinemalaya
Maestro Ruggero Barbieri was an accomplished conductor whose passion for classical music shone through in the concerts he designed and conducted for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra. I worked with Ruggero from 1996 to 2004 when I was artistic director and subsequently president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). He was a dedicated music director and, although I did not always see eye to eye with him as far as policies and artistic direction were concerned, I respected him for what he had accomplished for the PPO and classical music in the country. As a person, he was easy to get along with and we had good rapport with each other. He would often come to my office and discuss at length his problems with the orchestra or challenges in his personal life. He always talked fondly about his son Piolo and how much he missed him. We will all miss Ruggero but most of all, we will cherish how much he loved the Philippines and admired the Filipino musical talent.
*****
Alfonso Coke Bolipata, CEO of Casa San Miguel and founder of Pundaquit Virtuosi
He was a large, unofficial part, of our 2019 European tour. He joined us all over Europe, conducting for free and even paying for his own airfare between countries. That was only the beginning of his generosity. He spoke highly and passionately of the Pundaquit Virtuosi in each of the cities we performed in, often on the verge of tears, commanding due respect for the group from both foreign and Filipino audiences.
We owe many of our memorable, magical, and cinematic moments to the Maestro, not only in music-making but outside as well, such as when he unexpectedly appeared backstage in Belgium a minute before the rising of curtain, as we were about to walk onstage, felt first with his booming bass, already clad in his signature blue barong and holding his baton. Or sending him to tears after gifting him in Berlin with a leather bag for his scores from Lisbon after losing one in Barcelona to a hotel thief.
On behalf of Casa San Miguel and all other lives he touched, we bid the maestro a glorious passage to eternity and offer the family of Piolo Barbieri our gratitude for their father’s decades-long devotion to Philippine artistry.
*****
Masahisa Oba, general manager of The Peninsula
This was in December 1996. This year would have been his 26th year of wielding his baton from his podium at The Upper Lobby. He will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Maestro Barbieri.