RAUL SUNICO MESMERIZES AUDIENCES WITH HIS MASTERY OF THE PIANO DURING A CONCERT IN LISBON’S ICONIC MUSEU NACIONAL DO AZULEJO
Dr. Raul Sunico receives warm applause from the audience as he finishes Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp minor, op. 3 no. 2.
13 September 2022, Lisbon – The former Igreja do Convento da Madre de Deus, built in 1509 and now houses the iconic National Tile Museum in Lisbon, was the backdrop to the the second and last concert in Portugal by world renowned Filipino pianist Dr. Raul Sunico. Dr. Sunico's hour-long piano concert last 9 September 2022, featured both classical and Filipino piano pieces, impressing both Portuguese, foreign and Filipino audiences alike.
The event is part of the ongoing cultural diplomacy activities of the Philippine Embassy in Portugal, to raise awareness about the Philippines in Portugal through the promotion of Philippine arts, culture and history, and the performing arts. Dr. Raul Sunico performed in Lisbon at one of the most important and iconic national museums in Portugal dedicated to the azulejos or the traditional tilework of Portugal, the Museu Nacional do Azulejo.
Dr. Raul Sunico as he serenades the audience with classical pieces amid the stunning interiors of the Igreja do Convento da Madre de Deus, also known as the Museu do Azulejo.
Dr. Raul Sunico’s repertoire included a combination of timeless classics from Sergei Rachmaninoff, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Liszt, George Gershwin, and musical pieces from cherished Filipino composers Francisco Buencamino, Felipe de Leon, Miguel Velarde Jr., Antonio Molina and Constancio de Guzman, leaving the audience of more than 120 guests in awe of his mastery of the piano. Dr. Sunico received a resounding standing ovation after his performance, an expression of the audiences’ enthusiastic appreciation of this world class Philippine talent.
Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria delivers her welcome remarks at the full house concert of Dr. Raul Sunico at the Igreja da Madre de Deus.
The program began with a brief introductory remarks of the Philippine Ambassador to Portugal, Celia Anna M. Feria, and culminated with the Embassy’s traditional “coctel Filipino”, where guests were able to delight in steaming bowls of rice topped with pork adobo and ginataang kalabasa and pritong lumpiang gulay. Dessert was bibingkang cassava, dried mangoes from Cebu, and polvoron wrapped in colorful paper. The reception was staged against the backdrop of large and colorful hanging Philippine tourism backdrops.
Guests of the concert enjoyed the pritong lumpiang gulay and steaming bowls of rice topped with pork adobo and ginataang kalabasa.
Guests get to enjoy the warm summer afternoon with a Filipino cocktail reception.
The Philippine Embassy in Portugal partnered with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Museu Nacional do Azulejo and the Parish Council of Penha de França, to provide an inclusive cultural experience and immersion showcasing the talent the Filipino as an artist through music and word class talent.
(from left to right) Dr. João Pedro Monteiro, Senior curator of the Museu Nacional do Azulejo, Vogal Maycon Santos of the Parish Council of Penha da França, Dr. Raul Sunico, Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria and Vogal Manuel Ferreira of the Parish Council of Penha da França
This is Dr. Sunico’s third concert in Portugal, the first was for the Embassy’s Independence Day Celebration in June 2018, and the second was during the Terras Sem Sombra Festival in Odemira last 3rd September 2022.
