Established in 1973, the country’s leading orchestra looks back at its humble beginnings. BY MB LIFESTYLE After its successful metamorphosis on its recently concluded 38th concert season, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) turns gold. Established in 1973, the country’s leading orchestra looks back at its humble beginnings through its PPO 50th Anniversary Gala, slated on May 12, 8 m., at the Metropolitan Theater - the temporary home of the PPO while the CCP Main Building is undergoing rehabilitation. For this milestone, the CCP resident orchestra recreates in part its very first concert, which happened on May 15, 1973. That debut concert of the orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Luis C. Valencia, its first music director, with Julian Quirit as concertmaster. In the 1973 concert, the PPO performed Alfredo S. Buenaventura’s Bathaluman and National Artist Lucrecia Kasilag’s Divertissement for Piano and Orchestra. The late National Artist was the presi...