Midori in Manila Concert Exceeds Ayala Museum Halls

Live Soundscapes by Joseph John L. Verallo  |  December 8, 2025

The attestations of musical masters reveal themselves in different ways. With violinist Midori, this was shown in the packed halls of Ayala Museum during the concert on November 30, brought about through the production efforts of Cultural Arts Events Organizer. 

The museum halls, lined to the brim with chairs and audience members, were a spectacle in themselves. Numbers were so vast that the rows extended well past the museum’s ordinary concert hall and into its lobby. In some ways, Midori’s celebrity status led to some minor drawbacks. The sea of listeners she attracted necessitated that the hall’s walls be taken down, consequently drowning out the sound of her violin, something that was noticeable in the back rows. 

Midori is an artist barely in need of an introduction; the numbers in the hall speak for this fact. The highlights of her decades-long career include her collaboration with Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood, when she was just fourteen. Yet even fifty years later, the violinist still performs with vigor, not only in sound but also in her movements. 

Joining her that evening was the pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute, who has made a reputation performing works of contemporary composers. Together, the two have been collaborating in concerts worldwide. That evening, the two made their debut in the Philippines as a musical duo.

The two artists entered from the elevators, sifting to the stage through the narrow space that the large crowd had allotted. In hindsight, a larger hall would’ve been better suited to the performance that night, considering the venue was small and lacked good acoustics when the walls were opened.

Some keywords to describe Midori’s and Ieva’s artistry are “sharp” and “meticulous.” Everything about their performance that evening was tuned to the most minute detail: their entrances, their runs, their crescendos and diminuendos. There was a similar crispness of tone in both artists’ playing that showed how well the pair worked together. 

The program began with Beethoven’s Sonata for Piano and Violin in F Major, Op. 24, “Spring,” whose first movement opened with a pleasant melody on the violin accompanied by a simple pattern on the piano. What Midori specifically brought to this movement was a hint of suspense she achieved, particularly through her execution of Beethoven’s elongated notes, beginning each with an evident crescendo from utter silence, escalating into a fullness of sound. The physical aspect of her performance was also worth noting: each note, she began coiled down before her body unfolded along with the crescendo. 

The sonata’s second movement was a pastoral meditation with Midori’s violin and Ieva’s piano taking turns singing in metaphorical fields. The third movement was very brief and rhythmic, with its running unison passages between the violin and piano once again showcasing Midori’s and Ieva’s precision. The fourth movement introduced a light melody that Midori played with elegance and an effortless polish in her tone, even at the movement’s more demanding portions. She also brought back that subtle suspense seen in the first movement. 

What followed Beethoven was Schubert’s Fantasie for Piano and Violin in C Major, D. 934, a demanding work both for performers and listeners. Ieva’s intro on the piano was smooth, steady, and flowing, painting a watery-like backdrop to Midori’s violin that entered with a slow, meditative theme. In this section, Ieva exhibited her particular brand of pianism, a deep sensitivity to tone, timbre, and dynamics that evoked something visual. The piece proceeded into its other sections, which were notably more difficult. Midori, however, continued with her effortless motions, with runs and subsequent trills.

After the intermission, the duo returned to perform Poulenc’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, FP. 119. Poulenc spares no moment, immediately catching your attention with a single sound on the piano that resembled more a bang than an actual chord. This was followed by a flurry of notes on the violin, which Midori played with such agility. The opening theme of the first movement was tense with that typical 20th-century avant-garde sound that occasionally led to one of the most gorgeous melodies. Throughout the movement, Midori’s energy was persistent, and Ieva maintained the energy as an accompanist. The precision between them could not be stressed enough. Moments when the melody alternated between the piano and violin were quick and abrupt; however, the two always shifted seamlessly into their roles.

The second movement was slow and introspective, distinct from the first and even more so from the third, which intensified the tension of the first, contrasting it with moments of playfulness that still maintained the fast tempo. The finale was a display of the vast extent of Midori’s and Ieva’s coordination as a duo. 

Robert and Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano (Op. 94 and 22, respectively) contrast with Poulenc's, bringing a return to traditional tonality. These six short pieces were pleasant sketches that served as moments of repose from the program’s larger works. 

Marking the finale of that evening was another Schubert, this time his Rondo Brillante in B minor, D. 895, which, from the get-go, announces its stature as a composition with its long, suspenseful opening of dotted rhythms on the piano and lamenting tones on the violin. The rondo proper announces its arrival once the introduction ends. Here, Midori and Ieva end on a jovial note with the last portions of the work often feeling like a single prolonged coda of epic proportion. 

It is one thing to be a great artist, another to be a great duo. Midori’s and Ieva’s combine to create something exact and well-choreographed. Their intentions with the music are clear and in some way experimental, as could be noted in the Beethoven and Schubert Fantasie.

Photo by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders