Life
Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2016
CULTURE & MEDIA
From left: Grace Halcon, Carmen Teves-Lhuillier, Jessica Armas, Richard Bert and Amy Hitchins
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HERE’S a certain charm that comes with owning items that tell stories of years past. Especially so if said items once belonged to families and individuals who once wielded power and influence in Europe.
“This is something that more collectors are realizing,” says Angelique Lhuillier, owner of Casa de Memoria, an auction house in Brgy. Bel-Air. “Beautiful old things that hold memories— there’s something very special about them. It’s like owning a piece of history.” Lhuillier’s conclusion came following Casa de Memoria’s recently held fourth auction, where a great majority of the lots sold once belonged to prominent European families. According to her, more than anything, it confirmed her belief that there is a market for European heirlooms in the country. Among the lots sold were a vintage Chesterfield seat, a Russian malachite perfume burner set, an Underwood typewriter, a Haviland Limoges porcelain service set, a 100-year-old Vista Alegre crystal service set from Portu-
gal, and an 18-karat gold Italian charm bracelet whose provenance dates back to the early 20th century. The said bracelet’s charms carry the form of Kingdom of Italy’s crown emblem, as well as oval figures with filigree embellishments. “After our fourth auction, what we realized is that there are local collectors who find European antiquities and heirlooms so interesting that they keep coming back to purchase items—across different art disciplines—with special historical significance,” Lhuillier adds. Casa de Memoria is located at the corner of Jupiter and Comet St. in BelAir, Makati.
Growing interest
for EUROPEAN
high society’s heirlooms Samuel Powell
For more information, you may visit CasaDeMemoria.com or @CasaDeMemoria on Instagram and @TheCasaDeMemoria on Facebook.
Clinton Campos Hess, Jacqueline Lhuillier Hess and Jocelyn Campos Hess
Samuel Powell, Jacqueline Lhuillier Hess and Clinton Campos Hess
Ambassador Philippe Jones Lhuillier and Andre Lhuillier
Jacqueline Lhuillier Hess, Ferdi Salvador and Allana Montelibano
From left: Allana Montelibano, Jenny Yrasuegui, Beatriz Lucero Lhuillier, Nicole Whisenhunt and Reagan Ang
Musical joy at CCP IT WAS an evening of musical joy and exuberance at the Cultural Center of the Philippines when two Italian maestros pianist Fermo Roscigno and conductor Ruggero Barbieri teamed up with the acclaimed Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) to pay homage to the music of Italian composer Muzio Clementi and Philippine conductor/ composer Redentor Romero. The concert was presented jointly by the CCP, Philippine-Italian Association and Rustan’s under the auspices of the Embassy of Italy to the Philippines to showcase the cultural aspect of bi-lateral relations between the Philippines and Italy. A highlight of the evening was Maestro Roscigno’s rendering of Clementi’s Concerto in C Major for Piano and Orchestra (Cadenzas by Fermo Roscigno) which had its premiere in South East Asia that night, and was performed on a Fazioli, the newly acquired piano of the CCP and the first of its kind in the Philippines.
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Incidentally, the Fazioli is now considered by many musicians to be the finest piano of today. The elder brother of Italian Ambassador to the Philippines Massimo Roscigno (giving the occasion a neat local touch), Maestro Roscigno studied piano under the tutelage of Maestro Vincenzo Vitale at the Conservatorio di Musica di Santa Cecilia in Rome. He also attended the Specialist Courses in Italian Music in Venice. His many performances have taken him to numerous concerts halls around the world. Under the baton of its former musical director Maestro Barbieri, the PPO—fresh from its hugely successful and much acclaimed concert in New York’s Carnegie Hall—was at its musical best, with its tonal quality and brilliance proving why it is the premier orchestra in the country. Providing generous support to make the evening possible as major sponsor was Calata Corporation and The Peninsula Manila as the official hotel.
Agnes Roscigno, Nedy Tantoco, Maestro Fermo Roscigno and Maestro Ruggero Barbieri
Maestro Ruggero Barbieri leads the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra
Maritess Tantoco-Enriquez with H. E. Ambassador Amanda Gorely of Australia and husband Mr. Stuart Hodge
From left: Dani Aliaga, Bernice Palanca-Go, Anton Barretto, Atty. Fely Arroyo and Joker Arroyo
Florence Ko, Nedy Tantoco and H. E. Ambassador Massimo Roscigno of Italy