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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Concerts on DVD
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on July 23, 2007 For the Standard Today, July 24 issue �Have you acquired any good DVDs lately?�, asked a regular reader of this column in Tigbauan, Iloilo . As a matter of fact, I have. And I welcome this opportunity to deviate from the often depressing topic of cannibalistic Philippine politics and go into a subject that I truly love and enjoy: classical music. My Tigbauan reader no doubt meant DVDs of feature films. But I would like to concentrate in this piece on DVDs of classical music. It is an economic fact that many feature films now, be they American or European, sell more DVD copies than cinema seats. Many movie fans now prefer to watch films on DVD in the privacy of their homes, rather than go out to the downtown or neighborhood movie houses and risk such annoyances and inconveniences as full parking lots, standing-room-only situations, chattering magpies in the next row or aisle, and occasional shoot-outs or stabbings by the usual lunatics on the loose. A similar situation must prevail in the classical music industry. Good concert hall seats must cost at least $50 to $100 each in the US and Europe . On the other hand, a top-of-the-line DVD of classical music sells for only about $25 to $30 � only P50 or P60 from my Muslim suki, when he has any, which is not often - and, of course, you can play it again and again in the privacy of your bedroom or library. For us in the Philippines , which the top caliber musical talents of the world invariably skip in favor of Hong Kong and Singapore � because the market here for classical music is unrewardingly small - our only chance to enjoy their music in totality is through the medium of the DVD. Ten years ago, there was hardly any DVD of classical music. There was only the CD, of which I had accumulated more than a thousand discs of every composition that I ever wanted to hear or was curious about. Now, with the DVD coming into its own as a preferred medium for classical music, we can enjoy an increasingly diverse range of compositions and interpretations that were previously accessible only through CDs, or through the prohibitively expensive choice of flying to Hong Kong or Singapore, just to see and hear pianist Evgeny Kissin or violinist Maxim Vengerov or the Vienna Philharmonic play. With the DVD, the entire universe of classical music is now literally at my fingertips. I do not have to dress up for the occasion. And my view of the concert stage is not framed by the heads of the people in front of me. In fact, I have a better view of the musicians on stage as a competent TV director knows when to zoom and when to pan, and what instruments to focus on at which point, as called for by the score. Something which the people inside the concert hall have no way of enjoying.. And I can see the often expressive demeanor of the conductor as he weaves his magic, while most of those in the concert hall can see only his back. Of course, one does not partake of the electricity that is generated by a particularly brilliant performance. But a good sound system compensates for that, as I listen to Kissin or Vengerov or the Wiener Philharmoniker in my shorts, feet up, while sipping tea or wine in the privacy of my bedroom. Try doing that in a concert hall. The number of titles in DVD is still limited, compared to the bottomless pit that is the CD catalogues. But the choices are multiplying. Readers of this space who were perchance converted into Mahler aficionados by my article Resurrection (April 08, 2007) � which dwelt in part on MAHLER: Symphony no. 2, also known as the Resurrection Symphony � may be interested to know that I have recently received from amazon.com two excellent Mahler DVDs that I had ordered. One is Symphony no. 5, played by the Lucerne Festival Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado, recorded in concert at the Lucerne Summer Festival of 2004. I have several recordings of this piece, in CD and in DVD, but this is by far the most brilliant, both in sound and in video quality. Pay special attention to its excruciatingly beautiful fourth movement, the adagietto, which the late conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein specifically willed to be played at his funeral. The other is a 2-disc DVD containing Symphony no. 1 and Symphony no. 8, played by the Chicago Symphony and the London Philharmonic, respectively, both conducted by Klaus Tennstedt in live concerts.. The First Symphony is the most accessible Mahler symphony and is usually the first step towards acquiring a taste for Mahler. The Eighth Symphony is also known as the Symphony of a Thousand, as it involves hundreds of musicians: aside from a full orchestra, a men�s choir, a women�s choir and a boys� choir, plus several soloists and a full-throated organ . Mahler was a convert from Judaism to Roman Catholicism and this massive symphony begins with the organ booming out, together with the massed choirs, the Roman Catholic hymn Veni, Sanctificator. Truly a stunning musical experience. But it does not quite measure up to BEETHOVEN: Symphony no. 9, also known as the Choral Symphony. In my music library of CDs and DVDs, the best recording of this masterpiece is one by Japanese musicians under a Japanese conductor: the Saito Kinen Orchestra and the Tokyo Opera Singers, conducted by Seiji Ozawa. Not surprising that the Japanese have appropriated this composition: it is customary for orchestras and choruses in Japan to perform Beethoven�s Ninth in public concerts every First of January. What a civilized way to start the New Year! This brilliant recording, by itself a Best Buy, is actually paired with another choral masterpiece, CARL ORFF: Carmina Burana, which set to rhythmic, pulsating music the erotic poems of errant monks in the Middle Ages who had succumbed to their carnal desires. But it is all in Latin, so forget about titillating morsels. Played by the Berlin Philharmonic, with German and Japanese choirs, also conducted by Ozawa. Those who were around in 1971 may recall that when the International Monetary Fund held their meeting in Manila, Imelda Marcos treated them to Carmina Burana, performed not only as a choral and orchestral piece, but accompanied as well with sensual numbers on stage by Alice Reyes� dance troupe. This release, therefore, combining the best of Beethoven and Carl Orff in one disc, is a desirable DVD that no music library should be without. Another odd but serendipitous pairing in one DVD is SIBELIUS: Violin Concerto, with DE FALLA: Nights in the Gardens of Spain and El Sombrero de Tres Picos. Nordic melancholia improbably coupled with sunny Mediterranean exuberance. It is probably Russian violinist Maxim Vengerov�s most expressive recording on DVD, performed with the Chicago Symphony under Daniel Barenboim. In Nights, pianist Barenboim renders a crisp and vigorous interpretation, accompanied by the Chicago Symphony under Placido Domingo. Yes, Placido the tenor. What a DVD! Surely a must-have DVD is Evgeny Kissin: The Gift of Music, an interview by Christopher Nuper with the Russian piano prodigy, who talks about his extraordinary childhood and career. The docu ends with Kissin�s historic performance at the Proms in London �s Royal Albert Hall in which he drew the most encores ever in its 103-year history. The boy � he was only about 16 at the time � was already literally soaked in his own perspiration, but the audience just would not let him go. Easily the best bargain acquisition I have in my DVD library is the complete cycle of BEETHOVEN�s nine symphonies, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under Herbert von Karajan in the 1980s. At that time, Karajan � who died in 1989 at age 81 � was no longer the vigorous task master he once was, and the orchestra was more or less on auto-pilot. But both the performances and the recordings are first rate and memorable. Did I say �bargain�? Like P250 for five priceless DVDs. Ridiculous, but true.. Opera lovers will treasure Maria Callas: Life and Art. A sympathetic portrait of arguably the world�s best soprano in the 20th century, a tragic life that could well be the grist for an opera itself. Born Maria Kalogeropoulu, Callas had a troubled childhood and an even sadder romantic life. Married earlier, she truly loved only one man in her life, the billionaire Aristotle Onassis, who later dumped her for Jackie Kennedy. Devastated, Callas became a recluse, and two years after he died, she also did, in 1977. The narrative is interspersed with recollections of her contemporaries as well as with excerpts from her unforgettable arias. Though I am not a great opera fan, I do have several full-length operas in DVD by Verdi, Puccini, Donizetti and Mozart. My favorite, however, is BIZET: Carmen, with Placido Domingo, Julia Migenes-Johnson and Ruggiero Raimondi. It was actually produced and performed as a feature film, not as an opera on stage, with the tragic finale unfolding in an actual bullring. Freed of the confines of the stage, it achieves a higher level of natural.ambience without losing its musical colors. According to the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs, VIVALDI: The Four Seasons is the most recorded composition in the repertoire. I have several on CD and at least three on DVD, of which the best is the one by the British violinist Julia Fischer, performing with the Academy of St .. Martin-in the-Field under Kenneth Sillito. The visuals include landscapes and wild flowers of the Welsh countryside, which however are not that interesting. But the music-making is sharp and exhilarating. My favorite ballet DVD is a toss-up between PROKOFIEV: Romeo and Juliet, by Angel Corella and Alessandra Ferri, with the corpo di ballo of the Teatro alla Scala, and TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake, by Rudolf Nureyev and the pre-digital Margot Fonteyn, with members of the Vienna State Opera Ballet. In both cases, the costumes are lavish, the sets spectacular, and, most important, the dancing by the principal artists breath-taking. This Swan Lake actually dates back to 1966, but digital re-mastering has preserved a memorable production. Finally, there is only enough space left to recommend Horowitz in Moscow . After an absence of more than 70 years from his beloved Russia, Vladimir Horowitz, arguably the best pianist of the 20th century, returns home for an electrifying recital of Chopin, Scriabin, Mozart, Rachmaninoff, Scarlatti, Liszt and Schubert. If you will buy only one DVD of classical music in your life, it has to be this one. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com . OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Concerts on DVD� Reactions to �The Best Films Ever Made� More Reactions to �Staying Celibate� Dear Tony, Nice piece. How about you write something autobiographical next time like, for instance, the career path you'd taken when you were just starting as a writer. It would be nice to read what kind of odd jobs you did when you were still young. An avid reader, Jim Angleton, (by email), July 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Mr. Abaya, Quite interesting! But your column didn't help but make me salivate for a craving I cannot fulfill! Hahaha! Thanks, anyway! I wish our record bars here in Metro Manila will venture into this genre for the sake of the younger generations because all we have in our record bars are the lesser forms of music, most notably pop. I have gorged myself with classical audio CDs while Tower Records Makati was selling these classical golds in the late 90's. But now, sadly they have just a few remnants of the whole room they had once upon a time. Quite pathetic but I can't blame them if they opted to go after the taste of the market. As for the classical DVD concerts, sadly I can find but a few of them in regular record bars, in fact, very few. Whatever that's available of these CDs or DVDs in the legitimate markets unfortunately comes at a very hefty price! Hindi pang-masa! Indeed quiet prohibitive! I was quite lucky to get hold of a few of the pirated DVD concerts that were not at all sold in the legal stores. In fact, they were in Chinese labels. Unfortunately, it is the market forces that dictate what appears on the stores. Sincerely, Antonio David Domingo, (by email), Las Pi�as, MM, July 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Music!? Ingrid Sta. Maria and Reynaldo Reyes perform at the PCIB auditorium tomorrow Thursday, July 26, at 7 p.m. They will play Beethoven Concerto no. 5, and Schumann Concerto in A minor, op 64. Last Thursday evening July 19, they played Rachmaninoff Rhapsodie - 24 Variations on a theme by Paganini, and Concerto no.2 in C minor Op. 16 Beautiful marvelous show! - and GRATIS at that! I suppose you know this!?!?!?!? Tony Oposa, (by email), July 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I know that you must know every classical CD and DVD worth mentioning, but just a question about my favorite, Beethoven�s Triple Concerto. Last year was an extraordinary performance of Anne-Marie Mutter with her husband Andre Previn on the piano, and that great cellist whose name I cannot now recall, other than the fact that he is Jewish. (Was it, perhaps, Gidon Kremer? ACA) The concert was once considered impossible to play because it demands three impeccable musicians playing near perfection; indeed this performance was one of those. The concert was played in Baden-Baden , which is a relatively small theatre and therefore tickets were booked solid months ahead. Not to mention that the prices were very steep. It was not unexpected, in a country like Germany , that the concert was covered live on television! I believe the performance must have been made into a DVD. Therefore if you know where to get a copy � or wishfully- dare one hope that it might it be available from your Muslim suki? I would be much obliged. Rica Cortes Rentzing, (by email), Germany , July 25, 2007 (My Muslim suki rarely carries classical music DVDs as the market here for classical music is very small. You would be better off ordering it from amazon.com, paying by credit card. Don�t make the mistake of having the DVD shipped by post to Manila . It will be stolen. See my article �Post Office Thievery� Dec. 07, 2006. Just three months ago, I returned a paperback and a DVD to a friend who had lent them to me. I sent them by post, from Paranaque to Diliman, Quezon City . The parcel never reached him. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony,: Where is this Maranaw suki of yours? I'd like to purchase some of these concerts on DVD. Thanks. Mayo (Lopez), (by email), July 25, 2007 Assistant Dean, Asian Institute of Management (Most of my classical music DVDs were purchased from amazon.com. I was just lucky with the Beethoven symphonies. The last time my suki had classical music was in February 2006. The market here is just too small. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Okay! I am impressed. Alexander Po, (by email), July 25, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I'm a big fan of classical music (though not the scholar on the subject that you are), so your article on classical music DVDs is a most welcome diversion from your standard menu of topics. Many equate being interested in classical music as being an elitist thing, but I guess that is partly because efforts to expose the "masa" to it, particularly to children at an early age, are meager if not culturally suppressed, and the aggressiveness of the commercial pop market is by contrast so formidable. If young Filipinos were as accustomed to listening to Mahler as they were to hiphop, DVDs of the works of Seiji Ozawa and other classical masters would probably be more in demand and therefore more accessible to people with limited budgets. That leads me to a related topic which, as a writer, is perhaps just as much of interest to you as it is to a recording artist of any genre: intellectual property and copyright infringement. The prices you quote for the DVDs that you purchase from your suki make me wonder if they were perhaps pirated, which would certainly not be good for the artists and their industry. Yet I suppose that making DVDs affordable is a tiny if ironic step towards making classical music more mainstream. On another note, I heartily agree that one benefit of watching concerts on a screen is the opportunity to enjoy frontal camera shots of the conductor at work. Conductors are so overlooked so often precisely because they are seen from behind most of the time, and yet they are among the most dynamic solo performers in any orchestra. Personally, my favorite is Mr. Ozawa, whose powerful facial expressions and body language while conducting are by themselves worth the entire price of a concert ticket. On another level, another engaging conductor is Eugene del Castillo, the Philippine Philharmonic's conductor and the former director of the Camellia Symphony here in Sacramento , California . Sonny Alforque, (by email), Sacramento , CA July 25, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, The first time I acquired my first stereo system (called component or modular at the time) decades ago, I would often close my eyes in the midst of masterpieces like Franz Liszt� melancholic �Consolation� played by Vladimir Horowitz, Beethoven�s immortal �Moonlight Sonata� (said to have been composed for a little blind country girl) and Ravel�s 19-minute �Bolero� and imagine myself seating at the Presidential Box in a glittering Concert Hall. Because I was in the privacy of my home, I would often unabashedly swing my arms a la Andre Pravin (who became the ex-husband of Audrey Hepburn?) or shed a tear at Pavarotti�s rendition of �Panis Angelicus�. But when I started going to Imelda�s pantheon which is the CCP and listened to our own and occasionally some foreign Philharmonic orchestras, I couldn�t help closing my eyes again and this time imagining myself in the utmost comfort of my home, listening to my stereo system! He he he. Then came digital music and video canned in DVDs, played in the new icon of opulence- the Home Theater and the world of entertainment has totally invaded our abode. But then for me it was a welcome invasion as it made my enjoyment of the works of the masters not anymore a luxury and made as accessible to any hoi- polloi as can be. Imagine a 5-CD album of Beethoven at P250? It�s such a steal one will feel like a thief! Just like you I passionately enjoy classical music but still snore at some �very deep� compositions during concerts to the embarrassment of my wife and daughters. I fell in LOVE with Verdi�s La Traviata from the first time I saw it on stage in the 50s at Centro Escolar. Then Rigoletto, Geoge Bizet�s Carmen up to the current Le Miserables (first saw in June 1989 in Broadway and several times thereafter- one time at the Meralco Theatre), oh, and more! I like Andrea Bocelli�s rendition of Plaisir d�Amour (though it may not fit in the category of classical music), Mozart�s La Ci Darem La Mano (in Don Giovanni). Have you seen �Master and Commander�? I love Boccherini�s La Musica Notturna in that movie. The way it was played (plucking) at the end of the movie reminds one of our Itik-itik and Tinikling beat you can actually substitute it for the dance just for variety if not experiment. Have you tried putting your favorite music in an MP3 player? I bought one for only a bit over P1 thou with 1G capacity (at cd-r king) and now can enjoy my own Concert Hall anytime, anywhere. If you have not tried it yet, then you are missing a helluva lot, man! (I have an iPod, but I use it only for foreign language immersion. ACA) (I also have my favorite pieces in my cell phone and enjoy it privately like while waiting to be called by my cardiologist.) Encore! E. J. T.Tirona, (by email) BF Homes, Paranaque City , July 26, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Well, well, well. Mr. Renaissance Man. I am quite impressed. Knowing your love of classical music is obviously up there that most people will never experience. But with the advent and proliferation of CD's and DVDs, as you say, one can experience the beauty of what classical music takes you. Now of course it is never too late to start with CDs and DVDs and dive into music of your choice. Yes, indeed it is quite a blessing and nice to escape to our very own secret place that we love, in order to resuscitate our hearts and minds back to normalcy; all from the mangling world we deal with every day. A comfort zone where we can be who we are and traverse ourselves to a distant cloud perhaps and see angels with wings and a vintage wine on hand. On a personal note, classical music was introduced to yours truly early on. My Dad loved music. He played violin, piano and classical Spanish guitar. By osmosis we all became musically inclined. For his GI bill of rights education he chose to attend the Philippine Conservatory of Music and at age eight I saw my first opera, Cavallera Rusticana. Admittedly I enjoyed the music tremendously and surprisingly discovered that conversations could be set up musically. It was perplexing at that time. The next opera I saw was the very poignant and tragic Madam Butterfly, which to this day the death scene vividly remains in my psyche and the music pierces the heart every time I hear it. Looking back, at eight years old the exposure to the classical music through the opera was a very special gift from Dad. I do not have a collection of classical music but my wife and I are big followers of PBS' arts and music on television. Let me dissent a bit with you. While CD's and DVD's can bring you personal touches, privacy and escape to wherever it takes you and be mesmerized is one magical thing, however, live performances have its merits. To mention a few, there is electricity in the atmosphere; the roar and applause of the crowd; the excitement of an opening night; the presence of formally elegant dressed beautiful people; the romance and flirtations brought on by the audience and that very special feeling you have arrived to share the finer things in life and living the good life. Thanks for sharing another side of you, Mr. Renaissance Man. It was fun to somehow intrude to something beautiful. If you ever find time, please listen to Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez. Hope you'd be enamored with this classical Spanish guitar piece and become a fan too. Oscar Apostol, (by email), Roseville, CA, July 26, 2007 (Thank you. I have Rodrigo�s Concierto de Aranjuez, as well as Concierto Madrigal and Fantasia para un gentilhombre. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Thank you for obliging my request. I'll be looking for Gustav Mahler and Vladimir Horowitz, although it might take sometime. I don't think they are available at your friendly neighborhood Muslim buccaneer in Quiapo, Greenhills or Divisoria.. (You�re right, they�re not. ACA) Now, for the next piece, how about your Big Band Jazz collection ? Sincerely, Auggie Surtida, (by email), Tigbauan, Iloilo , July 26, 2007 (Sorry, Auggie, but I have only about 20 jazz CDs and none at all in DVD. Nothing to write about. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Thanks for the info. I have just a few and would like to get some more. I especially like one of the two Barbara Streisand concerts that I got. Most of the popular song concerts however are hastily reproduced or poorly done. Chuck (Agustin), (by email), July 26, 2007 President, National Defense College of the Philippines (Chuck, I hope you have Streisand�s Timeless. Super!!! If you like Frank Sinatra, there are about eight Sinatra DVDs out, of which the best, as far as I�m concerned, is Ol� Blue Eyes is Back, with Gene Kelly as guest. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony --- I admire your esoteric tastes in your piece about DVD concerts, especially since I'm a Mahler fan myself. I'm just a wee bit disappointed you say you don't like operas, except for "Carmen," which I discovered in my teens (and then later "Carmen Jones.") I eventually graduated to Gershwin's "Porgy & Bess," Verdi's "Traviata," Wagner's "Tannhauser" and Tchaikowsky's "Eugene Onegin," which I love to this day. Apropos of recorded discs, I wonder how many of your readers agree with a friend of mine (wife of a wealthy Manila banker) who regularly buys pirated CDs and DVDs both in Manila and Hong Kong . When I once asked if she didn't feel guilty about doing something illegal, she retorted, "Hell's bells, no ! Why should I make all those artists, actors, producers and companies richer than they already are?" She may have a point there. All the railing by Western companies against Chinese-pirated films and music will probably get nowhere, not just because the Chinese are infinitely crafty but because they know there's a market out there where not everyone can afford the exorbitant prices one has to pay for non-pirated films and music. By blithely going on stealing these Western products and unleashing them to the world, China is providing entertainment and art to those folks who would not ordinarily be exposed to different cultures, don't you think? Isabel Escoda, (by email), Hong Kong , July 26, 2007 (Agreed. But my case is slightly different. I had accumulated more than a thousand DVDs, mostly purchased from amazon.com, before the Chinese copies became available here. I was such a good customer that Jeff Bezos, CEO of amazon.com, actually wrote me a letter thanking me for my patronage and sending me gratis a copy of the then about-to-be released �Braveheart� by Mel Gibson. Many of the Chinese copies that I have bought, were bought to complete my discographies of directors such as Kurosawa, Bergman, Hitchcock, Buster Keaton, Allen, Lean, Curtiz, Stone, Kubrick, Ford, Almodovar, Bunuel, Ivory, Losey, Powell, Fellini, Antonioni, Godard, Annaud, Arcand, Huston, Kazan, Kramer, Kieslowski, Eisenstein, deSica, Visconti, etc, including their worst and most wretched films, which I would never have ordered from amazon at amazon prices. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, I admire your taste for classical music. I have refrained from ordering through Amazon due to the hassle of picking up the stuff at the post office, and sometimes they demand extra charges. Can you divulge your "suki" or wherever you get these great finds? Thanks. (Yett, as explained above, my Muslim suki carries classical music DVDs very infrequently. If you order from amazon.com, do not have the goods shipped to a Philippine address. The shipping costs would be high, and the contents would just be stolen. I have all my orders � books, CDs, DVDs � shipped to a California address, where they accumulate until I or a family member goes there. ACA) I still go to the cinema since I get free viewing as senior citizen, but only at the Glorietta or Greenbelt theaters which are comparatively sparsely occupied. There's something compelling about the big screen for watching movies. Regards, Yett Montalvan Aguado, (by email), July 26, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Thank you for this. It is truly a diversion from the dismal picture of Philippine politics. I shall keep it as a ready reference for when I might be in the mood to buy a new DVD. Remy Marmole�o, (by email), July 26, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) Alex, nice to know mahilig ka rin sa music. Salamat sa iyong offer! I will give you a few of what I would really want. Don't worry konti lang and kung meron ka lang na pwede mong ipamigay. Tatanawin kong big favor sa iyo for as long as I live! That's how much I love music. You see, even if there are many very cheap pirated CDs and DVDs here, I don't really patronize them (unless tempted by a title that I have long been looking for!). One reason apart from the fact that it is an infringement of intellectual property rights is that ang quality ay madalas e masama. Sometimes ang ganda nang pinapanuod ko tapos magpapalya lang! Bitin! Harang! Right now my dream (mababa lang ang kaligayahan ko, bro) is to have some of Geussepi Verdi's "immortal" (walang kamatayan sa ganda!)operas. Either DVD movies or plain musical CDs. Gaya ng LA TRAVIATA at iba pa. Another great wish is Mozart�s MAGIC FLUTE either in DVD movie or music in CD or even tape lang. Another, Mahler: Symphony No.2 or RESURRECTION SYMPHONY in CD (wala sa mga muslim ditto sa BF. Ayoko naming pumunta pa sa Basilan for it! Har har har!) Lastly, Music CDs or DVD operas with the fantastic soprano Kiri Tekanawa of New Zealand . Lalu na yung rendition niya ng ALLELUIA! I can die after listening to it- smiling pa!!! Ha ha ha. Alam mo wala na tayong masyadong budget ngayon sa mga ganyan dahil retired na at practically wala ng kita. Pero masaya pa rin kahit paano, sa awa ng Dios, dahil sa mga advocacy na aking pinagkakaabalahan. Anyway, you don�t have to bother looking for them kung wala sa tabi-tabi. Salamat ng marami sa ano mang iyong maibabato dito. Take care and God bless you and all. Ed J. Tirona, BF Homes, Paranaque City , July 27, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww You have great taste in music! Anyway, writing on a topic that is in the periphery of the SONA gossips means you are not too interested in what she said. or your writings about the SONA will be in the future issue/s? I hope. I heard you co-anchored the coverage. So then, I missed your brilliant and frank comments. While reading the comments of some senators and congressmen/women... saying "PGMA delivered a laundry list of projects". and "no vision".. Man, what more visions do they want from her??? Ha!ha! She even overshot her eyeballs to "first world in 20 years". which is almost or very impossible based on our national "crab-mentality" and "piss-simistic" attitude and politics. That's a brave claim! Exaggeration, yes, but moving-forward attitude��.. LF, [email protected], July 26, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) This is great, Gus. I have several Mahler CDs but Mahler is really an acquired taste. The exact Seiji Ozawa Beethoven Symphony No. 9 with Japanese and German choruses I also have. Abaya mentions Imelda's staging of the Carl Orff: Carmina Burana in 1971. He fails to remember the soloist: Evelyn Mandac. Yup, it's great to have DVDs of classical music! Marne Kilates, (by email), July 28, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Brilliant piece. Though I must say that I am biased for Liszt and Wagner. By the way, I want to get a copy of your booklet "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Communism." Below is my mailing address:(deleted) Cheers and more power. Allan Mendoza, (by email), GMA Cavite, July 30, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Reactions to �The Best Films Ever Made� (This is a regular page in my website www.tapatt.org) Hello: I came across your website by accident while searching for information on French Indo China for a novel I'm going to write. I just viewed "Cinema Paradiso" and was surprised that I didn't see it on your list of best films ever made. I don't know whether you're not familiar with the movie or if you don't see it the way I do. It won numerous awards (Oscar, Cannes , etc.). I thought it was one of the best movies I've ever seen and would like to recommend it to you if you haven't seen it. By the way, I plan to spend more time on your website reading the articles. The few I scanned were very good. Sarah Nachin, (by email), Spring Hill , Florida , July 15, 2007 (I also liked �Cinema Paradiso,� but not enough to put it in my Best list. I put it in my Next Best list, which is still under construction. Watch out for it. ACA) I'll be looking for your Next Best List. I also plan to look at your Worst List, so I know which films to avoid. I hate to waste my valuable time on inferior movies. It will be interesting to see which ones on there I've already seen. Sarah Nachin, July 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww In your list of The Best Films Ever Made, there is not a single entry from the Philippines . Why not?? Gerry S. Fernando, (by email), Vancouver , BC , Canada , July 15, 2007 (In the past 20 years or so, I have watched about ten Filipino films. I didn�t think any one of them qualified as one of The Best Films Ever Made. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Staying Celibate� (July 18, 2007) Tony, You have to ask your source to get you the "Deliver us from Evil" DVD, if you haven't seen it yet. It�s about the Catholic Church�s abuses. Best Gerry (Kaimo), (by email), July 28, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Deacons are married men who perform part of the priest role except the Holy Eucharist. Also in the USA , St Nicholas Church in Maryland has an old priest who is also married. He was a construction contractor in the past, with grown up children and a wife. In his senior years he had a calling from his faith so he was allowed to enter the Catholic priesthood. His wife is still alive but they don�t live together now because the priest lives in the Church campus. If you enter priesthood at a young age , I believe the requirement is to be single; however if you enter priesthood in your senior years, civil status can be waived. Here's a web site to answer the question : http://www.catholic-vocations.com/index-9.html Nonoy Ramos (by email), Pennsylvania , July 29, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, On the issue of celibacy among those joining the vocation of priesthood. Priests are better off not taking the vow of celibacy or chastity, but rather signing the surgical consent form for a prostatectomy after 10 years of being a priest. In this manner the natural attraction of men for the opposite or similar sex may be reduced to some extent, and protect the priests, medically if you may, from BPH in later years. Priests are men and they too suffer from RDS (restless dick syndrome) in their unguarded moments. Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, (by email), New York City , July 29, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Yes, he eventually worked in the London embassy of our country...had a daughter whom I met and who speaks excellent Spanish, Italian and French and even taught at the Alliance in Manila where I met her as a student. Her mother is my niece. And the ex-priest was my professor in Cosmology at the Ateneo.. Tony Joaquin, (by email), Daly City , CA , July 29, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww To put it simply, if a priest marries and begins a family, he will have to earn to support his family. I don't think the Church would be able to support his family. If he works, how will he be able to cater to his parishioners when he will have his family as priority. As it is, there are not enough priests for the many parishioners, especially in the rural areas. Imagine if they are allowed to marry? Some thoughts to ponder. Gerry Delgado, (by email), Changmai , Thailand , July 29, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony (if I may call you by your nickname) I think I may have met you a couple of times ages ago. I used to browse at Erehwon (nowhere) bookstore along Padre Faura. Didn't you do Europe on a scooter after college? (Yes, I did. ACA) Now back to the present. I am surprised that your column on priestly celibacy elicited a lot of reactions. that is good. Whether the reactions were for or against scrapping clerical celibacy rule, it would appear that all are concerned about the Church and their priests and pastors. They want us to revisit the rule. The reactions appear to be divided. but even if the majority would feel that clerical celibacy should be scrapped, I doubt whether the Church would be pressured to relax its rules on the matter. The practice of celibacy among the early Latin rite priests ante-dates the celibacy rule articulated by the Council of Elvira in 306, and subsequently reaffirmed in the Councils of Orange in 441, and of Arles in 524; and by Pope Gregory VII in 1055. in 1123, the Lateran Council declared that major orders are a diriment impediment to marriage. Among Eastern Rite churches, celibacy was a desired and ideal clerical state but they never quite got to adopting it universally. In 692, they promulgated the following regulations for their diocesan (not religious) priests: 1. All bishops were to practice continence; if a married man is chosen or elected bishop, he has to leave his wife and she could retire to a convent; 2. priests, deacons and sub-deacons were forbidden to marry after ordination; if already married, they had to abstain from sexual intercourse prior to the celebration of the liturgy. (don't ask me why because I can offer only speculations for answers. this rule is perhaps a form of discipline, similar to the old discipline of fasting from midnight prior to the reception of the Eucharist (communion) or similar to the practice of sexual abstinence of athletes prior to competition; or the rule may have been due to the Old Testament concept of sex as "ritual" impurity. At worst, it may be due to the vestige or taint of the Manichean teaching that matter is evil and sex is impure.) The eastern churches ordain married men but will not permit ordained men to marry. While there is no doctrinal or scriptural incompatibility between the priesthood and marriage, it is unreasonable to expect (or hope) that the Latin church will change its celibacy rule (within our lifetime or during the papacy of Benedict xvi) . If I were to become pope (possible but improbable, since my wife would definitely object to being retired to a convent though she looks forward to getting me out of her hair), I would grant any priest who wish to marry to do so. If these priests wish to bear a heavier cross, I'd let them. As was pointed out by some of your reactors, the clerical sexual scandals rocking the American Church (and other Churches) is pedophilia (which is criminal) and not consensual sex, be it heterosexual or homosexual, between adults. This clerical error and other clerical lapses have nothing to do with the rule of celibacy. Why focus on priests? Look at non-celibates around you. Look into the mirror. Do not non-celibates fall into the same errors as some of these celibate priests? In his reaction to (your) column, Kumari of Bangalore, India, said that the problem is not celibacy but chastity and fidelity. I agree. Now, Kumari brings up two important concepts that go beyond mere celibacy. Fidelity is faithfulness in the observance of the ethos, rules, conventions of one's freely chosen profession, vocation or state of life. CHASTITY? This is explosive. more difficult to observe than celibacy. All Christians, whether celibate or married, are required to be chaste - in thoughts, words and deeds No illicit or inordinate sex - in thoughts, words or deeds. "You have heard it said 'do not commit adultery.' but I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully (inordinately), has already committed adultery." (Mt. 5:27-28). Wow. You still want to be a Christian? (Not me. Or is it, Not I? ACA) If understand theologians correctly, passionate but ordinate sex (with one's spouse) is not only not unchaste but is sanctifying as well. Desires and appetites are natural. They come unbidden. If they are inordinate, they are called temptations. Temptations are not sins. We sin only when we give assent to (even if we do not act out) these inordinate appetites. More often than not, however, our assent to these inordinate appetites are "sperm of the moment" (Tony Joaquin's words) decisions. Hence not full consent. There is a mitigating factor. Our God is a loving, merciful and forgiving God. Shouldn't we all be as forgiving with each other's lapses? Back to the married clergy? I think we will have that in the future. The Church will ordain mature, prayerful , holy and economically stable married men. I doubt, however, if it will allow already ordained priests or deacons to marry or allow those priests who have been laicized to resume the ministry. Ricardo I. de Leon, (by email), July 30, 2007 (What have you got against capital letters? I had to spend about 30 minutes capitalizing what should have been capitalized by you. I am not a merciful and forgiving God. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Having co-authored a book with the late Earl K. Wilkinson called "Priestly Pedophiles," I am keenly following the correspondence regarding celibacy. Writing the book involved very extensive research and reading from which some very interesting statistics were unveiled. Perhaps one of the most believable researchers from which we drew a great deal of information was Richard Sipe, a married priest who, for 35 years, has been a psychotherapist at Johns Hopkins, where he treats many hundreds of priests and nuns every year for their sexual problems, Regarding celibacy, in 1995 he wrote, We estimate that at any one time 20% of priests are involved in a sexual relationship with a woman -marked by a certain stability - or involved in a more or less identifiable pattern of sexual relationships. He went on then to explain that a further 20% practice celibacy. He explains this term: Their practice does not obviate an occasional lapse, but it does exclude any pattern of non-celibate involvement or adjustment. However, he also estimated that only two percent of priests manage a life-time of celibacy. Thus, in reality, celibacy has already been deemed unnecessary by the majority of priests. It is sad, however, that the �wives� of these erring priests forgo the rights of legitimacy, as do the resulting children. Regarding the comment that US Protestant Churches also are guilty of harboring child sex offenders, this is indeed true. However, the great majority of offenders were found to be from volunteer workers, and the churches instigated strict ruling of background checks and rules that ensured more than one person is present when dealing with children. As observed by Richard Sipe, 6 percent of priests are actively engaged in child molestation, while 6 percent of the general population are inclined towards pedophilia, but most do not actively pursue it. This 6 percent of the population involves people of all backgrounds and professions, while priests are a very defined vocation, clearly indicating that the Catholic Church has a real problem. Remember, this 6 percent was before it was revealed that 10 percent of priests in the Boston diocese were actively engaged in child sexual abuse. I have not read of the percentage of priest in the latest Los Angeles scandal. Sipe also stated that 10 percent of priest were homosexual, most of whom most certainly do not keep their vow of chastity. The Kansas City Star in January 2000 revealed: Hundreds of Roman Catholic priests across the United States have died of AIDS-related illness, and hundreds more are living with HIV, the virus that causes the disease. The actual number of AIDS deaths is difficult to determine. But it appears that priests are dying of AIDS at a rate at least four times that of the general U.S. population according to estimates from medical experts and priests and an analysis of health statistics by The Kansas City Star. HIV cannot be caught from toilet seats. Although Wilkinson and myself tried very hard not to inflict our own views on the causes, privately, we agreed that even though the evidence strongly indicates many seminaries are being run by active homosexuals, thus giving preference to those of similar persuasion for entry onto the priesthood, we felt that active homosexual had little or no need to interfere with children. Their breaking the vow of celibacy is between them and their conscious. However, selection for entry into the seminaries was of concern. Priesthood did appear to attract an inordinate number of men with suppressed homosexuality, and they believed that they could fight their mental sexual problems with vows of celibacy. The problems of the Catholic Church begins with their less-than-exhaustive seminary selection process, and until this is fixed, the problem of sexual misdemeanors will never go away. Alan C. Atkins, (by email), Paranaque City , July 30, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Just to let you know that there is a fascinating book entitled "Leaving the Priesthood" published by Ateneo Press. I don't remember the author's name now - a priest, non-Jesuit; the Ateneo Press should know. I gave my copy to an ex-priest after I had read it. It's based on his dissertation for the Ph.D in Sociology in UP, under Prof. Sylvia Guerrero; a collection of case studies of priests who all thought of leaving, and of whom most actually left. Mahar (Mangahas), (by email) July 30, 2007 President, Social Weather Stations wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Tony, This is just a note regarding your reply to one Lionel Tierra of Sacramento , California . You wrote: (Since, as you say, God cannot contradict himself, then why does/did he perform miracles, each of which., if true, contradicts laws in physics, or chemistry or astronomy, or medical science, of which he is the presumed or claimed author? ACA) I do not know what to say, I just do hope and pray that you might want to ponder and examine this again. All I know is that we are not in any position to question God, His plans or what He did. To do so is blasphemous. I will pray for you, Tony. Ramon N. Golpeo, (by email), Saudi Arabia , July 30, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Wedding at Cana According to Dr. Geza Vermes of Oxford University, "There is complete silence in the Gospels concerning the marital status of Jesus . . . Such a state of affairs is sufficiently unusual in ancient Jewry to prompt further enquiry." The Gospels state that many of the disciples - Peter, for example - were married. According to Judaic custom at the time, it was not only usual, but almost mandatory, that a man be married. And at no point does Jesus himself condone celibacy. On the contrary, in the Gospel of Matthew he declares, "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female . . .For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?" During the late first century a Jewish writer even compared deliberate celibacy with murder, and he does not seem to be alone in this attitude. If Jesus was not married, this fact would have been glaringly conspicuous. It would have drawn attention to itself and used to characterize and identify him. If this were the case, surely at least one of the Gospel accounts would have made reference to such a deviation from custom. The absence of any such reference strongly suggests that Jesus conformed to the conventions of his time and culture - that he was married. In the Fourth Gospel, there is an episode related to marriage that may, in fact, have been Jesus' own. This is, of course, the wedding at Cana . According to the Fourth Gospel, Jesus is specifically "called" to the wedding - which is curious, for he has not yet embarked on his ministry. More curious is that his mother "just happens," as it were, to be present. Also, during the wedding, when the wine has run out, Mary orders Jesus to replenish it. Jesus declines to do so, and instead Mary instructs the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do - to which the servants promptly comply as if they were familiar with taking orders from Jesus and Mary. Despite Jesus' attempts to ignore his mother, Mary prevails and Jesus performs his first major miracle. The transmutation of water into wine. So far as the Gospels are concerned Jesus has not displayed his powers before then, and there is no reason for Mary to assume that he has them. But even if there were, why should such unique and holy gifts be used for such a banal purpose? More important, why should two "guests" at a wedding take it upon themselves the responsibility of catering - a responsibility, by custom, reserved for the host? Unless of course the wedding at Cana is Jesus' own wedding. In that case it would indeed be his responsibility to replenish the wine. There is further evidence that the wedding at Cana was Jesus' own. Immediately after the miracle, the master of ceremonies tastes the new wine. "The governor of the feast called the bridegroom, And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou has kept the good wine until now." (John 2:9-10). These words would clearly seem to be addressed to Jesus. According to the Gospels, however, they are addressed to the "bridegroom." An obvious conclusion is that Jesus and the "bridegroom" are one and the same. http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=37797 Louie Fernandez, (by email), New Jersey , July 30, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww DEAR TONY, I ADMIRE THE CELIBATE PAUL WHO SAID HE WISHED OTHERS WOULD BE LIKE HIM (CELIBATE) BUT THAT WAS NOT THE "COMMAND OF THE LORD." SORRY I COULD NOT IMMEDIATELY GIVE THE EXACT LETTER CHAPTER AND VERSE OF THIS. AND HE ALSO SAID THAT "IT IS BETTER TO BE MARRIED THAN TO BURN." HOWEVER, PLEASE READ HIS FIRST LETTER TO TIMOTHY CHAPTER 3. THERE HE WROTE THAT BISHOPS AND MINISTERS OF THE LORD MUST BE MARRIED AND HE GAVE THE REASON. Pasky Guerzon, (by email), July 31, 2007 (Please refrain from using all-caps as they are hard to read. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, From my last count, seventeen (17) people made known their views on your article on CELIBACY (excluding some I considered kibitzers). I know there will be more insights on the subject. I don't think I can add more as they appear to be well covered, although I am truly tempted. Thank you and more power Juan Jose Regino, (by email), Zamboanga City , July 31, 2007 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |