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Play that music again, Sam
By Pablo A. Tariman
Inquirer News Service
MY CHOICES for conductors of the year are Jun Fujimoto from Japan who led the
Peace Philharmonic of the Philippines in Cebu in the rendering of Dvorak’s
Symphony No. 8, and Christoph Poppen for leading the Manila Youth Symphony
Orchestra in the superb reading of Mahler’s The Titan. Fujimoto also proved an
excellent accompanist when he teamed up with pianist Ingrid Salas Santamaria in
the A Minor Grieg Concerto.
In the last PPO season, the violin soloists of the year are Eliza Quirit (in the
Bruch concerto) under her father, Julian Quirit, and Oscar Yatco (in the
Beethoven D Major Concerto) under Francisco Feliciano.
These two are generations away from each other, but they have one thing in
common: uncommon musical instinct with true discipline to boot.
Other unusual soloists of the year are the Padilla twins from Cebu, Duane and
Daniel, who figured in the Bach and Vivaldi Concertos for Two Violins with the
then Cebu Youth Symphony Orchestra. You see double when you see these soloists,
but they turned out to be a highly synchronized ensemble playing Bach and
Vivaldi favorites.
Among the singers, my soloists of the year are Jonathan Zaens (for Mozart’s
Madamina with the Manila Philharmonic under Rodel Colmenar), soprano Andion
Fernandez (for Mozart’s Come scollo with the Manila Philharmonic), soprano
Rachelle Gerodias (for Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with the PPO under Ruggiero
Barbieri) and Gary del Rosario (also with the PPO under Barbieri along with
soprano Camille Lopez). This new crop of Filipino singers is worthy of the
tradition of excellence set by Evelyn Mandac and Otoniel Gonzaga.
Three generations of singers--Francisco Aseniero, Nolyn Cabahug and Gary del
Rosario--were re-engaged by the PPO in a year-end Three Tenors Concert but poor
programming failed to elicit the best from the singers. Christmas carols are
good as desserts in a musical meal, but we had expected main courses for tenors.
Mozart’s Don Giovanni made an inauspicious return to the CCP courtesy of the
Opera Guild of the Philippines, but it didn’t convert new opera fans; it sent
seasoned operagoers fleeing during the intermission and the most determined ones
weeping at the end of the last note of the opera. The sets didn’t inspire nor
did the singers. Someone suggested that since there was no budget for sets, the
entire opera should have been deconstructed with Malacañang as the setting and
with an honest-to-goodness Don Juan counting his true-to-life conquests in the
aria "Madamina."
In terms of publicity and broadcast exposure, pop singer Martin Nievera became
PPO’s soloist of the year, thanks to ABS-CBN, which kept the CCP box office
ringing until curtain time.
Pianist Felipe Ramirez played the Liszt’s First Concerto with the PPO, but
didn’t make anything fresh out of this hard-beaten warhorse and the piece
remained what it was--a show-off concerto.
Pianists Raul Sunico and Della Besa did their best in Mendelssohn’s Concerto
for Two Pianos, but the presence of Carlf Orff’s Carmina Burana at the end of
the program literally wiped them off the night’s repertoire. What stood out
was Jonathan Velasco’s Philippine Chamber Choir with Rachelle Gerodias as
soloist. Talk of unfair programming.
My choices of Recitalists of the Year:
Romanian violinist Alexander Tomescu with Mary Anne Espina at the Francisco
Santiago Hall in Makati and in Virac, Catanduanes. Formidable technique and
consummate artistry certainly made Tomescu a worthy recipient of the Sir Yehudi
Menuhin Prize in Paris.
Cellist Angela Lee with pianist J. Greg Zuniega at the St. Stephen’s Concert
Hall in Manila and at the Hotel Roman’s Ville in Ilagan, Isabela. Total
rapport with her pianist and a way with Beethoven and Shostakovich make this
lady cellist stand out. Her musicality was so overwhelming she converted more
music lovers to the art of the cello and kept them asking for more.
Bass baritone Jonathan Zaens with pianist Mark Carpio at the CCP Little Theater.
This Germany-based singer was the saving grace of the CCP Filipino Artists
Series and proved to one and all that power isn’t everything in the art of
singing. His exquisite vocal artistry could be summed up in one entry that
night, Strauss "Traum Durch Die Dammerung" (Dream in a Twlight) which
rendered everyone speechless and in awe of the singer.
After his stint with the PPO, Del Rosario returned to Manila in August and with
pianist Nita Ablogar-Quinto performed in a stunning recital in Ilagan, Isabela
and Cebu.
In his hands, Verdi and Puccini had found a safe niche and music lovers of
Isabela and Cebu reciprocated with one standing ovation after another.
At year’s end with the impeachment trial hugging the limelight, Russian
violinist Anastasia Chebotareva with pianist J. Greg Zuniega braved the
country’s volatile political landscape and played Mozart, Wienawsky and
Massenet in Manila and Isabela. In Santiago City, people in nearby San Isidro
town--led by their parish priest Fr. Gerald Vidad--trooped to Carig Plaza Hotel
to watch their first violin recital and were in awe of the beauty and musicality
of the Russian artist. A surprise encore was Ilagan Bishop Sergio Utleg playing
Romero-Zubiri’s Matud Nila with La Chebotareva. Pandemonium ensued.
The same standing ovation was repeated at the Hotel Roman’s Ville in Ilagan
town the following night where for an hour, the Russian violinist allowed
audiences to enjoy music at the height of the damaging Clarissa Ocampo
testimony.
The opening and closing concerts of the First Cagayan Valley International Music
Festival both were capped by standing ovations, which proved that classical had
long been missed and cherished in this part of Northern Luzon.
Here and there
NOW that pianist Ariel Dechosa got two standing ovations for his solo recitals
in Manila and Cebu, now is the chance to see him work with an orchestra when he
debuts with the Philippine Philharmonic today, under the baton of Chino Toledo.
The concerto: Beethoven No. 5 known as The Emperor. Cellist Willie Pasamba is
soloist in Lalo’s cello concert on Jan. 29 at the CCP Little Theater with
former Spanish Ambassador Delfin Colome conducting the Philippine Philharmonic.