Adonay, the Maestro from Pakil

Featuring:

Nita Abrogar-Quinto, piano
Chona Noble, violin
Bianca Camille Lopez, soprano
Mark Carpio, piano
UP Cherubim and Seraphim
Elena Rivera Mirano, choirmaster
Philippine Madrigal Singers
Ervin Lumauag, tenor
Greg de Leon, baritone
UP Orchestra
Edna Marcil Martinez, conductor

Programme:

Marcelo Adonay

     La Marieta

     La Julita

     Untitled

     Meditación Lúgubre No. 3

     Munting Walz

     Salve Regina

     Libera Me Domine

     Gozos a la Santísima Virgen (a Nuestra Señora de la Consolación)

     Liberame Domine

     Villancico a Belen Pastores

     Kyrie and Gloria from Pequeña Misa Solemne sobre Motivos de la Missa Regia del Canto Gregoriano

A classical music concert featuring the works of just one Filipino composer is a rarity which means that a lot of local works are totally unfamiliar to a lot of people in here. For the past couple of years, I've been into concerts that were dedicated to the music of Lucio San Pedro and Rodolfo Cornejo and this time around, through the efforts of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the University of the Philippines, I had the opportunity to add another Filipino composer to that very short list. And that composer is Marcelo Adonay, dubbed as the Maestro from Pakil.

Since the concert held at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP LIttle Theater) featured music that I haven’t heard before, it was good that they started with short, sweet pieces that were very accessible. Pianist Nita Abrogar-Quinto performed La Marieta and Julita to open the concert and right after that, she was joined by violinist Choba Noble as they both played Untitled, Meditación Lúgubre No. 3 and Munting Walz. As I’ve said, they were short and pleasant to hear pieces that didn’t require too much virtuosity from the musicians. It surprised me that these pieces still hadn’t found their way into the repertoire of musicians here. I wondered that if the music sheet for these pieces were readily available then they would’ve become standards already.

The next to perform was soprano Bianca Camille Lopez who sang Salve Regina while being accompanied by Mark Carpio at the piano. While the solo piano pieces along with the violin and piano duets were sweet and made me want to learn how to play them, this piece left me a bit indifferent. It’s quite subdued and not as dramatic or lyrical as the arias that I am very much used to. And this was probably the reason why I found this particular piece rather dull. The next piece, Gozos a la Santisima Virgen (a Nuestra Señora de la Consolación), was much to my liking and I didn’t find it dull at all. This was sung by the UP Cherubim and Seraphim who were conducted by Elena Mirano, along with three female members of the Philippine Madrigal Singers. An alto and a soprano from the trio harmonized well when they sang their verses while the third singer, a soprano sang alone. The children's choir sang the chorus and I think that this was when the concert really picked up.

The second half of the concert started with the UP Orchestra (the string section specifically), under the baton of Edna Marcil Martinez accompanying tenor Ervin Lumauag as he sang Liberame Domine. Some members of the Philippine Madrigal Singers were at the risers behind the orchestra for this piece but they only sang at the very end which was like a response from the people after the speaker (the tenor in this case) was done with his piece. The UP Cherubim and Seraphim returned onstage, the winds and the brass sections of the orchestra finally got to play and baritone Greg de Leon joined Lumauag for the performance of Villancico a Belen Pastores. This was the piece that appealed to me the most. It could be the chorus of the children’s choir heralded by the ascending notes from the orchestra. I admit that I couldn’t recall much of the music of the verses sung by Lumauag and de Leon, but the fanfare leading into the chorus was something that gave me a bit of a last song syndrome.

For the finale, Kyrie and Gloria from Pequeña Misa Solemne sobre Motivos de la Missa Regia del Canto Gregoriano were performed and all the members of the Philippine Madrigal Singers were present this time around joining Lumauag, de Leon and the UP Orchestra. Interesting to note was that in this piece, there was no viola section in the orchestra. Since this wasn’t the whole mass, it wasn’t as long like Verdi’s Requiem. And before I knew it, the concert was finished and it felt like I just breezed through the music without really absorbing as much as I wanted to.

I do regret that I wasn’t able to attend the lecture that was held before the concert at the Tanghalang Huseng Batute (CCP Studio Theater). I would’ve been more prepared to watch the performances and I would've appreciated the pieces a lot more had I’ve known more about Marcelo Adonay and his music. I really commend the CCP and UP as well for putting up a concert like this that spotlight Filipino music and composers. It’s sad to think that our own music remains mainly forgotten while music from abroad gets all the attention. I do hope that after this concert, Adonay’s works will be played more often and that other Filipino composers will have their works performed as well too.