Ang Bagong Harana

Marvin Gayramon, Al Gatmaitan, Janine Santos and Charley Magalit

The Philippine Opera Company’s Ang Bagong Harana was the little show that could. This show that was directed by Floy Quintos pinned its hopes on the songs that embody the soul and essence of the Filipinos at a time when the same Filipinos seem to be hooked more on songs from foreign lands. Ang Bagong Harana did manage reignite the fire and passion in the soul of the Filipinos as its original staging was one of the cultural success stories of 2011. This success led to a recent limited re-run engagement at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium over at the RCBC Plaza which I was very fortunate to see.

Ang Bagong Harana is a musical revue that featured songs from traditional folk tunes up to OPM classics that were performed by ten, up and coming classically trained singers namely Jack Salud, Karla Gutierrez, Nazer Salcedo, Charley Magalit, Janine Santos, Lawrence Jatayna, Al Gatmaitan, Aizel Prietos, Marian Santiago and Marvin Gayramon. These songs were grouped thematically in suites that were interspersed with dance numbers by the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group.

The show started going back to the time of innocence with traditional songs that were part of the older generation’s childhood. After that, traditional music from the northern and southern Philippines was given the spotlight. The mood turn to celebrating as the show highlighted the merry making during a town fiesta. The atmosphere then turned darker as the first act ended with the Philippine Revolution in the late 19^th century with the romantic kundiman serving as the soundtrack.

The show resumed with a feel good show stopper that served as homage to Sylvia La Torre, during her heyday. Familiar music by George Canseco, Willy Cruz and Ryan Cayabyab were given poignant interpretations by the singers when they performed a medley of these composers’ greatest hits. The show ended with iconic and patriotic songs like Anak and Ako ay Pilipino and went back full circle as the show returned to the time innocence that came with childhood.

In about a couple of hours, the audience went through a musical journey that explored the soul and essence of the Filipino. Most Filipinos in the audience were moved and gave a standing ovation during the curtain call. I also heard that some foreigners who were able to see the show responded positively to Ang Bagong Harana proving that Filipino music in its original and purest form do transcend language and cultural barriers.

My only wish for this show was that the vocal arrangement gave the group more harmonies to work with. There were moments that the harmonies were exquisite but they were too few and far in between for my liking. I just hoped that there could’ve been more complex and intricate harmonies considering that the cast are competent and talented vocalists.

There might be more room for improving the harmonies in the future since this repeat engagement turned out to be a huge success as well. And because of this, Ang Bagong Harana is slated to return once more for another run. The Philippine Opera Company’s artistic director, Karla Gutierrez feels that the show is a musical journey that every Filipino should take. And with another run coming up, they are getting closer to that goal which is not bad for a project that started out as the little show that could.