Lukáš Sommer, a storyteller with a guitar

Earlier this month, Czech guitarist/composer Lukáš Sommer had a weeklong tour that had him perform and also conduct masterclasses in and out of Metro Manila. 

As much as I want to be there in all of his stops, I could only catch the penultimate performance of his tour held at the Palm Grove, Rockwell Center in Makati.

Coincidentally, Lukáš' performance was also in line with the celebration of the Czech Republic Liberation Day. Before he got on to the stage, Czech Ambassador Jana Šedivá gave opening remarks and welcomed the guests that were mostly from the diplomatic corps. I was surprised to recognize only three from the usual music circle that night though. It made me wonder if the guitarists, other musicians, and enthusiasts were at his earlier performances instead.

The lack of music people got me initially worried since I know that Lukáš would perform his own compositions (mostly taken from his album Savana!). While music people may be receptive to unfamiliar, contemporary music , for others this music may not be their cup of tea.

But Lukáš cast away my worries earlier on with his opener which was Variation on Over the Rainbow. With just that piece, he has captivated his audience already. His brief introductions before playing the succeeding works prepared the audience to what they would hear. And Lukáš' skill, charm, showmanship, and of course, the quality of his music easily enthralled the listeners. 

Lukáš was such a story teller with the guitar thay by the end of each piece, it felt like I already knew a bit about his friends, children, ex-wife, and the places that he has been to as these were the subjects of the works that he played.

Seeing Lukáš perform live, with the guitar taps, finger snaps, tongue clicks, and even a slap to the face, and how he plays to and interacts with the audience, gave a whole new layer to the music that I didn't get to experience by just listening to his recordings.

Now that the Philippine audience already had a taste of Lukáš' guitar music, I fervently wish that someday, his orchestral works, especially one of the concertos recorded in his Three Concerts album, will be performed here by one of the orchestras in here.