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.
