Christian Bautista joins Ballet Manila's Ballet & Ballads

Singer Christian Bautista joins Ballet Manila in the latest edition of the company’s signature series Ballet & Ballads opening this February 10, 2018, 6:00 PM at the Aliw Theater.

Christian will perform music from his latest album, along with musical theater hits, in this show that falls right smack during the Valentine’s season. I think it was during the promotional tour of the Soundtrack album back in 2014 when I last saw Christian so it’s high time that I see him perform live once again. With this show, Christian joins the ranks of singers like Ariel Rivera, Lani Misalucha, Jaya, Nyoy Volante, Karylle, Kyla, and Freestyle who were featured in previous Ballets & Ballads that has singers sharing the stage with ballet dancers.

The inclusion of opera singers from the Klassikal Music Foundation (KMF) namely baritone Andrew Fernando, sopranos Jade Riccio and Stephanie Aguilar, mezzo soprano Krissan Manikan-Tan, tenor Leo Angelo Lanuza, along with the special participation of tenor Dr. George T. Yang, gives this year’s edition a newer dimension.

These opera singers are very familiar to me and I’ve seen them perform numerous times before. I am actually excited for the other audience members who are not into opera to have their first taste of this art form via this show. I have a great hunch that they will be singing during Martin Lawrance’s Aria, a five act work set to opera music that will have its world premiere in this show.

The ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra will be providing live music throughout the evening and to say that I am very curious to see for the very first time Joshua Dos Santos’ conducting on local soil is such an understatement.

Ballet & Ballads is geared towards bringing new audiences to the ballet through music, the “Ballads”, that is familiar to the public. I may not be that new audience but I’m very much looking forward to seeing the new work by Martin Lawrance, the Vaganova method trained dancers in a new light, and ultimately Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s Ballet Manila moving forward through the introduction of new works.

Ballet & Ballads with Christian Bautista opens on February 10, 2018, 6:00 PM at the Aliw Theater. Succeeding shows will be on February 11, 2018, 3:00 PM, February 17, 6:00 PM, and February 18, 2018, 3:00 PM.

Rama Hari

Christian Bautista

Karylle

The first staging of Rama Hari happened more than 30 years ago when I was still way too young to watch at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Throughout the years, I’ve heard so much about this pop musical ballet based on the ancient epic Ramayana. I learned that this was a work of collaboration by Ballet Philippines’ founder Alice Reyes (choreography), Maestro Ryan Cayabyab (music), National Artists Bienvenido Lumbera (libretto) and Salvador Bernal (set and costume design). I was able to see Rama at Sita, a musical adaptation of this ballet more than a decade ago and yet this only served to heighten my interest on the original Rama Hari. Fast forward many, many years later, at the time when my appreciation of dance in general is on a high, I finally get to see this production which is already considered a classic masterpiece in Philippine dance.

Jean Marc Cordero

Carissa Adea

I admit that despite my excitement, I’ve had a bit of reservation on whether pop singers Christian Bautista and Karylle would be able to pull off the singing roles of Rama and Sita respectively They do have big shoes to fill following the footsteps of Basil Valdez and Kuh Ledesma who originated the roles. Composer Ryan Cayabyab assured me otherwise that they would do great and would bring freshness in this production. Seeing videos of the two of them singing the signature songs from the production (Rama’s Tagistis ng Ulan and Sita’s Magbalik Ka Na, Mahal) eased my mind and yet the two of them managed to surprise me during the opening night.

Robert Seña

First of all, Christian Bautista’s voice was noticeably thicker, richer and darker in tone compared to what I hear in his albums and even in the recent recording/music video of Tagistis ng Ulan. I don’t know if he plans to use this timbre in his mainstream recordings but if he doesn’t, then one had to catch Rama Hari to see what I mean. Karylle was also a surprise as she channeled a Bollywood feel with her ornamentations that gave the music more Indian flavor. I immediately asked Ryan Cayabyab and musical director Jed Balsamo if those ornamentations/turns were part of the original score. Well, they weren’t. Karylle later told me that the embellishments she did during Ginoong Ermitanyo were suggested by Robert Seña who played Ravana while they were rehearsing that song number. And I made sure to thank Robert Seña for that suggestion since that added detail made listening to the music a lot sweeter. Ryan Cayabyab himself was pleased with these additional touches.

Ryan Cayabyab and Jed Balsamo

National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera

Christian, Karylle, Robert along with Amparo Sietereales (Soorpanakha/Kooni), Noel Rayos (Lakshmana/Dasaratha), Brezhnev Larlar (Hanuman), and Melani Ligot (Kaikeyi) served as the narrators while the dancers from Ballet Philippines carried out the action. Principal dancers Jean Marc Cordero and Carissa Adea danced as Rama and Sita with choreography that is different from the classical ballet that I am used to. Instead of adhering the classical lines with the upper body ideally held upright, the dancing by the leads and the rest of the company showed more shapes, curves and levels contrasting nicely with the mostly angular, bare and minimalist stage design. Richardson Yadao (Ravana), Earl John Arisola (Lakshmana), Rita Angela Winder (Soorpanakha), and Charmaine Bianca Perez (Kaikeyi) were the other featured dancers in this production.

Alice Reyes (2nd from left) relaxes with some cast members

Obviously, two of the most awaited song numbers in this production were the timeless ballads Magbalik Ka Na, Mahal and Tagistis ng Ulan presented elegantly and without any unnecessary elements that might be a distraction rather than an enhancement. Other numbers that I enjoyed also were those that were heavily influenced by Indian music. And having the Manila Symphony Orchestra conducted by Jeffrey Solares along with the UP Concert Chorus made it sound a lot better. It would be unacceptable to have a production of this caliber performed with a pre-recorded backing track. Ryan Cayabyab knows me well and yet I have to admit that some of the upbeat numbers that utilized street language and sung by the villains felt dated. I am aware that it tried to capture what was hip and contemporary back then. But hearing it now felt like it didn’t stand the test of time compared to the ballads that I’ve mentioned above.

Kalila Aguilos, Ryan Cayabyab, OJ Mariano and Christopher Marbella

Before the show ends its two week run, I do hope that I’ll be able to find the time to catch the alternate cast’s performance with OJ Mariano (Rama), Kalila Aguilos (Sita) and Christian Marbella (Ravana) along with principal dancer Katherine Trofeo (Sita). I’ve seen OJ and Kalila in other roles before and I am very much aware how strong performers they are. I would like to thank Ballet Philippines for giving me the opportunity to see Rama Hari during the opening night. Rama Hari resumes its run at the CCP's Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) this December 5, 2012 and will have its last show on December 9, 2012.

X Class

Christian Bautista once again showed his range as a performer when I saw the second night of X Class, his successful 10^th year anniversary concert series that was held at the Meralco Theater. Along with stage director Rowell Santiago, music director Louie Ocampo and producer STAGES, Christian took the audience to an audio-visual experience which was on a different class of its own. Paying homage to his theater/balladeer roots while also highlighting his current sound, Christian proved that in his 10 years in the business, he has shown tremendous growth as a singer and actor with an added bonus of a peek at a different side of Christian not normally seen on television.

X Class combined eye popping visuals with occasional gasp inducing theatrics and special effects all tied up together by Christian Bautista’s music. Probably one of the audience’s favorites from the concert was the number Could It be Magic with the stage converted into a fantasy world where bicycles can tread the skies and balloons can make people fly. Another highlight was the Broken Vow number where Christian acknowledged the influence of Josh Groban earlier in his career. In this number, massively popular cosplayer Alodia Gosiengfiao joined Christian onstage and acted as if she was Cio Cio San from the opera Madame Butterfly. Subtle and yet neat effects like the blooming flowers made this number a visual treat. Another memorable number was Invincible with the Hotlegs doing creative choreography as part of the walls that Christian was able to break through.

X Class stage director Rowell Santiago and music director Louie Ocampo

The concert could’ve gone overboard with the saturation of special effects but thankfully, there were numbers that only had little or no effects at all. The numbers Hands to Heaven, Colour Everywhere, I’m Already King and his encore, The Way You Look at Me were poignant moments during the concert that the star of the show weren't the visuals, but Christian's voice and music. The concert also provided some chances for Christian to have some fun, strut his stuff and shake his booty via the upbeat and action filled numbers. These numbers were the opening Fix You/It’s My Life, Live and Let Live and the crowd pleaser of the night, the mash up of Somebody That I Used to Know/Gangnam Style. Christian’s guests were former Akafellas member Ikey Canoy and DJ Myke, brother Jordan Bautista, Zia Quizon and MiG Ayesa who was the special guest for that night. Other guests who performed on other nights were Regine Velasquez, Sharon Cuneta and Kuh Ledesma. The Manoeuvres and Hotlegs were the backup dancers for the entire five nights of the concert series.

A nice mix of light and shade, moments of spectacle and subdued elegance were the main strengths of X Class. And this is also a reflection of Christian Bautista’s 10 year career which was celebrated in this concert. I’ve said this before and I say it once again: a clear and noticeable evolution and progression could be heard in the music of Christian throughout the years which cannot be said among his contemporaries. And this is not bad at all coming from what people originally dubbed as a Josh Groban clone during his Star in a Million days.

The Cutie Pie at Radio Republic’s Muchikahan

Cutie Pie Christian Bautista

One thing I regret about the concert was that I failed to see Christian backstage afterwards. I went over to the orchestra pit and congratulated music director Louie Ocampo right after the concert and I missed my chance to go backstage. But I didn’t fret that much since I knew that I would have my chance to see Christian up close once again very, very soon.

Jay Durias, Ryan Cayabyab and Christian at Muchikahan

Just a few days after I saw X Class, Christian dropped by Radio Republic (which is one of my favorite places ever) to be the guest for Muchikahan, the show hosted by Ryan Cayabyab and Jay Durias. After the lavish production numbers from X Class, it was very nice to see Christian in a more laid back and relaxed setting as he talked about his career, like his theater roots and how he made it big in Indonesia among other things. He also sang a few songs like So It’s You, Nag-Iisang Ikaw, and Beautiful Girl with stripped down accompaniment coming from just two keyboards courtesy of the hosts. During that night at Radio Republic, almost everyone referred to Christian as the “cutie pie” owing to the video that was done for the promotion of this appearance.

After the program, I’ve had my chance to personally congratulate Christian for X Class and I told him how surprised I was about the crowd pleasing number. This brief chat actually prompted Ryan Cayabyab to do the Gangnam Style dance for a bit. I thought that Christian doing it was already surprising but seeing Mr. C do that is something on an entirely different class of its own. And speaking of dancing, Christian’s next project will involve a lot of dancers, ballet dancers specifically and will also involve the Ryan Cayabyab as well.

Christian to star in Ballet Philippines’ Rama Hari

Christian will soon star in probably one of the biggest stage productions that he would be in: Ballet Philippines’ Rama Hari happening this November 30-December 9, 2012 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. He and Karylle join Ballet Philippines in this re-staging of the classic work by Alice Reyes, National Artist for Literature Bienvenido Lumbera and Ryan Cayabyab. I asked Ryan Cayabyab after Muchikahan what he thinks Christian and Karylle will bring to the table in this production. He said that the two will bring freshness since they are current. Their take will be different from those of Basil Valdez and Kuh Ledesma who originated the role. And that during the original staging, Basil and Kuh also brought freshness and a current feel to the songs. The two has since become living legends in the music industry. I told him that I still can’t imagine how Christian and Karylle would handle the roles and the songs. But Ryan Cayabyab has full confidence in them and told me that Karylle’s session went really well. I guess I have to wait for the opening night on November 30, 2012 to see and hear them with the Manila Symphony Orchestra.

X Plus album celebrates Christian’s first decade in the industry

Rama Hari is still over a month away but here is something new from Christian for those who can’t wait any longer: his latest album X Plus. Featured in this album released by Universal Records are his renditions of three television series’ theme songs: Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan, Nag-Iisang Bituin and Nag-Iisang Ikaw. There are also new recordings of previous hits The Way You Look at Me and Hands to Heaven featuring Zia Quizon. It is currently available on retail outlets nationwide and at online stores like MyMusicStore Philippines.

X Plus

Tracks:

1. Gaano Kadalas Ang Minsan (From the Teleserye Walang Hanggan)

2. Nag-Iisang Bituin (from the Teleserye Princess & I)

3. Nag-Iisang Ikaw (from the Teleserye Precious Hearts Romance presents Pintada) 

4. Unphotographable (Remix)

5. Love Moves In Mysterious Ways

6. What Can I Do

7. Beautiful Girl

8. The Way You Look At Me

9. Please Be Careful With My Heart with Sarah Geronimo

10. Hands To Heaven feat. Zia Quizon

X Class concert celebrates Christian Bautista’s 10th year in show business

October 6 & 7, 2012, 8:00 PM

October 12-14, 2012, 8:00 PM

Meralco Theater

Ortigas Avenue

Pasig City

For five nights this October, Christian Bautista will push boundaries in the concert scene as he mounts a concert celebrating his ten years in the entertainment industry. The concert will be staged at the Meralco Theater this October 6, 7, 12, 13, 14 at 8:00 PM. Concert director Rowell Santiago and music director Louie Ocampo join Christian for this concert entitled X Class.

Christian Bautista first found mainstream success via the reality talent competition Star in a Million. While he didn’t win the top prize, he became the show’s most successful non-winner. He has recorded seven studio albums, has penetrated the Asian market, and has acted on stage, at television and in film. And while he started as a singer falling under the Josh Groban mold, his music eventually evolved and showcased his versatility and range. One can appreciate this growth by listening to his first single The Way You Look at Me and then comparing its sound to the more recent one like Unphotographable.

Christian Bautista

During the recent press conference held at Cerchio Restaurant and Lounge, Christian was asked why the concert will be at the Meralco Theater instead of the other venues available for concerts which are considerably bigger. He responded that the chosen venue also serves as homage to his theater roots since he had his first professional performance at the Meralco Theater. He also said that the theater, with all its bells and whistles can achieve things that other venues cannot. He teased that there will be a dash of theater in the concert series with changing sets and utilizing the latest technology. And that there will be slight differences between the five shows so no show will be exactly the same.

In preparation for the concert, Christian has been undergoing some martial arts training in Muay Thai. He said that the concert will feature video clips showing action scenes hence the need for some physical training. He also mentioned zip lines and wires and all other stuff that people should expect at the concert. When asked about his guests for the upcoming concert, he replied that there will be guests but they haven’t announced who they will be since he feels that a concert should not be dependent on the guests. He feels that people should be watching his, or any other artist’s concert, because of the main artist and not the guests.

Christian had to contend with questions not related to the concert as well during the press conference. He got continually pressed about his plans for the future particularly the possibility of him leaving his current network for its rival. He admitted that he is currently at the crossroads in his career and that he is putting his trust in his management, Stages Talents, to work things out for him. He does put a lot of trust in his management which is not surprising since he considers that getting discovered by Carlo Orosa, who now manages him, as his greatest achievement. And it’s because of this discovery that Christian Bautista is now celebrating ten successful years in the entertainment industry.

Ticket prices:

P5000 Orchestra

P4500 Loge

P3000 Blacony

For inquiries:

TicketWorld 891-9999

Christian Bautista and Karylle share Love and Laughter in concert

February 29, 2012, 8:00 PM

Newport Performing Arts Theater

Resorts World Manila

Featuring:

Christian Bautista

Karylle

Nanette Inventor

Primo

Opera Belles

Christian Bautista and Karylle both starred in the musical West Side Story, the international television series The Kitchen Musical and of course, appear regularly at the Sunday noon time show ASAP. So it’s odd to know that these two singers, dubbed as Asiansations have never shared the stage at a concert. But now the time has come, for this February 29, 2012 at 8:00 PM, at the Newport Performing Arts Theater at the Resorts World Manila, Christian and Karylle will finally be teaming up in a concert entitled Love and Laughter. This special event, a Post-Valentine/Leap Year show is produced by Resorts World, in cooperation with Ultimate Entertainment and Stages Talents.

Joining the two promising talents are veteran comedienne Nanette Inventor as well as Primo and the Opera Belles. As the last hurrah before saying goodbye to the love month, Christian and Karylle will be singing tunes about love with all the joy and sadness that come along with it. Nanette, on the other hand, will be dishing out the humor with the skits that she’s been known for. Love and laughter is indeed a rare and unique concert that is as special as the date of the event itself. While this upcoming concert is certainly keeping everyone busy as the performance dates draws near, it will be nice to recall what’s been happening to both Christian and Karylle lately.

Karylle

I’ve had the opportunity to see Karylle during her launch as the new endorser of Jeunesse Anion Sanitary Napkins that was held at Patio Carlito. Karylle could’ve just coasted through show business just by being the daughter of Zsa Zsa Padilla. But she proved that she deserved to be in the industry by being one of the rare triple threats in the industry. She can sing, act and dance (she’s had ballet training for years and it shows in her carriage) which makes her a very versatile artist. She is also into health and fitness as well which is why it is no wonder that Jeunesse found a perfect partner in her.

I admit that I felt very awkward being in a launch for a product that caters to females. But it’s worth noting that Jeunesse Anion is a proudly Philippine made product. And despite the presence of a lot of males during the launch, Karylle gamely answered questions and explained what the Anion strip found in the napkin actually does: it releases negative ions that reduce bad odor and discomfort. Jeunesse totally supports Karylle in all her endeavors which also include the upcoming concert as well.

As for Christian Bautista, he celebrates a decade in the industry and the celebrations started with a golden bang. His latest album Outbound has been recently certified gold as he prepares to release First Class: Outbound Expanded Edition made specially to commemorate his ten years in show business. He has also just launched the carrier single for this album, Beautiful to Me. I have yet to hear the new tracks from this album but the collaborators in it namely KC Concepcion, Angeline Quinto, Neocolours, Sam Concepcion, Baby M and Zia as well as the re-recording of two of his biggest hits do make this album worth checking out. And a nice treat for those who have followed Christian’s career throughout the years is that the CD has a limited edition coffee table book. Both Outbound and First Class is released by Universal Records. I was able to meet Christian when he had a Bloggers' Conference some months ago.

Christian Bautista

Also, Karylle’s album Roadtrip which boasts her all original compositions was also certified gold at the start of this year as well. With just two months into 2012 and great achievements and milestones happening to Christian and Karylle, love and laughter will surely prevail during this special day in February which they hope that audiences will share with them.

Ticket prices:

P4000 VIP

P3000 Premiere

P2500 Deluxe

P2000 Balcony

P1000 Upper Balcony

For inquiries:

Resorts World Manila Tourist/Visitor Hotline 836-6333, 908-8833

TicketWorld 891-9999

Christian Bautista Bloggers’ Conference

Christian Bautista

Christian Bautista came into the scene via the singing competition Star in a Million and since then, his recording career has soared not only in here but also in neighboring countries as well particularly in Indonesia. Aside from recording albums that include the 4x Platinum selling Romance Revisited: The Love Songs of Jose Mari Chan, he has also dabbled into theater with West Side Story, into film with A Special Symphony and very recently, into television with the first Pan-Asian musical TV series The Kitchen Musical. He branches out once again, but this time musically as he embarks on a new sound with Outbound, his latest album under Universal Records.

This new album, geared towards penetrating more territories at the international market features collaborations with Grammy-nominated songwriter Jim Brickman, Korean R&B trio One Way, Japanese artist Baby M and songwriters Tat Tong from Singapore and Satrio from Indonesia. And these collaborations resulted in a bold, new sound for Christian whose experience with The Kitchen Musical has given him more confidence and more drive to take more risks and go out of his comfort zone.

In line with spreading the word regarding Outbound, a Bloggers’ Conference was held at the Universal Records office wherein chosen bloggers got the chance to interact with Christian Bautista. I was very much amused when I noticed that some of the female bloggers in attendance really got dressed and made up for this event. And their giddiness made the event more laidback, relaxed and less stiff which was helped by Christian who was very much in high spirits right from the moment he entered the room.

During the conference, Christian proudly showed to us a recent recognition given to him by the National Youth Commission as an achiever for the entertainment and the arts. This led him to recall that it was the song The Way You Look at Me that paved the way for him to penetrate the ASEAN market especially Indonesia where his album was certified double platinum. And he also talked about how much he has changed while doing The Kitchen Musical. He mentioned that he gained more confidence to try new things like dancing. He also got to experience the different working conditions abroad (he gets the chance to rest) compared to how show business is run in here. He also became more outspoken and opinionated yet he still prefers to keep his personal life private.

With all these changes and new experiences, he felt that it was the right time to take more risks with his music. He hopes that his continued exposure abroad will spark more interest with his music thus creating the need to come up with an album that appeals to a wider audience. Yet, he doesn’t want to alienate his long time listeners by abandoning the ballads altogether. He points out that ballads will always be part of his repertoire but he wants to add more variety especially during live performances. And speaking of live performances, he hinted of a major concert set to happen next year. And a minor concert of sorts did happen as Christian performed one of the tracks from the album, I’m Already King that was also featured in the film A Special Symphony.

Now on to the album Outbound, my initial reaction was that of surprise upon hearing Christian doing mid-tempo songs accompanied by drum machines (All That’s Left, Unphotographable, Faith and Wrong Number). But after a few spins, these songs no longer felt alien. They felt like they belong to Christian’s repertoire just like the ballads in the album (What Can I Do, Never Far Away and Sakura). It was exactly like he said during the conference that the songs didn’t feel forced and that they still have the melodic flow that utilized his vocal range. I think that it was a good decision to stick with mid-tempo songs than going up-tempo which might’ve been difficult to take in. My minor gripe with the album was that its running time of just about 33 minutes is a bit too short. I wish that they’ve also included a Filipino song in the album that could’ve served the international market their first taste of our local music.

Christian Bautista’s Bloggers’ Conference was made possible by Universal Records in cooperation with Pinoy Magazine and official online partner Orange Magazine TV with special thanks to Ever Bilena Blackwater.

Outbound

Tracks:

1. All That’s Left

2. Unphotographable

3. Faith

4. I’m Already King

5. What Can I Do

6. Never Far Away

7. Wrong Number

8. Sakura