An emotionally charged "Saraza in Concert"

Featuring:

Diomedes Saraza, Jr, violin

Greg Zuniega, piano

Programme:

Ludwig van Beethoven
     Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 Spring

Nicanor Abelardo
     Cavatina

Manuel Velez
     Sa Kabukiran

Frédéric Chopin
     Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth

Franz Waxman
     Carmen Fantasie

Richard Strauss
     Violin Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18

Encore:

Willy Cruz
     Sana'y Wala ng Wakas

  

The sudden announcement of violinist Diomedes Saraza, Jr.’s upcoming concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines caught me by surprise. The concert was happening on a Saturday, and I learned about it on Monday when Saraza himself made the announcement in Facebook. But I knew that I have to catch it no matter what. So on Saturday, I left home before noon, more than eight hours before the actual concert, just to avoid getting stuck in my hometown that was having a parade at the main roads in celebration of its foundation day.

For this concert, Diomedes, along with the ever reliable Greg Zuniega on the piano accompanying him, prepared a program that I initially thought was generally positive, light and brimming with optimism. With this in mind, I was taken aback with his opening piece, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Op. 24 “Spring” which he performed with too much tension and drama for my taste. The all too familiar first movement, Allegro, felt like it teetered on the dark side but the tricky Scherzo of the third movement, with the violin seemingly chasing the piano in a game of tag, was handled very deftly. If performed by less capable hands, this part can come off as a mess, but Diomedes and Zuniega were up to the task.

The next couple of pieces, Nicanor Abelardo’s lyrical Cavatina and Manuel Velez’ playful Sa Kabukiran, showed Diomedes’ range as he was able to showcase the contrast between the two short, well known pieces. And it was crystal like clarity when he tackled Nathan Milstein’s violin transcription of Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne in C-sharp minor, Op. posth. The way he made the violin sing as it flowed from the primary theme to the next made me want to attempt to replicate such clarity on the piano as soon as I arrived home after the concert.

Diomedes displayed a great deal of fireworks with Franz Waxman’s Carmen Fantasie. Listening to it should be a walk in the park seeing that this piece was made up of various music from George Bizet’s opera Carmen. But familiarity with another Carmen Fantasie, the more popular one composed by Pablo Sarasate, meant that there were times during the performance when I was taken by surprise by how some parts went into unexpected turns. I had to remind myself that this was a different arrangement and whatever differences the Waxman have with the Sarasate was not a mistake.

Clearly, the main highlight of the concert for me was Richard Strauss’ Violin Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 18. Before starting, Diomedes offered some insight regarding the piece, telling the audience that Strauss wrote this when he was in love with his eventual wife and that we should all watch out for the contrasting lyrical and rhythmical themes in the sonata. Lastly, he recounted how this piece was assigned to him by Stephen Clapp, his teacher at the Juilliard School shortly before he passed away. With this piece having such a personal and profound meaning for him, it was no wonder that Diomedes delivered an intense and emotionally charged performance. He even looked like he was on the brink of tears during the second movement. Again, Zuniega proved himself as one of the most reliable accompanists here and it was hard for me to imagine anyone else in the piano during the Strauss. For an encore, Diomedes did Sana’y Wala Ng Wakas by Willy Cruz which prompted a few members of the audience to hum along.

With the very short notice for this concert, the audience turnout was not surprisingly the full house that his last concert was. Still, I am pleased by how the concert turned out which is incidentally my first for 2016 that also marked my return to this blog after some months of inactivity. May this be the fuel that will invigorate me for a more fruitful and musical year ahead.

Soprano Nelly Miricioiu captivates Manila in return performance

Soprano Nelly Miricioiu with pianist Najib Ismail

Featuring:

Nelly Miricioiu, soprano

Najib Ismail, piano

Programme:

Ottorino Respighi

     Stornellatrice

     Invito alla danza

     Pioggia

     L'ultima ebbrezza

Ernest Chausson

     La Colibre

     Le Papillon

     Le Temps de Lilec

Frédéric Chopin-Pauline Viardot

     Coquette

     L'oiselet

     Berceuse

     Le Danse

Tiberiu Brediceanu

     Cine m-aude cantand

     Canta puiul cucului

     Dragu-mi-i mandro de tine

Giuseppe Verdi 

     Oh, cielo! Dove son'io!-Ah! dagli scanni eterei... from Aroldo

     Come in quest`ora bruna from Simon Boccanegra

Gioacchino Rossini

     Bel raggio lusinghier from Semiramide

Vincenzo Bellini

     Col sorriso d'innocenza from Il Pirata

Manuel Velez

     Sa Kabukiran

Nicanor Abelardo

     Mutya ng Pasig

Soprano Nelly Miricioiu’s successful concert wasn’t just a triumphant return of the diva since captivating Manila audiences more than 30 years ago. The one night event was also remarkable as it was able to bring forth to the Meralco Theater those who have witnessed her previous performances three decades ago along with those from the younger set (including myself) who were either too young or weren’t even born back then.

RAd and Nelly Miricioiu

Resplendent in her metallic peach colored gown, Romanian-born Nelly Miricioiu, presented in her concert various songs and arias that aren’t regularly performed in here. The first half of the concert featured songs by Ottorino Respighi, Ernest Chausson, Frédéric Chopin-Pauline Viardot, and Tiberiu Brediceanu. She performed the set of songs grouped together by composer ending with a heartfelt rendition of a trio of compositions by Romania’s Tiberiu Brediceanu. She made sure to note that the Romanian song Cine m-aude cantand share the same melancholia with some Filipino tunes. When singing the songs from her homeland, it felt to me like she will always be proud to sing these despite the oppression she felt while still residing in her home country. I remember her saying fondly during the press conference (well, it felt like a lunch among good friends and colleagues), that the Romanians are a happy people, but the communism made them lose their smile.

Nelly Miricioiu

The second half of the concert was devoted mostly to arias by Giuseppe Verdi, Gioacchino Rossini, and Vincenzo Bellini. Nelly Miricioiu mentioned before performing these arias that her opera recordings are from those that aren’t frequently staged. Compared to the first half where she appeared more relaxed, she became more intense with the arias as if she was in an actual opera production. She conveyed a great range of emotions that even those seated at the farthest seat from the stage could still feel the passion undiminished. Her intensity remained unabated as she did four such difficult arias in a row without any substantial breaks. And that’s when the strain in her voice started to creep in. It was also when I really wished that she could’ve let collaborating pianist Najib Ismail do a solo first as she let her voice rest for a bit.

Barry Kirk and Nelly Miricioiu

My fears were unfounded because none of the strain showed when she started singing the two Filipino songs, Manuel Velez’ Sa Kabukiran and Nicanor Abelardo’s Mutya ng Pasig that brought the house down. She exuded such radiance during Sa Kabukiran, unable to contain her joy since she has waited more than 30 years to sing this in Philippine soil. I was seated in the front row and I could see how heartfelt was her last lines of Mutya ng Pasig that says Kung nais ninyong ako’y mabuhay, pag-ibig ko’y inyong ibigay! (If you want me to live again, give me back my love!) It made me remember what she said during the press conference that while she thinks that she is most popular in France, the Netherlands, and in the US, she feels most loved in the Philippines. The last line of the song might be a fervent plea for the return of her love but it was Nelly who poured out her love to the audience.

Nelly Miricioiu and Barry Kirk

For encores, Nelly performed the most well known aria of the night, Giacomo Puccini’s Vissi d’Arte from Tosca and the Visayan song Ay! Kalisud. It was amusing when she urged the audience to sing the chorus of the latter song along with her, but there were only a few who did since most didn’t have an idea of what the song was in the first place.

The concert ended on a high note with the audience showering Nelly with thunderous applause and standing ovations. As the event wrapped up, I couldn’t help but remember what Nelly said during the lunch/press conference that really got stuck in my head; she mentioned that she is coming full circle, returning to the Philippines with her husband Barry Kirk this time, and that no matter what, after this concert, her life surely will be changed forever. And I wouldn’t be surprised that there were some members of the audience on that night whose lives were changed as well.

I’d like to thank Joseph Uy, Angel Reyes-Nacino and the MCO Foundation, Allan Andres, and also to Babeth Lolarga for making everything possible. It was very unfortunate that due to illness along with a foot injury, I completely missed the series of masterclasses that Nelly conducted the week following the concert. Thankfully, I was able to catch the first of two recitals by the students who participated at the masterclass. And because of my indisposition, I wasn’t at my finest form and couldn’t focus clearly on the performances. But I think that’s the magic of Nelly Miricioiu. I would overcome illness and a swollen/sore left foot just to see her before she left the country.