The Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012 Experience Part 1

The Press Conference

After a very successful inaugural edition last year, Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now returns this year bringing not just the much anticipated line up of contemporary Italian films and a handful of Italian VIP’s but also spaghetti westerns by director Sergio Leone and a whole lot more. Film enthusiasts and Italian culture lovers will get the chance to see these films for free and experience a whole lot more during the festival happening this December 5-9, 2012 at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas.

Italian Ambassador Luca Fornari

During the press conference held at Spices Restaurant at the Peninsula Manila, Italian Ambassador Luca Fornari aimed to double the attendance this year from the 6,000 that viewed the films last year. There were several things that he also pointed out that will make this year’s edition a lot more exciting like featuring more Filipino films and filmmakers. There are five Filipino films to be shown this year and it’s a good mix of independent and commercial movies. He also informed the members of the press that ABS-CBN is now the official media partner of Moviemov. And that a number of their celebrities headed by heartthrob Piolo Pascual will be attending the red carpet opening of the festival.

Senator Goffredo Bettini with Cristina Moricca

Ambassador Fornari, along with Sen. Goffredo Bettini who was there as well, stressed that they want Moviemov to connect with young audiences, hence, they included an educational component in which high school and university students from nearby cities will enjoy special morning screenings organized for them. There will be opportunities for these students to interact with the Italian and Filipino celebrities after the screening as well. Another point is that there will be a masterclass on Sergio Leone, conducted by Dr. Piera Detassis, the artistic director of the International Film Festival in Rome organized for university students. Also, the audience will have a direct hand in choosing the winners of this festival this year compared to last year in which a jury decided who won.

FDCP's Briccio Santos

Based on what I’ve learned during the press conference, this year’s Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012 aims not just to entertain, but also to educate Filipino audiences through Italian cinema. The festival opens on December 4, 2012 with a special invitational program featuring Italian and Filipino celebrities. The free screenings for the general public runs from December 5-9, 2012.

Zenaida Tantoco, Emanuela Adesini, Sen. Bettini, Sonja Vodusek,
 Madame Silvana Novelli-Fornari and Albert Almendrajelo

Italian Film lineup:

Cesare Deve Morire (Caesar Must Die)

Diaz (Diaz - Don’t Clean Up This Blood)

L’industriale (The Entrepreneur)

L’intervallo (The Interval)

Magnifica Presenza (Magnificent Presence)

Posti in Piedi in Paradiso (A Flat for Three)

Romanzo di Una Strage (Piazza Fontana - The Italian Conspiracy)

The Sergio Leone retrospective film lineup:

The Colossus of Rhodes

A Fistful of Dollars 

For a Few Dollars More

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Once Upon a Time In The West

A Fistful of Dynamite

Once Upon a Time in America

Filipino film lineup:

Ghenghis Khan 

Dekada ‘70

The Mistress

Qiyamah

Anac Ti Pating (National Film Festival, Ikalawang Yugto winner)

Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012 is supported by the General Direction for Cinema of the Italian Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, organized by the Embassy of Italy, Playtown, the Philippine-Italian Association, Rustan's, The Peninsula Manila and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012 Experience Part 2
The Moviemov: Italian Cinema Now 2012 Experience Part 3

Forte@40

The moment I entered the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater), the first thing I did was to count the pianos set up on stage, to see for myself if there were indeed forty of them. Never mind that the concert was called Forte@40, in celebration of the Piano Teachers’ Guild of the Philippines’ 40^th Anniversary, but I just had to make sure that the pianos were indeed forty.

After counting, I had to take note of how the pianos were set up: two top of the line Shigeru Kawai concert grand pianos placed right in front of the stage, eight grand pianos of various smaller sizes took the prime spots at the stage, and the rest of the thirty Kawai emblazoned upright pianos filled up the entire space. All of the Kawai pianos were provided by Lyric Piano and Organ Corp. The utilization of the orchestra pit area and the use of risers for the pianos further back the stage gave the impressive setup levels and depth that allowed the audience to see almost everything onstage.

The concert started with a very accessible piece called Concertino on Familiar Tunes by Stanley Avery. As the title stated, the tunes were very familiar and this introductory piece with 40 pianists, (1 per piano) all of them led by conductor Herminigildo Ranera, set the tone for the evening. While the opening number was all about accessibility, the second piece, Grand Perpetual Motion Waltz by Michael Cox was an impressive display of virtuosity by 12 pianists possessing advanced technical skills. I found it a very nice touch of having 10 very young piano students play side by side with his/her teacher on a single piano (20 pianists, 2 per piano) during the next number which was the Andante from Franz Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 94 in G major, Hob. VI:54 Surprise. This piece, conducted this time by Daniel Bartolome may not have had the technical difficulty of the one that preceded it, but it had an ample dose of cuteness.

Since this event is in line with the PTGP’s 40^th Anniversary, it wasn’t any surprise that the number 40 was a recurring theme throughout the concert. The first of the 40 themed pieces was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550 in which 40 piano teachers played the symphony’s first movement, the very popular Allegro molto. This is a very familiar symphony even for casual audiences and I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them couldn’t get the opening bars out of their heads after hearing this piece. After this, Father Manuel Maramba OSB, decked in wizard’s clothing signaled the young pianists to start the next piece which was Harry Potter Fantasy and Super Mario Capriccio (on a theme by Koji Kondo) arranged and transcribed by Kabaitan Bautista. This proved to be a tricky piece having five parts and there were some spotty moments when the pianists weren’t in sync with each other.

The second half of the concert started with another 40 themed piece which was Frédéric Chopin’s Polonaise in A major, Op. 40 Military, a regular part of a concert pianists’ repertoire. There weren’t any fancy arrangements made for this one but some parts were split among the 40 piano teachers (1 per piano) who performed this. I noticed that some of the pianists like Dr. Raul Sunico, Anthony Say and Carolyn Cheng played the piece in its original form without the aid of a music sheet. After this traditional piece, the concert took a turn for the unexpected as 20 pianists (1 per piano) played something based on modern rock music which is Contagion based on Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana by Kabaitan Bautista. And what was more surprising was that this was played by pianists whom I never expected to play this kind of music like Philippine Madrigal Singers choirmaster Mark Carpio and others like Mary Anne Espina, Najib Ismail and Peter Porticos. This by far was the most complicated, dissonant piece of the concert with 10 different parts with a pair of pianists playing each part.

Pianists Enzo Medel and Jeline Oliva

After this rather esoteric piece, the pace changed once again as more pleasant sounding tunes Workin’ on the Railroad by Eugénie Rocherolle and Perpetual Commotion by Kevin Olson were played by 28 young pianists (2 per piano). More crowd pleasing music was heard as 20 pianists (1 per piano) performed a Ryan Cayabyab arranged Pop Medley featuring a medley of OPM hits like Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika, Saranggola ni Pepe, Pumapatak ang Ulan and many others. This number certainly was a hit among the audience getting one of the loudest applause during the whole concert. A very overwhelming finale capped Forte@40 with the world premiere of Augusto Espino’s Mga Gintong Pamana. Featuring 80 pianists (2 per piano), this was the most awaited part of the evening. Commissioned by the Piano Teachers Guild of the Philippines specifically for their 40^th Anniversary, this piece showcased themes of various works by Filipino composers like Nicanor Abelardo, Lucio San Pedro and Lucrecia Kasilag among others. I had to admit though that while this piece was being played, I paid more attention to finding out who’s playing and where rather than listening to the composition. The sheer spectacle of what I was seeing meant that listening had to take a backseat which was rather unfortunate for me. I would really like to hear this piece once again even if it only had a tenth of pianists involved.

I can only imagine how difficult it is to put together this kind of concert with the number of pianos and pianists involved. And the Piano Teachers Guild of the Philippines managed to pull it off producing a concert of this magnitude. One of the most odd feelings that I’ve gotten after watching this concert was that I am now looking forward to the day that I turn 40, hoping that it would be as grand as Forte@40.

The 25th Awit Awards

Zia Quizon continues to be the darling of the Philippine recording industry as her debut EP Zia under Polyeast Records bagged four trophies during the recently concluded 25^th Awit Awards held at the newly opened Glorietta Activity Center. The album’s breakout track Ako Na Lang won for Zia the Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist and Best Performance by a New Female Recording Artist awards while Song of the Year award went to the song’s composer Jungee Marcelo. Another track from the album, Simple Girl won the Best Engineered Recording for sound engineer Nikki Cunanan.

Zia Quizon

Joining Zia in winning multiple trophies that night were Noel Cabangon bagging Album of the Year for Panaginip and Best Christmas Recording for Pasko Ng Pagbibigayan, the collaboration of Gloc-9 and Sheng Belmonte winning Best Collaboration Recording and Best Rap Recording for Walang Natira, and the young duo of Thyro & Yumi taking home Best R&B Performance and Best Performance by New Group Recording Artists for Kiss (Never Let Me Go). R&B heartthrob JayR also won two trophies for being featured alongside with Q-York in Chelo A.’s Connection that won Best Dance Recording and his vocal arrangement for O Holy Night snagging Best Vocal Arrangement.

Gloc-9

The Awit Awards is considered as the equivalent of the Grammy Awards as its winners are determined by members of the Philippine Association of the Recording Industry, Inc. (PARI). But there’s also a bit of Billboard Music Awards equivalent as trophies were also presented to the best selling artists of the past year. Bugoy Drilon, Somedaydream, Sarah Geronimo and Sabrina were given trophies for the sales/downloads determined categories.

Bamboo

Several special awards were handed out that night that included Special Citations for Optical Media Board Chairman Ronnie Rickets, singer/songwriter Jose Mari Chan m and PARI Honorary Chairman James Dy. The Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino Award was given to recording industry heavyweights Regine Velasquez, Kuh Ledesma, Gary Granada, Dolphy, and the Eraserheads.

Somedaydream

The awards ceremony hosted by Denise Laurel, Krista Kleiner and twins David and Anthony Semarad featured performances by Moonstar88, The CompanY, Luke Mejares, Zendee Rose, Young JV, Bryan Termulo, Callalily, Zia, Erik Santos, Gloc-9 with Ebe Dancel, Isabella de Leon, Richard Poon, Gary Valenciano, and Bamboo.

Sabrina

Here is the complete list of winners for the 25th Awit Awards.

Best Performance by a Female Recording Artist

Ako Na Lang by Zia Quizon (Polyeast Records)

Best Performance by a Male Recording Artist

Questions by Bamboo (Polyeast Records)

Best Collaboration

Walang Natira by Gloc 9 feat. Sheng Belmonte (Sony Music Entertainment Phils.)

Best Performance by a Group of Recording Artists

Ulap by Voyz Avenue/Take Off (Universal Records, Inc./Avenues Music and Events Management)

Best Performance by a New Female Recording Artist

Ako Na Lang by Zia Quizon (Polyeast Records)

Best Performance by a New Male Recording Artist

Ligaw by Ney Dimaculangan (Star Recording, Inc.)

Best Performance by a New Group of Recording Artists

Kiss (Never Let Me Go) by Thyro & Yumi (Viva Records Corporation)

Best Performance by a Child Recording Artist

Born This Way by Maria Aragon (Star Recording, Inc.)

Album of the Year

Panaginip by Noel Cabangon (Universal Records, Inc.)

Produced by Kathleen Dy Go and Noel Cabangon

Best Selling Album of the Year

One Heart by Sarah Geronimo (Viva Records Corporation)

Produced by Vic del Rosario, Jr., Tony M. Ocampo, Vincent del Rosario and Vehnee A. Saturno

Song of the Year

Ako Na Lang by Zia Quizon (Polyeast Records)

Written by Jungee Marcelo

Best Ballad Recording

Hindi Kita Iiwan by Sam Milby (Star Recording, Inc.)

Best Rock/Alternative Recording

Save Me by Letter Day Story (Sony Music Entertainment (Phils.)

Best World Recording

Para Sa Tao by Humanfolk (MCA Music, Inc.)

Best Novelty Recording

Nananana by Randy Santiago, Rico J. Puno and John Estrada (Star Recording, Inc.)

Best Dance Recording

Connection by Chelo A. feat. Q-York & JayR (Universal Records, Inc./Homeworkz Entertainment Services)

Best Inspirational/Religious Recording

Sino Ako by Fatima Soriano (Star Recording, Inc.)

Best Christmas Recording

Pasko ng Pagbibigayan by Noel Cabangon (Universal Records, Inc.)

Best Rap Recording

Walang Natira  by Gloc-9 feat. Sheng Belmonte (Sony Music Entertainment Phils.)

Best Jazz Recording

Sa Iyo Lang by Tricia Garcia (MCA Music, Inc.)

Best R&B Recording

Kiss (Never Let Me Go) by Thyro & Yumi (Viva Corporation)

Best Song Written for Movie/TV/Stage Play

Sabay Tayo by Mayonnaise for The Biggest Loser (Star Recording, Inc.)

Best Musical Arrangement

Tuloy na Tuloy Pa Rin Ang Pasko by Joyful Noyze (Pilipinas Productions and Entertainment Recordings, Inc.)

Arranged by Albert Tamayo

Best Vocal Arrangement

O Holy Night by Jay R (Universal Records, Inc./Homeworkz Entertainment Services)

Arranged by JayR

Best Engineered Recording

Simple Girl by Zia Quizon (Polyeast Records)

Engineered by Nikki Cunanan

Best Album Package

Kinse Kalibre by Slapshock (Polyeast Records)

Graphic Design and Album Concept by Team Manila Graphic Design Studio

Music Video of the Year

20/20 by Pupil  (Sony Music Entertainment Phils.)

I-Gateway Mobile Philippines Inc.'s Most Downloaded Song for 2011

Nang Dahil sa Pag-ibig by Bugoy Drilon

EGG's AllHits.ph Most Downloaded Song for 2011

Sino Nga Ba Siya by Sarah Geronimo

I-Gateway Mobile Philippines Inc.'s Most Downloaded Artist for 2011

Sabrina

ABS-CBN Interactive's Most Downloaded Song for 2011

Hey Daydreamer by Somedaydream

ABS-CBN Interactive's Most Downloaded Artist for 2011

Somedaydream

Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino Award

Kuh Ledesma

Regine Velasquez

Gary Granada

Eraserheads

Dolphy

Special Citations

Ronnie Rickets

Jose Mari Chan

James Dy

Watch out for another entry featuring my personal account of the Awit Awards that includes hanging out with Homeworkz Records artists.

JayR, Knowa Lazarus, Chelo A., Flava Matikz, and Jerome B. Smooth 

1:43

Bryan Termulo

Callalily

General Luna

Jungee Marcelo

Luke Mejares

The Opera Belles

BoJam, Yumi and Thyro

The CompanY

Sheng Belmonte

Robin Nievera and Ebe Dancel

Tricia Garcia, Ricky Ilacad, Johnny Alegre

PPO III: Fukumura Conducts Brahms

Yoshikazu Fukumura conducts the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Featuring:

Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra

Yoshikazu Fukumura, conductor

Programme:

Ludwig van Beethoven Overture from Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43

Frederick Delius Irmelin Prelude

Zoltán Kodály Dances of Galánta

Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra welcomed Japanese Yoshikazu Fukumura who was their guest conductor during the third concert for their 30^th Season Milestones at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). For this concert billed as Fukumura Conducts Brahms, the PPO presented the music of concert staples Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms alongside Frederick Delius and Zoltán Kodály whose works aren’t as often played here in the Philippines.

The opening piece, Beethoven’s Overture to Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43 seemed to be a late addition to the program since there wasn’t any mention of it prior to the concert. Nonetheless, I am always for having additional pieces at a concert no matter how unfamiliar they may be. I’ve only heard this once before when the Manila Symphony Orchestra under Alexander Vikulov played it during their  Beethoven Lives! concert. Unfortunately, I’ve already forgotten everything about the piece. Nevertheless, the PPO’s performance of this piece served as my introduction to Fukumura and a reintroduction to the overture. Frederick Delius’ Irmelin Prelude was the next piece to be played. I liked the simple rising melody that was presented beautifully throughout this dreamy and tranquil piece which I think is an elegant showcase for the winds section. Rounding up the first half of the concert was Zoltán Kodály’s Dances of Galanta. The programme notes said that this was taken from the style of dances called verbunkos. It was meant to entice potential recruits into enlisting but that gave me no idea on how it sounds like. Based on the PPO’s performance, I heard a piece that had alternating tempo, with fast movements briefly interrupted by a recap of earlier themes before ending in a brisk and intense finish. How this type of music could convince anyone from enlisting has me bewildered. It was during this time when I noticed something very peculiar regarding Fukumura’s conducting which I will explain later.

Johannes Brahms Symphony No. 2 which made up the entire second half of the concert was the most awaited piece of the concert for me and probably for many. In this symphony, Fukumura was able to show the contrast between the first and second halves of the symphony. The first half was dark and somber, evoking the mood of Brahms’ Symphony No.1. The second half was noticeably cheerful and bright leading many to think that this was Brahms’ pastoral symphony. This Brahms by Fukumura and the PPO was a vast improvement over the Brahms 1 that the orchestra did almost three years ago. And some even felt that this was the best Brahms 2 that the orchestra has ever played. But I still have to say the listening to the very horn section felt like watching a tight rope act fearing that something terribly wrong might happen.

Like what I’ve mentioned earlier, Fukumura had a very peculiar and amusing way of conducting. He seemed to be out of sorts, as if he was intoxicated, but someone from the orchestra told me that even during rehearsals, he was already like that. While he moved quite oddly, the sound he was able to produce from the orchestra was nonetheless superb especially the Brahms. Not so superb was the disappointment that many felt after the concert since Fukumura opted not to have the usual meet and greet citing tiredness.

Text by RAd
Photo by Kiko Cabuena

Camp Rock: The Musical

Right from the start, I knew that I would be too old for Repertory Philippines’ production of Disney’s Camp Rock: The Musical. The little I got to know about the source material (the Disney Channel original movies starring the Jonas Brothers) didn’t make me too eager to see the stage version I have to admit. But what motivated me to see the show aside from Repertory Philippines’ invitation was the cast that are made up of young, new and relatively inexperienced actors led by Markki Stroem.

I’ve seen Markki perform live on stage before during the Make Me Sweat show he had with G-Force. But this show was intended for a mature and adult audience making it difficult for me to imagine Markki portraying a role originated by Joe Jonas. His debut album, Thousands of Pieces, with its organic and sophisticated, jazz-influenced tracks was no help at all in preparing me for the light fare which is Camp Rock: The Musical. But this somehow made me very curious to see how he would switch gears for this production. I was also curious to see the other cast members particularly the female lead Morissette who was having her theater debut with this production.

The cast of Camp Rock: The Musical

As expected, the main plot was indeed shallow with the campers returning to Camp Rock for the summer and finding out that a rival camp, Camp Star, was set up just across from them with a mission to prove that they’re better. The main conflict between Markki’s Shane Gray and Morissette’s Mitchie Torres turned out to be just a petty lover’s quarrel. It was very juvenile to the point that I only managed to shake my head in disbelief. Because of this thin plot, there weren’t really any dramatic moments where the cast got to show their acting chops

While I might have some misgivings regarding the plot and the acting, it was the singing and the dancing that saved this production. Morrissette, actually was the huge revelation of the night for me. I had no idea who she was prior to the show and I am so glad that I was able to “discover” her here. Markki also impressed me as he was able to stretch to a wider vocal range in here compared to his album that had him singing mostly at the lower registers. The chorus members were secure with their harmonies especially during the huge production numbers featuring the whole company. The same security could be said during the duets between Markki and Morissette, and also the trio of the Grey brothers (Markki as Shane, Nacho Tambunting as Nate and Jef Flores as Jason). I even thought that the chorus had some help and I had to ask stage director Audie Gemora during the intermission if the backing track that they used had pre-recorded backup vocals. He answered that all the vocals that I heard were all live and not pre-recorded. And knowing this pleased me a lot since I am really very particular with the chorus and their harmonies.

A scene from Camp Rock: The Musical

The dancing was also remarkable with the kids doing complicated steps highlighted with very tight and sharp turns. And despite his aversion to dancing before, Markki managed to join the ensemble and danced along with them in a few numbers. And if Cheska Ortega who played Tess Tyler didn’t admit that she had zero dancing skills, I wouldn’t have known since I didn’t notice if she struggled at all in the dancing. Choreographer Paolo Infante did a great job in making these kids move even though he had to be tough on them. Markki recalled that he had an awful time during his first day in learning the choreography.

Morissette

I may not have liked the lightweight story, but Camp Rock: The Musical is still an entertaining show. I remember Nel Gomez who played Luke Williams telling me afterwards that the song and dance numbers on the show are just like those that are featured at the popular Sunday variety shows. I had to correct him that for me, Camp Rock: The Musical has more difficult singing (considering the multiple harmonies) and more complex dancing (as opposed to just posing) compared to what I see on those television shows. If the kids in this musical are the future of the entertainment industry in the Philippines, then I can breathe a sigh of relief since they make tomorrow look so bright. I just hope that despite being bundles of energy, the kids will be able to pace themselves so that their energy level remains the same until the end of the run. Camp Rock: The Musical runs at Onstage Theater at Greenbelt 1 until December 16, 2012.

Marco Sison’s Isang Pagkakataon Press Conference

Marco Sison

One of the Philippines’ foremost balladeers during the 90’s with classic hits such as My Love Will See You Through and Si Aida, Si Lorna, O Si Fe, Marco Sison took a chance to add yet another hit to his belt when he produced his own album and presented it to various labels. Now, after eight years out of the recording scene, Sison is on a comeback trail and finally releases Isang Pagkakataon, an eight track album of all new material distributed by Polyeast Records.

Marco Sison may have been on a recording hiatus, but he has been active touring with fellow singers Rico J. Puno, Rey Valera and Nonoy Zuñiga, collectively known as the Hitmakers. Their tours abroad and television stints greatly increased each singer’s profiles in recent years. Feeling that producing an album is the next big part in his development as an artist, Sison teamed up with veteran songwriter Vehnee Saturno whom he has worked with in the past and started out recording over at the Saturno Music Studio.

The album’s title track and lead single, Isang Pagkakataon, an easy listening romantic ballad penned by Saturno is currently enjoying radio airplay. Other Saturno compositions in the album are Selos, K’wento, Sa Iisang Puso Mo and Kahit Minsan Pa. Also included in the album is Sison’s own composition Sabik na Puso. Rounding up the album are Ikaw Pa and Dahil Walang Ibang Mamahalin written by Philippine Popular Music Festival finalist Edwin Marollano. Bonus minus one tracks of Isang Pagkakataon and Sabik na Puso are available exclusively on the physical album for those who want to bring out the inner Marco Sison in them.

During the recent press conference for the album held at Patio Carlito, I also got Marco Sison sign in my notebook joining the other OPM artists who already wrote their positive messages. In it he wrote: “Music doesn’t choose age. Music is my life.” I think it is very apt coming from a veteran in the industry like him whose years spent in the business has made him wiser, and more energized.

"Music if my life."

Isang Pagkakataon, distributed by Polyeast Records is already out in record stores nationwide. Sabik na Puso and the rest of the tracks are can be purchased online via MyMusicStore Philippines. Marco Sison will be doing promo tours soon in support of the album.

Isang Pagkakataon

Tracks:

1. Selos

2. K’wento

3. Sabik na Puso

4. Isang Pagkakataon

5. Ikaw Pa

6. Dahil Walang Ibang Mamahalin

7. Sa Iisang Puso Mo

8. Kahit na Minsan P

Bonus:

9. Sabik na Puso (Minus One)

10. Isang Pagkakataon (Minus One)