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| Soprano Sumi Jo |
Featuring:
Sumi Jo, soprano
John Raymond Sarreal, flute
Najib Ismail, piano
Programme:
Henry
Bishop Lo! Here the Gentle Lark from the
Comedy of Errors
Antonio
Vivaldi Sposa son disprezzata from
Bajazet
George
Frideric Handel Lascia, ch’Io pianga
from Giulio Cesare in Egitto
Adolphe
Adam Ah! vous dirai-je, maman from
Le toréador
Jean-Paul-Égide
Martini Plaisir d’amour
Léo
Delibes Chanson espagnole
Eva
Dell’Acqua Villanelle
Johann
Strauss Jr. The Beautiful Blue Danube
Michael
William Balfe I Dreamt I Dwelt in
Marble Hall from The Bohemian Girl
George
Gershwin Summertime from Porgy and Bess
Franz
Lehár Vilja Song from The Merry Widow
Frederick
Loewe I Could Have Danced All Night from
My Fair Lady
Jung-Joon
Ahn Ari Arirang
Sergei
Rachmaninoff Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14
Giuseppe
Verdi Ah fors'è lui… Sempre libera from
La Traviata
Korean
soprano superstar Sumi Jo’s one night concert at the Samsung Hall at the SM Aura Premier was the most
happening night in town with classical/opera music lovers and a large number of
Koreans showing up in full force. The concert resulted in a memorable night
that showcased Sumi Jo’s incredible vocals despite the venue’s acoustics that
had a lot to be desired.
Sumi
Jo performed a selection of love songs and arias in different styles and
languages, accompanied by pianist Najib Ismail and joined in a couple of
numbers by flutist John Raymond Sarreal. No matter where the audience came from, there
was something for them during that night as Sumi Jo serenaded the audience with
arias like Giuseppe Verdi’s Ah fors'è lui… Sempre libera from La Traviata which had me marveling over
how she managed reach that high E flat with such ease and control. Some members
of the audience who weren’t familiar with the opera arias she performed were
glad that she included more familiar tunes like Frederick Loewe’s I Could Have
Danced All Night from My Fair Lady,
George Gershwin’s Summertime from Porgy
and Bess, Johann Strauss Jr’s. The Beautiful Blue Danube, and the crowd
pleasing Ah! vous dirai-je, maman from Le toreador by Adolphe Adam that featured the well known
twinkle, twinkle little star melody.
I
was literally surrounded by Koreans on that night and I took note on how
pleased they were when Sumi Jo performed Jung-Joon Ahn’s Ari Arirang. I noticed
that some were even to the point of tears. The Korean who was seated at my
right asked me how I got to know Sumi Jo. I got the impression that it was a
surprise for them to find out that non-Koreans do know who Sumi Jo is.
As
always, the audience didn’t let Sumi Jo get off stage that quickly and demanded
encores from her. Her encores were O mio babbino caro from Gianni Schicchi by
Giacomo Puccini which she dedicated to her late father and Ave Maria by Franz
Schubert which she dedicated to the survivors of the super typhoon Yolanda.
When the people still asked for more, she then said that she wanted to sing in
Korean that had the Koreans in the audience shouting their suggestions. She
then settled for Boribat by Young-Ha Yoon but her pianist Najib had no clue as to
what that piece was. And what was probably the biggest surprise of the evening;
Sumi Jo took over piano duties (Najib could only look on the side) and
accompanied herself while encouraging the Koreans in the audience to sing along
with her.
The
concert could’ve been a truly magical moment for me but I couldn’t help but
notice how unsuitable the Samsung Hall was for a concert of this kind. The hall
wasn’t built acoustically so Sumi Jo had to use a microphone for amplification
and this somehow didn’t enable her to show everyone how awesome her vocal
projection really is. I also had the misfortune in seating among the seats that
malfunctioned a few times that night. There were times when it felt like the
seats in our row were collapsing, throwing me and my seatmates forward. Korean
Ambassador Hyuk Lee was seated right behind us and he, along with his
seatmates, tried to figure out what went wrong with our seats. For a performance
venue that held such promise and looked very impressive from the outside, it
turned out to be such a huge let down after my experience with this concert.
A
day after the concert, I had another opportunity to see Sumi Jo once again when
she conducted a vocal masterclass at St. Scholastica’s College. I was able to
see the humorous side of her as she instructed four very lucky (and very star
struck) students. She didn’t hold back anything whenever she didn’t like what
she heard. But when she did, she rewarded the students generously like tenor
Nomher Nival who got a kiss in the cheek from her when he finally got a tricky
passage right.
Sumi
Jo in Manila was
presented by Cultural Arts Events Organizer (CAEO) in partnership with
the Korean Cultural Center , Edsa Shangri-la Hotel
Manila, Lyric Piano, DZFE.FM The Master's Touch and BusinessWorld.
