Adonay, the Maestro from Pakil

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.

Marcelo Adonay’s works brought to life at the CCP

Marcelo Adonay

November 30, 2011

1:30 PM Talk

Tanghalang Manuel Conde (CCP Dream Theater)

3:00 PM Concert

Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater)

CCP Complex

Pasay, Metro Manila

Featuring:

Philippine Madrigal Singers

Mark Carpio, piano

Greg de Leon, bass

Nita Abrogar-Quinto, piano

Chona Noble, violin

UP Cherubim and Seraphim

Elena Mirano, choirmaster

UP Orchestra

Edna Marcil Martinez, conductor

Programme:

Marcelo Adonay

     La Marieta

     La Julita

     Pequeña Balse

     Meditacion Lugubre

     Salve Regina

     Libera Me Domine

     Gozos a la Santisima Virgen (a Nuestra Señora de la Consolacion)

     Villancico a Belen Pastores

     Kyrie and Gloria from Pequeña Misa Solemne

I’ve often wondered why there is a dearth of performances featuring works by local composers. Because of this, I am not as knowledgeable regarding our local composers and their works as I would like to be. Thankfully, the Cultural Center of the Philippines through its Arts Education thrust will remedy just that by presenting the music of renowned 19^th century Filipino composer Marcelo Adonay happening this November 30, 2011 3:00 PM at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater). And there will also be an informal talk about Adonay happening at 1:30 PM at the Tanghalang Manuel Conde (CCP Dream Theater) before the concert.

Bringing to life the music in this concert entitled Adonay, the Maestro from Pakil will be the Philippine Madrigal Singers led by Mark Carpio, bass soloist, Greg de Leon, pianist Nita Abrogar-Quinto, violinist Chona Noble, the UP Cherubim and Seraphim, conducted by Elena R. Mirano, and the UP Orchestra under the baton of Prof. Edna Martinez. Performances will include include La Marieta, La Julita for solo piano; Pequeña Balse, Meditacion Lugubre for violin and piano; Salve Regina, Libera Me Domine, Gozos a la Santisima Virgen (a Nuestra Señora de la Consolacion), Villancico a Belen Pastores, and two movements (Kyrie and Gloria) from the Pequeña Misa Solemne.

I absolutely have no idea how these works sound so I am grateful that I will be having the opportunity to see and hear for myself the compositions of Adonay who lived and worked in what was called as The Golden Age of Filipino Music. Incidentally, a book entitled The Life and Works of Marcelo Adonay by Elena Mirano, Corazon Dioquino, Melissa Mantaring, Edna Martinez, Ma. Patricia Silvestre, Inigo Vito and Patricia Lopez was also published by UP Press back in 2009.

Ticket price:

P500

50% student discount

20% senior citizen discount

For inquiries:

CCP Music Division at 832-1125 loc. 1604

CCP Box Office 832-3704

TicketWorld 891-9999

Countdown to a Century

Featuring:

Nita Abrogar-Quinto, piano

UP Orchestra

Rodney Ambat, conductor

Edna Marcil Martinez, conductor

Programme:

Ludwig van Beethoven

     Coriolan Overture, Op. 62

     Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21

Nicanor Abelardo Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor

Benjamin Britten Simple Symphony, Op. 4

Antonino Buenaventura By the Hillside

The UP Orchestra returns to the Cultural Center of the Philippines for Countdown to a Century, a concert which signals the countdown to the UP College of Music’s 100^th Anniversary happening in 2016. The concert, a fund raiser for the UPCMUAA Student’s Recital Fund, was also a nice comeback for pianist Nita Abrogar-Quinto who has recovered from a serious illness.

For the first half of this concert that was held at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater), the orchestra was conducted by Rodney Ambat and they played a couple of pieces by Ludwig van Beethoven: the Coriolan Overture, Op. 62 and Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21. Even though these pieces aren’t my favorites from Beethoven, I was still able to notice that the orchestra was playing a lot better than the last time that I saw them.

The concert's second half, with Edna Marcil Martinez conducting this time, was more interesting for me. It included the highlight of the evening for me which was Nita Abrogar-Quinto’s performance of Nicanor Abelardo’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor. The audience that night was made up mostly of UP students, faculty and alumni so they knew the story of how a year before, a concert was held to raise funds for Quinto while she was still undergoing treatment for cancer. And now with her fully recovered, she was put into the spotlight as she played a piano concerto with the orchestra. That’s probably the reason why the orchestra had an inspired performance in which the audience responded with by giving them a standing ovation. After this piece, most members of the orchestra exited the stage until a trimmed down strings section was left. And then they played Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony, Op. 4, a very delightful piece that the orchestra clearly enjoyed especially the second movement which was all done in pizzicato. It was an easy, light and very entertaining piece that was a nice break from all the seriousness of the previous number.

The last piece of the evening was By the Hillside by Antonino Buenaventura and it was a bit strange to hear this piece just a few days after it was also played by the Manila Symphony Orchestra during their latest concert. Because of this, the concert ended not on a high note as I hoped it would be since the UP Orchestra’s performance paled in comparison compared to the MSO's rendition which was still fresh in my mind back then. But this was just a minor detail since the orchestra did have a competent overall performance and I did feel that they worked hard in preparation for this evening and it did show. I do hope that as the UP College of Music’s centennial approaches, the UP Orchestra will be better every time that I see them.