Carmen

Ana Feleo with the Vox Angeli Children's Choir

Featuring:

Ana Feleo, soprano

Camille Lopez-Molina, soprano

Abdul Candao, tenor

Randy Gilongo, tenor

Noel Azcona, baritone

Margarita Gomez Giannelli, soprano

Kay Balajadia Liggayu, soprano

Manila Symphony Orchestra

Arturo Molina, conductor

A banner year for opera had its triumphant finish as Lyric Opera of the Philippines, Manila Downtown YMCA and the Manila Symphony Orchestra had a successful three night run of Carmen at the St. Cecilia’s Hall at St. Scholastica’s College in Manila. Seeing Carmen at this venue was going full circle for me since it was also in this exact place where I’ve seen my first ever live opera albeit a scaled down version of Così Fan Tutte. Bad weather threatened to put a damper on this production that caused major problems for those who caught the press preview the night before its formal opening. Fortunately, nature smiled upon Carmen and gave her no problems during the rest of its regular run. And I was very pleased to attend this for two nights enabling me to see both sets of casts.

The First Night

Soprano Camille Lopez-Molina

The opening night of Carmen featured soprano Camille Lopez-Molina portraying the title role while Abdul Candao playing her obsessed lover Don Jose. I’ve last seen Camille Lopez-Molina when she played Suzuki in Madame Butterfly months before. It took me quite a while to distance that image of the meek and passive Suzuki from the aggressive and flirty Carmen that she portrayed this time. She’s one of the most solid and reliable classical singers here and her Carmen proved just that. Abdul Candao’s Don Jose towered over Carmen although his voice felt a bit strained for me. But I liked how was terrifying he became during the latter parts when Don Jose’s love for Carmen became an uncontrollable obsession. The two had the unenviable task in setting the benchmark of these characters for a newbie like me. But the one who truly blew me away in this production was Margarita Gomez Giannelli. She was the biggest revelation of the night for me since I didn’t have any idea about her and her character Micaela before. And the aria Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante sung by her during the third act was the one that moved me the most in the entire opera. Jamie Sampana and Tanya Corcuera portrayed Frasquita and Mercedes respectively on this night.

Tenor Abdul Candao

The Second Night

Soprano Ana Feleo

The second night featured the second and last performance of Ana Feleo and Randy Gilongo as Carmen and Don Jose respectively. This pair, who also performed during the preview, was a very interesting one since I think that they didn’t really matched physically. While Gilongo’s voice sounded very secure and imposing, it was difficult for me to be entirely convinced of his Don Jose since he lacked the demeanor and the stature. At times, he looked like a young boy when seen alongside a very feisty and assertive Ana Feleo as Carmen. Feleo’s Carmen was a very flirty and dangerous. At one point, she shoved Don Jose’s face into her generous cleavage that made me a bit worried since that might push the buttons of the elderly (and possibly very conservative) members of the audience. During the curtain call, Feleo was very emotional since she dedicated her performance to her father, the late Johnny Delgado. Kay Balajadia Liggayu, this show’s Micaela had the tough job of meeting my expectations. Alas, the sense of wonder and the amazement of experiencing things for the first time during the opening night couldn’t be duplicated on the second night. She was good but Margarita Gomez Gianelli on the opening night had set the bar so high. I guess that my reaction would be different as well if Kay Balajadia Liggayu was the first Micaela that I was able to see. On this night Jade Riccio and Roxy Aldiosa played Frasquita and Mercedes respectively.

Tenor Randy Gilongo

For both nights, Escamillo was played by Noel Azcona. I’ve seen him perform a bit during La Traviata and it’s nice to see him in a more prominent and memorable role. He probably caused a lot of people to have Toréador, en garde! Toréador! Toréador! stuck in their heads for days. Also gaining more exposure since the last time that I saw him was Jun Jaranilla as Zuñiga. Nomer Nival as Dancaro, Ivan Niccolo Nery as Remendado, and Greg de Leon as Morales portrayed the other supporting roles. The Vox Angeli Children’s Choir played the children’s roles in this production. The Manila Symphony Orchestra, led by Arturo Molina brought to life Georges Bizet's music when it accompanied the production during its entire run.

Manila Symphony Orchestra

The stage direction by Laurice Guillen focused a lot on the drama against a very stylized stage designed by Gino Gonzales who was also the costume designer. Choreography was done by Ina Feleo and lighting was by Monino Duque. The stage that resembled a bullring looked impressive with its heavy use of wood throughout. But this was the basic set throughout the opera and the lack of variety made things look harsh. The costumes were void of color in black and various shades of gray with occasional splashes of red. And just like the stage design, seeing too much of them made me wish for more variety. Thankfully, a heavy dose of blue in the lighting not just softened the stage during act three, but it was a welcome change of palette. It’s difficult to stage a full production of an opera at the St. Cecilia’s Hall due to its smaller size. For example the dance sequence felt cramped because of the size of the stage. But once I look back at the bare bones production of Così Fan Tutte earlier this year, this production of Carmen was quite a feat and I couldn’t believe that these two productions were even held at the same venue.

Sponge Cola launches District EP at Eastwood

November 9, 2012, 7:00 PM

Eastwood Central Plaza

Quezon City

Sponge Cola may be one of the few artists who has achieved the very rare Diamond Record status. But they are not resting on their laurels as the band, composed of vocalist Yael Yuzon (vocals), Gosh Dilay (bass), Erwin Armovit (guitars) and Tedmark Cruz (drums), are set to launch District, their latest offering under Universal Records this November 9, 2012, 7:00 PM at the Eastwood Central Plaza.

Sponge Cola at Radio Republic's Live at 2299

So far, the only thing that I’ve heard from District is the single XGF featuring Chito Miranda of Parokya ni Edgar and Los Magno. The single has topped the download charts over at MyMusicStore Philippines while the accompanying video featuring Anne Curtis has also topped the Pinoy MYX Countdown. Sponge Cola also collaborated with Sitti in this EP. The other tracks included in District which I still haven’t heard yet are Mahaba Pa ang Gabi, Fireworks, Pick Your Poison and Twelve.

Yael Yuzon

According to the press release, they called it District because according to Yael, “District represents a fraction of a bigger whole, which is like the EP compared to a full-length album. This is a short burst, a sprint rather than a long run. This is also our way of shaking things up.”

Sponge Cola really had a superb year so far with much lauded performances in the Du World Music Festival in Dubai and at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis. And with the release of District, they are poised to shake things further as the year comes to an end. It will be great to see Sponge Cola perform live once again since the last time I saw them perform was when they were guests at Radio Republic’s Live at 2299 program and that was already months ago.

The Diamond Record Award

The District launch will also feature performances from a couple of promising young bands in the country: Never The Strangers and She’s Only Sixteen. Limited edition Sponge Cola ballers and posters will be bundled with every purchase of District during the launch.

DUO Modern Circus

Jean-François Baëz and Jérôme Thomas

A few months had passed since the Fête de la Musique 2012, the last FrancoPhil event that I was able to attend. I had to wait a lot longer than usual before the next one. And it happened when the circus came to town as the Embassy of France, Alliance Française de Manille and Rustan’s in partnership with the Philippine Educational Theater Association (PETA) presented DUO, a modern circus show by compagnie Jérôme Thomas at the PETA Theater Center.

The duo is made up of juggler Jérôme Thomas and accordionist Jean-François Baëz who are both from France. The two delighted the audience with a perfect combination of juggling and music. The show gave me more insight with the art of juggling, one that I only associated with tossing various objects in air and not letting them fall to the floor. Jérôme Thomas didn’t just do the usual tossing of objects like balls and clubs, but he also did routines that I didn’t know was actually juggling. His first number had him use the cane which he didn’t really toss but more of passed from one hand to another through various parts of the body. Then, he also balanced a ball in on his head while moving around and even going down on the floor. For me, his most entertaining numbers was the one when he had to skillfully roll the balls on a table that somehow looked like an illusion. He also made use of the most unusual of objects for juggling like plastic bags and feathers. He didn’t toss these objects in the air, but rather let them fall off instead. And before these objects hit the floor, he did crazy stuff like executing pirouettes before snatching these objects. Thomas’ routines won’t be as effective, as funny or as entertaining if Jean-François Baëz wasn’t there to provide the music with his accordion. The music highlighted the difficult moves, delivered the humor and provided more excitement and thrills. It was truly delightful to hear the changes in the music’s rhythm matching the changes in the juggling patterns.

Jérôme Thomas meets a young fan

I have to say though that the routines didn’t go as perfectly as planned. There were numerous occasions when the balls got dropped during the more challenging and trickier parts of the routine. But the audience didn’t mind at all as Jérôme Thomas effectively used humor to get back into the groove and still in time with the music which was remarkable. Overall DUO, was not the usual circus act that one sees at the ring along with the flying trapeze acrobats, tightrope walkers and lion tamers. It was actually more similar to a street performance with the appeal and charm that goes with it. There weren’t any flashy gimmicks, but there was flashy juggling that was accompanied with great music.

Stephanie & Kim The Dans An Acoustic Journey Bloggers’ Conference

Kim and Stephanie Dan

One of my memorable music moments of 2012 has been my involvement with the Philippine Popular Music Festival (PhilPOP) as one of the adjudicators during the earlier rounds. There were almost 70 jurors during the four rounds of screening that eventually chose the top 14 finalists from almost 3,000 entries. And out of the almost 70 jurors, one eventually became my constant companion during the screening, the top 14 announcement and the finals. And that co-adjudicator was Stephanie Dan.

Steph, Patricia Hizon and RAd at the PhilPOP finals

Stephanie and I shared the same table during the banquet after the finals. And with her that night was her sister Kim. We caught up with what’s been happening and Stephanie told me that she and her sister have landed a record deal and that they would be working on an album shortly thereafter. I told them that I would await the release of their upcoming album. And now, it finally arrived: Stephanie and Kim, now known as the duo The Dans has come out with an album called An Acoustic Journey released by Galaxy Records and distributed by Polyeast Records.

RAd and Steph at the PhilPOP screening

Polyeast Records hosted a bloggers’ conference recently and I tried to keep my attendance a secret from Stephanie. Alas, she had a hunch that I would be among those present. While my planned surprise was spoiled a bit, it was still very nice to see her and Kim once again after three months or so. During the bloggers’ conference, I did learn a lot more about them. I found out that Kim once had a Christian album called Blessed back in 2006 under music producer Jungee Marcelo. I also learned that she also has a background in theater and that she had to change her singing style now that she’s part of an acoustic duo. Since she’s been out of the scene for quite some time, she admitted that she feels the nerves prior to performing. But once she’s out there on stage, the jitters melt away. And there was no sign of nerves when the sister act performed a few songs from the album during the conference. Stephanie, who also released an acoustic album Love to Love Acoustic last year, performed like she never left the scene at all. And it’s amazing to recall that she went through the whole recording process while still undergoing rehabilitation after having an operation to repair her torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). I admired her dedication as she was still wearing her leg brace when I last saw her during the PhilPOP finals. I do like to believe that her passion for music helped her heal and recover very quickly.

The sisters’ album An Acoustic Journey features a mix of recent hits in a stripped down, acoustic arrangement led by the single Love You Like a Love Song originally done by Selena Gomez. While the album is littered with covers, Stephanie and Kim are nonetheless very proud of the only original song in there which is The Way I Remember You which Stephanie co-wrote with David DiMuzio. They are optimistic that this will be released as their second single. The sisters are also hopeful that their cover of the Rannie Raymundo hit Why Can’t It Be will be used as a theme song for a television series also. When asked if they considered having more original material in their album, they were both quick to point out that they already have some originals in store if they are given the chance to record a second album. But for now, Stephanie and Kim are concentrating on their debut album and gearing up for mall tours which they hope would bring them to various parts of the country.

Stephanie and Kim may have started their singing careers individually, but the release of their album under a new label and as am acoustic duo feels like a new start for them. As for me, I am happy for them and wish them much success. I am also very intrigued as to what their originals that they have in store will sound like. But that’s a thing to look out for in the future. For now, I just have to enjoy listening to their soothing voices as I put their album for another spin.

The Dans An Acoustic Journey is already available on record stores. The lead single Love You Like a Love Song and the rest of the tracks are also available for download online at MyMusicStore Philippines. Stephanie and Kim, also known as The Dans are being managed by the Polyeast Entertainment Group (PEG) which is a newly organized talent management outfit under the umbrella of Polyeast Records, Inc.

An Acoustic Journey

Tracks:

1. I Won’t Give Up

2. Never Seen Nothing Like You

3. God Gave Me You

4. Call Me Maybe

5. The One that Got Away

6. Love You Like a Love Song

7. We Found Love

8. What Makes You Beautiful

9. Set Fire to the Rain

10. Stronger

11. Without You

12. Why Can’t it Be

13. The Way I Remember You