From Hacienda Isabella, Kuh Ledesma brings I Love OPM to Music Museum

A little over a month ago, Kuh Ledesma went for an all-Original Pilipino Music (OPM) repertoire in a concert aptly titled I Love OPM.

She, along with guest artists Richard Merk and Maegan Aguilar, reminded everyone about the timeless beauty of such a music genre and movement and the still relevant stories told in each OPM ditty.

With its success and due to popular demand, as shared by the people behind I Love OPM, the latter will have a repeat come Nov. 25 at the Music Museum.

Kuh, an OPM icon and the country’s Pop Diva, will be joined by Maegan, Mark Carpio, Janno Gibbs, Marco Sison, and Mitch Valdes.

They will treat the audience to a collection of OPM hits now and then.

From the sprawling main garden of Hacienda Isabella, where the recent Kuh Ledesma concerts were held, I Love OPM took place at the Marrakech plenary and plaza. Festooned in a Moroccan style, it was a more intimate place where attendees gathered for the 8 p.m. show and after enjoying the 6 p.m. dinner. The space could also spare everyone from possible drizzle at that time.

The anticipation for a musical evening began and built up when Kuh took the center stage and performed Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika, a composition by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab with Hajji Alejandro as the original singer. The song won for Ryan and Hajji the grand prize at the first-ever (1978) Metro Manila Popular Music Festival.

That led Kuh to a segment of her signature and hit songs such as Ako ay Pilipino, I Think I’m in Love, A Long, Long Time Ago, One More Try and Hello. The audience couldn’t help but sing along with her and enjoy every unfolding and eventual passing moment to their hearts’ content.

Listening to Kuh and watching her perform, you know, always in her element, were somehow like a sneak peek into or even a journey through OPM’s well-loved works.

From there, she ushered lovers of OPM and music enthusiasts to another engaging part of I Love OPM. That was giving her own rendition to timeless love songs such as Dahil Sa Iyo and Saan Ka Man Naroroon Sinta and the ones popularized by fellow Pinoy recording artists. She sang Ikaw Lamang and You by Gary Valenciano and Basil Valdez, respectively, and How Did You Know? with versions of Chiqui Pineda and Gary V.

A friend described Kuh’s singing of the classics as a way of breathing “new life into them, adding a unique touch that made them more special.”

Joining Kuh in performing tunes composed and sung by Filipino talents were Maegan, the daughter of another OPM icon, Freddie Aguilar, and Richard Merk, a jazz singer and son of Philippine jazz queen Annie Brazil.

I Love OPM was the first gig and musical appearance of Maegan after dealing with and surpassing personal challenges. She had her turn to sing ditties like Rivermaya’s 214 and her own composition, Ama.

According to the I Love OPM team, the song is “a deeply personal narrative of her journey, her trials, and her path towards healing and resilience.”

The concert was one of the opportunities that Maegan needed to get back on track and further nurture her God-given talent for singing.

Her segment saw that she was seizing the moment and sharing her passion to tell stories through music.

Maegan and Kuh also did a duet in Hindi Kita Malilimutan and Sa Ugoy ng Duyan.

Another delightful part of I Love OPM was the one that featured Richard, who performed the Rico J. Puno hit Kapalaran. And then, he and Kuh sang together the Tagalog classic, Hindi Kita Malimot.

Given the kind of songs they are associated to, their duet, as another friend put it, “showcased that true talent transcends genre boundaries,” and their voices complemented.

Like all other shows, I Love OPM came to an end with Kuh singing the encore songs Till I Met You and Paano Kita Mapasasalamatan. The latest concert at Hacienda Isabella successfully brought to the fore the timeless and evolving qualities of OPM.

It’s safe to say that admirers of OPM and music in general, who trooped to Hacienda Isabella to either watch the show or stay overnight after the performances, appreciate more the beauty of Pinoy music and will continue to support the creatives responsible for its classic and contemporary songs.

(For details, call 09608850288 or 09202868895.)