In quest of perfection

In "Essay on Criticism," Alexander Pope states: Whoever thinks a faultless piece to see, Thinks what ne’er was, nor is, nor e’er shall be.

There are rare occasions when one is so impressed by a concert that, in this imperfect world, he is inclined to declare that perfection is indeed possible.

Such a concert was Salute to King, A Celebration in Honor of Dr. Lucrecia R. Kasilag, National Artist for Music, held last Aug. 25 at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The musical tribute to Tita King opened with Alitaptap performed by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company, a serenade and an apostrophe to love sung by the Philippine Madrigal Singers, a piece of alternative music by Joey Ayala interpreted by the BP Kids, and a literary-pictorial work by the composer herself, Philippine Scenes, played by Maestro Chino Toledo and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra.

A thanksgiving hymn, Thanks be to God, with lyrics by Gail Brook Barker and music by Tita King was sung by sopranos Joy Abalon, Karina Gay Balajadia, Josephine Roces-Chaves, Mary Karlene Lizbeth Denolo, Alexis Edralin, Rachel Gerodias and Karlyn Kimberly Kwok with support from the PPO. Can one help wax poetic when their voices soared like skylarks’ "singing hymns at Heaven’s gate"?

Then, Cecile Licad entranced everyone in the hall with her own personal magic on the keyboard – a performing artist paying homage to a creative artist, both of the highest order in their respective fields.

Next in the program followed Tita King’s Violin Concerto No. 1 – interpreted by six violinists and Maestro Toledo and the PPO. Six – yes, six violinists led by string virtuoso Alfonso "Coke" Bolipata – Divina Francisco, Chino Gutierrez, Mary Grace Martinez, Diomedes Saraza, Jr. and Maurice Ivan Saraza. If one supposes that here at last is a rare situation where he can apply the cliché "an embarrassment of riches," what phrase can define the next number?

Tita King’s Divertissement was played on 10 – yes, 10 pianos — by Jed Balsamo, Jonathan Coo, Harold Galang, Najib Ismail, Zenas Lozada, Fr. Manuel Maramba, Belinda Salazar, Beverly Shangkuan, Raul Sunico and Joey Uriarte, and with the PPO under the baton of Maestro Toledo. Here is one instance where a writer’s lexicon falls short of the demand of an extraordinary situation.

And for the final numbers of the concert, Purihin ang Panginoon (with text from the Holy Bible), Kung Maaari Sana (with lyrics by Rio Alma), and Kahapon, Ngayon at Bukas (with text by Rodolfo de Leon), the combined forces of the Bayanihan dancers, alto Marvin Gayramon, bass Jo-Honey Romulo, the Ateneo Glee Club, CEU Chorale, Coro Tomasino Chorale, HIS Sounds, Mariano Ponce Memorial High School Youth Choir, PNU Chorale, San Beda College Chorale, UP Singing Ambassadors, and the PPO with Maestro Toledo wielding the baton like a magic wand to harness all these forces and place them under his magisterial control.

This is Filipino music at its grandest, created by National Artist for Music, Dr. Lucrecia R. Kasilag, who dares to defy the classical ideal of restraint and follows the call of her own people’s aesthetics which require the creative artist and her interpreters to give "their all," nothing less. This is music delivered fortississimo which soars and storms the very ramparts of heaven.

Economy is not a Filipino ideal; excess is. One soprano won’t do, but six should. One violinist won’t do, but six should. And one pianist won’t do, but 10 ought to do it. Even if the composer calls for only one in each case. This is the Filipino way.

Over at the CCP Little Theater on Aug. 30, the Japanese Foundation Manila Office presented for the first time in the Philippines Rakugo in English, a Japanese sit-down comedy.

Many Filipinos are familiar with Japanese dramatic forms — Noh, Kabuki and Joruri or puppet play. But what in tarnation is Rakugo? Like the older types, it is deeply rooted in tradition and adheres to rules and convention. Unlike the others which deal with serious themes, Rakugo is simply pure fun. It is a monologue delivered by one actor, which is in fact a dialogue between two characters who are vividly projected by the artist kneeling on a mattress by changing his voice, speech pattern, facial expression and mannerism. He is also equipped with certain props including a hand towel and a fan, which may be used to simulate a pen, a pipe, a cigarette, a chopstick or a pair of scissors.

The troupe that performed in Manila was composed of Oshima Kimie (producer and emcee), Hayashiya Kazume (samisen player), Katsura Asakichi (flutist), Katsura Kaishi and Shofukutei Kakushow (both percussionists). Their skits touched on the Japanese way of slurping noodles noisily, paper cutting, learning to speak in English, the traditional tea ceremony, imitating landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, London Bridge, and the Statue of Liberty, and fishing in Manila Bay.

It is particularly significant that the humor of the show is polite, never offensive, and the laughter is at their expense if it is intended for satire. The amazing performance of Rakugo in English by the troupe from Japan will surely strengthen the cultural bonding between two nations, which share the gift of laughter.

Another presentation that links the Philippines with Japan is Lord Takayama Ukon: Opera in Two Acts, produced by the Conservatory of Music, University of Sto. Tomas and Tokyo Opera Association and staged at the PhilamLife Auditorium. The libretto by Edward T. Ishita, set to music by Fr. Manuel P. Maramba, chronicles the life of a 17th century Japanese clan leader and Christian convert (Noel Azcona), his rejection of the harsh military rule in his own country, his search for peace and the freedom to exercise his Catholic faith and his finding a new life in a new land across the sea.

In Act I, the life of Ukon is symbolized by his vessel tossed about by a raging storm. In a series of flashbacks, his former life is depicted, the suffering of his people under the tyrant Hideyoshi (Gamaliel Viray), his decision not to meet arms with arms, and the sorrows of his family and followers. The wind and the waves finally subside and the voyagers continue their journey on a calm sea.

(The historical background is far more complex than the summary given here. There are also so many characters that their relationship to Lord Ukon are not quite clear without the aid of program notes)

In Act II, the exiles are welcomed by Governor General Silva (Jun Francis Jaranilla) and the people of Manila. The natives perform their folk dances and the voyagers sing a song from their homeland. Ukon adopts the widow of a rebel (Thea Perez) and visits rebel captives in prison. He dies in his old age still wishing death as a martyr.

The cast also includes Marcia Lopez, Jolilorlyn Quitain, Elisanta Cortes, Eugene delos Santos, Wilson Cariaga, Von Ryan Yu, Ronan Ferrer, Rachel Gerodias, Lemuel dela Cruz, Randy Gilongo, Jun Miyasato, Koishi Yuki, Katrina Saporsantos, Nenen Espino and Joanna Go. The choral numbers were delivered by the UST Liturgikon Ensemble. The UST Symphony Orchestra was conducted by Maestro Herminigildo Ranera.

Lord Takayama Ukon was also earlier staged with a Japanese cast conducted by Maestro Ishita.

The musical score of Fr. Maramba is conceived in a neo-Romantic vein with leitmotifs running through the opera unifying its architecture with grace. Lord Takayama Ukon is a splendid spectacular production, despite minor complexities in its plot structure. It is a valuable contribution to our growing library of operatic music.

To quote Pope once again:

And if the means be just, the conduct true,

Applause, in spite of trivial faults, is due.

Good nature and good-sense must ever join;

To err is human, to forgive divine.

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For comments, write to jessqcruz@hotmail.com.