Music

Ryan Cayabyab reveals talent fee

Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo - Philstar.com

October 24, 2024 | 2:18pm

MANILA, Philippines — Dreaming of having a song composed for you by a National Artist like Ryan Cayabyab?

At the recent press conference for the world premiere of Ballet Manila’s “Florante at Laura,” for which Cayabyab composed the original score, the National Artist for Music got real about his price tag.

“If you ask me if I was expensive, very expensive!” Cayabyab declared.

“But it's worth it!” exclaimed the ballet company’s Creative Director Lisa Macuja-Elizalde.

“Getting the music for ‘Florante at Laura’ from Mr. C was my dream and my goal,” Lisa said, “but I will not deny that I was scared to ask (because of the talent fee).”

Last year, when the ballet company was still on a hunt for a composer, they already met and asked samples from several composers, “but it just didn't click for us,” said Lisa.

Having worked with Cayabyab for “Mahiwagang Biyulin,” Lisa took her chances if “Mr. C” would like to work with the ballet company again.

“I was floored when he said ‘yes’,” admitted Macuja-Elizalde, “Because I know that he’s very, very busy. I didn’t expect him to say ‘yes.’ But when he said ‘yes,’ I said, ‘Go! Let’s do this! We’re on!’.”

During “Mahiwagang Biyulin,” Lisa recalled Cayabyab gave them “a fantastic deal.”

“He said, ‘You know what, just give me P5,000 for every performance and I’m fine. And I’m like, ‘Can we have the same for ‘Florante at Laura’?,” recalled Lisa, sending Cayabyab, who was sitting beside her at the press con, into laughter.

“Si Mr. C nagugulat minsan, may P10,000 na dumadating sa kanya. Sabi n’ya, ‘Saan ‘to galing?’ Sabi ko, ‘Nag-dalawang performances kami!” Lisa shared. “And we continued performing ‘Mahiwagang Biyulin.’ I think he got P15,000 from our last round and ‘Tatlong Kuwento ni Lola Basyang’ (where ‘Mahiwagang Biyulin’ is among the segments).”

But since “Mahiwagang Biyulin” is just a 24-minute ballet, as opposed to “Florante at Laura,” which is about two hours long, and since Cayabyab did not do the musical arrangement for “Mahiwagang Biyulin” as he did with “Florante at Laura,” Lisa expected a higher quotation from Mr. C for the new show.

Cayabyab explained why such a higher price for the orchestration of Ballet Manila’s latest opus, the exact figure of which he did not disclose this time.

“I will tell you the secret,” Cayabyab said, “The secret is the expenses in the writing of the orchestra. But I told Lisa, I’m not going to charge her for writing the ballet because with her, very thankful ako. It’s my gift to the Filipino people…”

According to him, it took him six to seven hours a day in a span of 10 days, but not every day for those 10 days, to compose the music for “Florante at Laura.”

“So this one, mahal ang binayad ni Lisa sa orchestration because I was thinking, if she asks somebody else to orchestrate these, ganu’n din naman ang lalabas. Akin na lang ‘yung pera. Ako na lang mag-oorchestrate,” he beamed.

“When I was calculating it, ‘Gosh! It’s almost two hours! Ang haba nito! Mamumulubi si Lisa if she asks other orchestrators to do it. I know kung magkano ‘yung industry standards, so sabi ko, ako na lang gagawa. Package ko na lang. Regalo ko na lang sa kanya.”

In addition to writing the ballet’s music, Mr. C threw in another “freebie”: he increased the number of musicians in the orchestra to match Lisa’s 60th birthday for the world premiere.

“If you ask, many of my big works, they were done either for free or a pittance because I really think that the most important works, dedicated to the arts that people are going to watch, sabi ko, ‘As long as mayroon akong makukuhang mga labada, mga concerts here and there, I can pay for my bills’...” Cayabyab noted.

Lisa and Ballet Manila recently wrapped up the first three shows and world premiere of their new original ballet “Florante at Laura,” featuring original choreography by Gerardo Francisco and Martin Lawrance; music by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab; live instrumentation by Orchestra of the Filipino Youth under the baton of Ryan’s son, Toma Cayabyab; production and set design by Mio Infante; and costumes by Make It Happen; among others.