Classical music by Cecile Licad in Cebu

The Grand Ballroom of the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel overflowed with classical music as the Sacred Heart School Jesuits Alumni Association, Ateneo de Cebu and the Ateneo de Manila Alumni Association Cebu chapter, held a fundraising concert with the “pianist’s pianist,” Cecile Licad.

Licad’s artistry is a blend of daring musical instinct and superb training. Her natural talent was honed at the Curtis Institute of Music by three of the greatest performers/ pedagogues of our time, Rudolf Serkin, Seymour Lipkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski.

Licad’s repertoire as an orchestral soloist spans the classical works of Mozart and Beethoven, the Romantic literature of Chopin, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Schumann and Rachmaninoff, and the 20th-century compositions of Debussy, Ravel, Shostakovich, Prokofiev and Bartok.

An intimate gathering of society’s most distinguished members came to witness and enjoy the much-anticipated musical presentation, which featured masterpieces of two remarkable composers, Fryderyk Chopin and Franz Liszt.

Chopin, born in Warsaw in 1810, was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of French-Polish parentage. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music. The majority of his works are for solo piano, though he also wrote two piano concertos and a few chamber pieces. His works are often demanding. with an emphasis on nuance and expressive depth.

Franz Liszt, born in Hungary, found new ways to exploit the piano. His melodies are sometimes surrounded by arpeggios that create the impression of three hands playing. His piano works contain daring leaps, rapid octaves and runs and an unprecedented range of dynamics. Liszt’s transcriptions made it possible for people to play operas and symphonies on their own pianos.

The program began with Frederyk Chopin’s harmonically complex Polonaise: Fantaisie in A-flat major, Op.61, followed by selected etudes, then ending with Andante spianato et Grand Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22.

The second part consisted of Liszt’s Miserere du: Tovatore de Verdi, and Apres une Lecture de Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata. The latter is considered to be one of the most difficult pieces in the standard repertoire. It is a substantial work in a single movement that requires about 18 minutes to perform.

Towards the end of Licad’s concert, the spectators once again cheered on, wanting more. The remarkably talented pianist, Cecile Licad, gracious lady that she is, readily obliged with an encore. 

The project, spearheaded by Francis and Joy Onglatco, is for the benefit of the Sendong and Negros earthquake survivors.