Quirit, SM Chorale enthrall listeners

For my own taste, no music is as vibrant, as lively or as robust as that which is composed for the dance or for the theater. In last week’s concert at the CCP auditorium, the brilliant conductor Julian Quirit perspicaciously chose music with such sure-fire appeal: Geronimo Jimenez’s La Boda de Luis Alonso, a dramatic composition for the Spanish theater; Stravinsky’s L’Oiseau de Feu (The Firebird), a commissioned worked by Diaghilev for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo (which interpreted what was actually the first modern ballet), and Orff’s Carmina Burana wherein dancers originally interpreted certain of its songs.

Of course, the program’s overall impact depended primarily on the strong, propulsive and continually varying rhythms, particularly those in The Firebird and Carmina Burana. To project these rhythms to a compelling degree, Quirit drew out to the maximum the energies of the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra — its percussions, strings, basses and woodwinds collectively reaching peaks of intensity which left the audience enthralled and fascinated.

Intangible and "invisible" though Stravinsky’s ballet music is, it is even more descriptive than that of his brilliant 19th century predecessor Tchaikovsky (e.g., Swan Lake). Through Quirit’s baton, it conjured visions of the firebird, its huge wings fluttering as it flits across the stage with lightning speed the captive princesses dancing exquisitely; the menacing ogre Kastchei in a death struggle with Prince Ivan; Ivan’s royal wedding to the fairest of the princesses amidst a thunderous, deafening climax of tutti passages.

Demonstrating his uncommon mastery of the orchestra, Stravinsky ingeniously uses each instrument to describe or portray the characters in so distinctive a manner that the fairy tale, becoming vividly alive through the musical devices, charms and bewitches. To be sure, as eloquently translated by Quirit.

Except for a brief, initially uneven entrance of the brasses, the performance of the San Miguel Philharmonic Orchestra was flawless — impeccable: The percussions consistently precise and vigorous as they heightened or accentuated the drama of the story; the woodwinds and brasses smooth and evenly fluent in their tonal projection; the strings refined, luminous, tightly cohesive.

Indeed, the SMPO rose to the challenging demands of the abrupt rhythmic changes, the recurring dissonances in the musical progressions, the subtle shifts in dynamics.

In an entirely different fashion, the audience enjoyed the infectious, if more conventional rhythms, of Jimenez’s Boda de Luis Alonso which, by contrast, allowed the beautiful melodies to predominate. Understandably, the style is thoroughly familiar, the zarzuelas having been brought here by Spanish companies in centuries past. The excellent woman percussionist, with castanets and tambourine, infused delightful ambiance to the music, rendering it even more "danceable".

A moving and memorable auditory experience was offered by Carmina Burana, the trilogy of songs first rendered here in its entirety some 30 years ago. At the recent concert, it featured the San Miguel Master Chorale which has been trained by Jonathan Velasco, its present director, and soloists Ma. Katrina Saprosantos, soprano, Frederick de Santos, tenor, and Lawrence Jatayna, baritone.

Again, the vigorous, pounding and continually changing rhythms predominated, although Orff’s simple, staccato style is a world apart from that of Stravinsky.

Sustaining the highest performance standards which the chorale conveyed in its last appearance, it certainly deserves its classification as the country’s only professional choir. It left little or nothing to be desired in its interpretation of the daunting work which stresses its basic rhythmic value through a large complement of percussion instruments.

To point out the composition’s unique and challenging nature would sound too academic, technical and boring. It would also fail to reflect how exciting, riveting and compelling its rendition turned out to be.

Katrina Saprosantos stood out with her uncommonly versatile voice which had the range of a coloratura yet could sound, alternately, like a lyric soprano or, incredibly enough, like a contralto or dramatic soprano. Although both the tenor and the baritone were rather wanting in the vocal richness demanded by so powerful a work, they sang with considerable depth and feeling.

The concert’s resounding success might be summed up by what it received – thunderous applause and a standing ovation.

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BRIEFLY NOTED: Tonight at 7 is the scheduled performance of the Spanish duo-pianist, Bedebe, at the RCBC Theatre.