Cultural interaction

Norwegian Ambassador Paul Moe has sent all Ibsen "aficionados" invitations to the opening of Brand on Friday, Nov. 15 at the F. Santiago Hall at 8 p.m.

The Dramatis Personae theater company, under producer-artistic director Lito Casaje, will be staging the play thereafter up to March 2003 – the long run is in itself quite a record – at the Pope Pius XII Theater.

In his letter for the gala opening, Ambassador Moe describes Brand as a "Christian fundamentalist who sacrifices everything to his ideals, demanding everybody to follow his example, in serving God".

The play inevitably brings to mind "A Man for All Seasons" wherein St. Thomas More, having been imprisoned in the Tower of London for over a year, still refuses to make a compromise with King Henry VIII (regarding the monarch’s divorce) although he risks the loss of his position in Parliament, its emoluments, his family and ultimately, his life. "I am the King’s faithful servant but God’s first!" is St. Thomas’s unwavering cry.

Brand is most relevant today in view of the drama that takes place daily in both houses of Congress where most of its dramatis personae opt for "PC" (political correctness as they call it in English Parliament) rather than for what individual conscience dictates for the country’s weal. Their kind of stand is what has led us to the crisis we’re in.

Brand should draw the activists and nationalists to the Pope Pius XII Theater after the gala opening.

Incidentally, after WW II, Pope Pius XII was severely chastised for what people generally perceived to be his lack of concern for the plight of the Jews under Nazism. In this regard, I saw a play on Broadway years ago which was noncommittal on the subject.

Today, Pope Pius XII is increasingly being vindicated as letters, testimonies, documents, and other proofs reveal what His Holiness did on behalf of the Jews and other persecuted people.

Rizal was (is) our own incomparable example of an uncompromising hero. He could have saved his life had he changed his stand and admitted to the false charges levelled against him by the Spanish authorities.

Players in Brand are Dingdong Rosales, Joel Caballero, Andre Christian Torres, Abigail Aquino, Angie Baesa, Marjorie Amurao, Ben Flores, Lesley Anne Leveriza and Daniel Magisa. Regrettably, for unavoidable reasons, I can’t come to the gala opening.

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On Nov. 27, the Swiss Embassy headed by Ambassador Lise Favre will present a "Swiss-Filipino Interaction" revolving around art, dance, music and cuisine to celebrate 150 years of Phil-Swiss relations. Venue will be the Peninsula Hotel. Works of painter Manuel D. Baldemor (who has exhibited in Switzerland) and Swiss-born jewelry designer Hans R. Brun (now a Filipino citizen) will be on display at the Pen art gallery; the Trio Swiss Tone and the Kaliwat from Mindanao will perform at the Rigodon ballroom.

Baldemor and Brun need no introduction but here are a few notes on the ensemble Trio Swiss Tone and the Kaliwat as printed in the invitation. "The Trio Swiss Tone was founded in 1998 by Johannes Schmid-Kunz (contrabass), Markuss Fluckigr (Schwyzerorgel/accordion) and Daniel Hausler (clarinet). Members of the trio are all professional musicians and well-known interpreters of Swiss folk music of outstanding quality. They play traditional Swiss tunes rendered in their own inspired interpretation. Their every piece illustrates a defined musical experimentation that has led them to perform successfully all over the world.

"Kaliwat, which has performed in parts of Europe including Switzerland, is a community theatre collective founded in Mindanao in 1990. Its members come from varied ethnic backgrounds, class origins and performing traditions. Actors, musicians, dancers and performers of traditional rituals as well as storytellers work together in the portrayal of Mindanao’s indigenous people through dances and theatrical performances."

Like Brand, a Kaliwat performance is timely and relevant but for different reasons. Owing to the conflict in Mindanao, Christian Filipinos should make an earnest effort to gain a deeper understanding of their Muslim brothers.

Current, Choice And Coming

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, an exhibit of Ramon Orlina’s recent works on glass will be held at the SM Megamall A, 4th level. The internationally acclaimed sculptor Orlina needs no introduction, either.

Norberto Carating’s exhibit Tranquil Refuge opens Nov. 16 (and will run through Dec. 10) at the Hiraya Gallery.

On Nov. 21 at 8 p.m. RFM Corporation will present Vince Ambrosetti, multi-awarded Catholic artist in the US, in a concert Healing the Family at the Santuario de San Antonio. Admission is free and by invitation only. To be directed by Guito V. Belza, the concert will be for the benefit of the Buklod ng Pagibig Foundation.