Cristine’s early mentor was Rosario Picazo who also had the prodigy Cecile Licad under her wing. Incidentally, Picazo was a pupil of Isabelle Vengerova who later taught Nena Villanueva. Cristine’s other mentors included Gaby Casadesus, Fou Ts’ong and Philippe Entremont, both of whom had played in Manila, the latter appearing with Licad at the CCP.
At Sunday’s recital, Cristine’s excellent training was immediately obvious: her "singing" tones were consistently resonant and clear; her touch was utterly refined. To be sure, her graceful manner of playing was her own. Tonal clarity, considerable delight, informed even the most complex and intricate passages.
The program consisted of Busoni’s arrangement of Bach’s Partita No. 2 for violin, Schumann’s Humoresque, three Chopin pieces – Fantasie in F minor, Berceuse in D-Flat major and Barcarolle in F-sharp major (Allegretto) – and Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 3 in A minor (Allegro tempestoso).
Being a neo-classicist, Busoni must have found arranging Bach’s Partita a most pleasant task, the result of which a critic has described as "a sublimely built chaconne, as varied, as perfect, and as lifting as a great Gothic cathedral."
Fully aware of the gradual, cumulative effect of the composition, Cristine slowly built and developed it to a dramatic climax, while delineating Bach as the master of counterpoint.
The romantic second part conveyed the pianist’s acute sensitivity to the fine, delicate nuances of Schumann’s various moods and effusions, these ranging from one melodious caprice to another. In Choplin’s descriptive, programmatic pieces, gossamery pianissimos evoked a lullaby; rippling arpeggios called the sea to mind. Further, the gradations of volume showed marvelous control of dynamics.
Prokofiev’s challenging, virtuosic sonata provided a lively, spirited ending, with Cristine fully capturing the essence of the piece – its mocking, satiric, jesting, piquant tone as conveyed by such devices as sudden leaps, uncommon intervals, densities of sound, rapid scherzo and staccato effects – all these creating exciting unpredictability.
Cristine’s encore was Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, an exquisite vocal exercise – a profoundly moving song without words characterized by long, soaring melodic lines and an underlying tinge of melancholy. After the richly textured complexities of Prokofiev’s sonata, Vocalise came as a soothing contrast.
Summing up, the petite, attractive and fragile-looking pianist seemed occasionally rather wanting in power, force and temperament – in that indefinable something that electrifies. But her over-all performance evinced impeccable technique, uncommonly high intelligence, keen musicianship, subtle artistry and sensitivity – outstanding qualities which give her a distinctive place among our established concertists.