Prodigy plays April 3 / Stars in Biyahe Tayo! / San Agustin concert

Cecile Licad was eleven when I first heard her in recital at the CCP auditorium. Ten-year old piano prodigy Ma. Regina "Inna" P. Montesclaros will give a full-length recital (it could be her first) at the F. Santiago Hall on April 3 at 6 p.m.

Music lovers (myself included) and aficionados are curious to hear her play the following program – a truly daunting one for a pianist her age: Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C Minor and Prelude and Fugue in B Flat, Beethoven’s Pathètique Sonata with its four movements: Grave, Allegro di Molto e con brio, Adagio Cantabile and Rondo Allegro.

Also Schubert’s Impromptu in A Flat Major, Débussy’s Preludes Book 1 – La Cathèdrale and Engloutie (Profondement Calme) and Chopin’s Preludes Op. 28 – Agitato, Lento, Vivace, Largo, Assai Lento and Andantino.

Inna’s concluding pieces will be Chopin’s Waltz in E Minor and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee. After the first intermission, she will interpret works by Filipino composers: San Pedro’s Salamisim, Abelardo’s Nocturne No. 1 and Kasilag’s Scherzino.

Inna began her piano studies at five. She is a 2001 second prize winner of the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA), and has been featured in two concerts which were held during the NAMCYA Festival last year. She has performed in various recitals and other festivals.

Inna’s recital will be the last presentation of the MCO Arts Festival 2004 chaired by Armando Baltazar.

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The country’s leading popular music artists participated in the WOW Philippines Bihaye Tayo! program of the Tourism Department and Pfizer Consumer Healthcare to promote domestic travel. The song and music video entitled Biyahe Tayo! highlights the country’s top tourist attractions.

For the first time ever, the leading top Filipino singers and musicians lent their talents, voices and images gratis in putting together the song/music video meant to encourage their fellow Filipinos to travel in their own country. These singers and groups are Lea Salonga, Freddie Aguilar, Sharon Cuneta, Rey Valera, Rico J. Puno, Joey Ayala and the Apo Hiking Society. Also younger personalities Ogie Alcasid, Janno Gibbs, Jolina Magdangal, April Boy Regino, Jessa Zaragosa, Paolo Santos, Nina and Rico Blanco of Rivermaya. Rapper Francis Magalona contributed a rap portion to the song.

Providing musical accompaniment were well-known violinist John Lesaca, flutist Jong Cuenco and Joey Ayala, with the latter using ethnic instruments to give the song a distinctive Filipino sound.

Rene Nieva, president of Bonamine’s PR agency Perceptions, wrote the lyrics; Rico Blanco and Mike Villegas of the Rizal Underground Band, whose composition won second prize in the 2003 Metro Pop Festival, did the musical arrangements; Noel Nieva, executive v-p of Perceptions, directed the production of the music video.

"There was no better way than a song to help Filipinos better appreciate there own tourist attractions and to boost the economy through increased tourism," said Cobey Lao, regional director of Pfizer Consumer Health-care.

"Filipinos are a music-loving people who use music to convey strong, meaningful messages to each other during courtship, worship, parties and other festive occasions, in nearly all aspects of their lives. With the advent of film, tv and now the computer, visuals have been added to the sound to further enhance the impact of a song in the form of a music video," Lao continued.

The song was lustily applauded during the launch of the Wow Philippines Biyahe Tayo! in Intramuros, and has subsequently been played extensively at DOT events and festivals such as the Peñafrancia Festival in Naga, the MASSKARA Festival in Bacolod and the Higantes Festival in Angono, Rizal.

At the recent launch of the music video in Filipinas Heritage Library, Perceptions Chairman Rene Nieva said in part: "We would like to thank the twenty-one artists – the Magnificent 21 as I like to call them – who took time from their busy schedules to take part in the making of the music video for free – all for love of country.

"We think these artist should be proclaimed heroes of the republic for this selfless, patriotic, wonderful, wonderful service they have rendered to the nation."

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The sixth San Agustin pre-Holy Week concert will be presented by San Agustin Museum on April 2 (8 p.m.) at the San Agustin Church.

The Philippine Philarmonic Orchestra (PPO) under the baton of Ruggero Barbieri will interpret Bruckner’s Symphony No. 4 and Kasilag’s Philippine Scenes. The latter, composed in 1974, portrays life in the countryside, with the use of native instruments lending it local color. It will be the first Filipino composition in the annual concert.

Its inclusion will be in line with the policy of Rev. Fr. Pedro G. Galende, San Agustin Museum director, to highlight the works of Filipino composers, thus lending a Filipino character to the musical event.

Initiated in 1998, the pre-Holy Week concert showcases sacred masterpieces as rendered by some of the best foreign and Filipino choirs and soloists from different churches.

The concert is under the joint auspieces of the NCCA, the CCP, the Spanish Embassy, Instituto Cervantes, Friends of Intramuros, DZFE and Makati Skyline.