Cristine Coyuito: The pianist’s pianist/ The winners’ concert

Cristine Coyuito’s piano recital last Tuesday at the CCP Little Theater was a magnificent duplication of her concert in 2003, but if the earlier performance was strikingly impressive, the recent one was even more so.

The selections were prodigious and protean: six pieces from Brahms’ Klavierstucke Op. 118, Schumann’s Faschingsschawanks aus Wien Op. 26 with a virtuosic ending, the Carnival Jest from Vienna consisting of five pieces with a virtuosic Finale likewise, five Preludes by Rachmaninoff which grew progressively demanding, and Ravel’s Gaspard de la Nuit inspired by the poems of Aloysius Bertrand, its Scharzo diabolically challenging.

All told, the works were daunting but Cristine played each effortlessly, with ease, confidence and poise. In a sense, the Brahms and Schumann pieces collectively made up a number of Chopin etudes, eliciting mastery of one or another technical aspect e.g., an agile left hand, evenness of runs and trills, powerful chordal passages and arpeggios, among many others. The melodic lines surfaced beautifully and resonantly to express the romantic essence of the compositions. The shifts in mood and rhythm made the listener feel Cristine’s sense of enjoyment in the music she was making; her style was always elegant and restrained, her manner of playing, graceful.

Brahms’ Intermezzo in E Flat Minor was remarkably rendered, Cristine undaunted by the bravura passages, her strength and force belying her frail looks and petite figure. Schumann’s Finale was similarly fervid, fiery and furious, her chords blazing.

Alternately poignant and stirring, Rachmaninoff’s Preludes started in relative simplicity and ended with technical brilliance.

Ravel himself described Gaspard de la Nuit music of "transcendental virtuosity". It has also been described as music full of the "fascination of dreams" and "the pervading enchantment of nocturnal visions". Cristine’s richly varied tonal hues – her pianissimos were as soft as a whisper – and the finest nuances, there ensued in Ondine the most exquisitely descriptive music, conjuring ocean rolls, the ebb and flow of the tide, swirling waves and a hint of an oncoming storm.

Le Gibet ominously conveyed the gallows, and in Scarbo, a terrifying piece depicting a will-o’-the-wisp, Cristine dazzled the audience with her virtuosity.

It was a splendid night of music-making and Cristine with her seamless feats and the subtlest artistic might indeed be called the pianists’ pianist. Highly gratified, the audience gave her a standing ovation and thunderously clamored for an encore. She obliged with a charming transcription of "This Are My Favorite Things" from the musical "The Sound of Music".

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The concert the following night at the Philamlife auditorium featured winners of the 2005 Competition for Young Artists presented by Miriam College, the Metro Manila Community Orchestra and the Gregoria S. Cayco Foundation.

It was an immense pleasure to listen to some of our young, promising talents accompanied by the MM Community Orchestra organized by the dynamic violin virtuoso Alfonso "Coke" Bolipata and directed by Josefino "Chino" Toledo, a conductor-composer of considerable worth.

The orchestra was conceived "to provide orchestral experience for members of the community, especially those who do not belong to conservatories". Its instrumentalists come from different walks of life – both music and non-music majors, ages ranging from 15 to 18.

Soprano Aya Tanciangco opened the concert with Gounod’s Ave Maria and Suarez’s Katakataka. She demonstrated a full, rich voice, her manner effortless and confident; solemn in the first song, playful and spirited in the second. She still has to develop her voice in the top register but even now, she employs her fine vocal equipment with charm and warm expression.

Twelve-year old pianist Regina Montesclaros is progressing mightily. She interpreted Haydn’s Concerto in D Major with her typical firmness and nimbleness of touch and unfailing clarity of tone. The cadenza of the second movement conveyed an innate expression outstanding for so young a pianist, and she finished the third movement with admirable aplomb. Regina will go a long long way if she maintains her diligence and focus.

Pianist Beah Gumarang showed tremendous promise as she essayed the highly demanding Concerto in F Major by Shostakovich. Pianists will tell you that it is extremely difficult to commit to memory pieces that have no melodic lines. Shostakovich’s Concert is such a piece but Beah interpreted it at a fast clip without a hitch, displaying an acute sense of rhythm that consistently kept up with the rapid orchestral beat. The work is percussive, particularly the outer movements, with lyricism infusing the second. Beah played the first and third with vitality, spontaneity, freshness and power, capturing the playfulness of the third and finishing with sparkling dynamism. The performance was a marvelous achievement for the young Beah.

Soprano Suzette Liwag sang an aria from Handel’s Rinaldo, another from Pergolesi’s La Serva Padrona and Santiago’s Pakiusap with smoothness, fluidity and clear diction, and with a slight metallic edge to her voice.

Three guitarists shared the spotlight: Sho Hikino in Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major, Julius Mocorro who played the outer movement of Rodrigo’s Concerto de Aranjuez, and Franco Maigue who rendered its beautifully haunting second movement.

Hikino displayed a facile technique but the volume of sound from his guitar seemed rather limited. Mocorro and Maigue showed a prowess that bordered on virtuosity, Mocorro particularly.

Much credit is due Miriam College headed by President Patricia B. Licuanan and Teresita Serrano, executive director, and Sonia Roco, chairman, for their encouragement of young talent.

Graduation Recital

According to an announcement, 16-year old Anne L. Barraquio, of the Philippine H.S. for the Arts, gave a graduation recital yesterday at the CCP Little Theater playing works by Bach, Beethoven, Turina, Avelina Manalo (Anne’s tutor), Villa-Lobos, Debussy, Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 11 and Saint-Saens’ Concerto in G Minor, with Filmer Flores, graduate of the Russian Academy at Gnesin, on the second piano.

When Anne played last Feb. 8 at the National Arts Center in Mt. Makiling, she got a standing ovation. Anne, a semi-finalist in the 2001 NAMCYA Competition, won the second prize in the 2004 Third Rosario Picazo Piano Competition. At three, Anne started reading notes before she learned the alphabet.