Aima Maria Labra Makk: Bristling virtuosity / Cello concert / Band fete

"An MMCO Escape: A Music Adventure" featured the Metro Manila Community Orchestra under Josefino "Chino" Toledo at the F. Santiago Hall.

Prior to the program, Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, president of Miriam College and chair of the Institute for Orchestral Development which has extended solid support to the MMCO since its organization, gave an inspirational message on how the MMCO enriches the life of the community through music.

The concert opened with Mendelssohn’s vastly familiar Midsummer Night’s Dream Suite, the charming, vibrant, ebullient work whose finale, the Wedding March, accompanies many a bride and groom as they walk out of the church after the rites.

Abelardo’s Mountain Suite followed. Its exquisitely lyrical first two movements had the strings predominating in marked cohesiveness. Stylistically, the ending, which strongly called to mind a vigorous Russian dance, did not quite seem in keeping with the preceding movements.

In Ravel’s Tombeau de Couperin, the woodwinds in the Prelude are punctuated eloquently by plucked strings. The Forlane is a gigue-like dance; the Minuet and Rigaudon again take dance forms in complex technical devices – all unmelodious.

How did the MMCO perform thus far? Only six years old, the ensemble consists of fifty non-professional musicians, ages 15 to 60, of widely diverse backgrounds and interests but sharing a passion for music. Under the experienced and authoritative baton of Toledo, the orchestra showed us singular competence, relatively speaking. Further, the woodwinds and the brasses, generally the weakest sections in local orchestras, did remarkably well.

The concert’s peak of interest was doubtless Prokofiev’s magnificently percussive Piano Concerto No. 3 with Aima Maria Labra-Makk as soloist. She exhibited bristling virtuosity in the pounding rhythms, great melodic leaps, disjointed harmonies, demandingly complex devices. Her power was formidable in the chords; her incredibly agile, nimble, flexible fingers executed the swift runs and chords, which covered the entire keyboard, with consistent evenness. Further, Makk’s showmanship and flourish heightened audience excitement.

There was marvelous rapport between soloist and conductor; the orchestra did not miss a single beat even in the most rapid, mind-boggling passages, playing right alongside the pianist with elan and brio.

The ensuing standing ovation and roar of approval from the audience elicited another challenging bravura piece from Makk, this time by Tchaikovsky.

* * *

The second all-cello concert in memory of eminent cellist Vicente "Tiking" Lopez, Jr. was held earlier at the Philamlife theater, with the best cellists from the MMCO, the MSO, the PPO, the UP, DLSU and the UST participating.

Renato Lucas, PPO’s principal cellist, and one of the country’s best, masterfully rendered Bach’s unaccompanied Prelude from Suite No. 3 in C Major, his tones lush, resonant and robust, his phrasing eloquent and sensititive, his melodic lines singing and soaring. The number was an auspicious demonstration for the young, aspiring cellists, many of them genuinely talented. Gerry Gonzalez and Gian Gonzales interpreted Domenico Gabrielli’s Canon for Two Violoncellos, etching the notes clearly and energetically. Arnold Josue rendered the lively and sparkling Rondo of Boccherini without a score, capturing the effervescent mood of the piece, with pianist Harold Galang conveying likewise its gay spirit.

Pocholo Ramirez carefully delineated the contrast between the Largo and Allegro movements in Benedetto Marcello’s Sonata III, with Galang again on the piano as he was for Fauré’s Elegie as played by Michael Buenaventura who faithfully reflected the work’s sad, soulful serenity.

Anjo Inacay’s verve and vibrancy surfaced in Paganini’s Variations on a Theme by Rossini. Eschewing a score, the very gifted cellist kept pace with the rapidly changing tempi, playing vigorously and intensely on one string of the cello.

Villalobos’ In Memoriam from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 1 interpreted by an orchestra of eight cellists – Renato Lucas, Michael Buenaventura, Anjo Inacay, Gerry Gonzalez, Arnold Josue, Joseph Rodriguez, Hee-Jung Lee and Alvin Castillo – was impressive indeed, the cellists conveying lushness of tone and rhythmic vigor throughout.

With Renato Lucas conducting the same players above plus Herrick Ortiz, Patrick Sanchez, Gian Gonzales, Ted Amper, Carol Felipe, Robert Tismo, Ji Yeon Song, Pamela Arrieta and Pocholo Ramirez, the Concerto for Two Cellos (3 movements) arranged for multiple cellos produced a richness of timbre, with the contrapuntal interaction keeping listening pleasure on a high level.

The concert closed with the same 17 cellists rendering "Fade to Black (Metallica)" by James Hetfield and Lars, as adapted by Alvin Castillo. Lucas shone brilliantly, his thrusts forceful, his tones fiery. In the latter part of the composition, the same notes repeatedly played by the ensemble created a fascinating and exciting tension that brought a fitting end to the concert in honor of a singular personality – Vicente "Tiking" Lopez – farmer, sportsman, horticulturist, business tycoon, visual artist, art patron, civic leader, philanthropist and, above all, a tremendously gifted cellist.

The players that evening ranged from seasoned and mature to student performers whose development is still in progress. On the whole, "Tiking" must have been duly gratified with the concert which drew lusty applause and loud whistles.

Serving as emcee and annotator, Martin Lopez, Tiking’s grandson, read program notes by Celine Pil, and invited listeners to view at the lobby the exhibit of paintings inspired by the cello as arranged by Jack Teotico of Galerie Joaquin.

* * *

From Sept. 5 to 9 at 7 p.m., "Serenata", a festival featuring 15 top bands from Manila and nearby provinces, will be held at the Philamlife theater by the UST Conservatory of Music headed by Dean Raul Sunico, international piano concertist. The grand finale will be at the Rajah Sulayman Theater on Sept. 10 at 5 p.m.

The UST Wind Orchestra and Taiwan’s Chia-Yi Wind Orchestra will perform on Sept. 8.