Die Fledermaus sparkles / PPO: Music envisioned
Die Fledermaus sparkles like the wine it celebrates, Strauss' effervescent, zestful, gloriously melodious operetta, its merry confusion, mixed-up identities and, above all, sly infidelities conveyed by a strong, judiciously chosen cast and chorus. The ‘cabaret’ scene is both a visual and auditory feat.
Armela Fortuna (Rosalinde), tenor Abdul Candao (Eisenstein), Rachelle Gerodias (Adele), baritone Noel Azcona (Falke), tenor Ronan Ferrer (Alfred), Nenen Espina (Orlofsky) assume their roles with aplomb, singing and emoting with highly infectious gusto.
Fortuna (Rosalinde) projects an arresting, radiant presence as singer and actress. Gerodias gives surprisingly delightful comic relief as the clever, ambitious maid Adele, and of course, she sings magnificently. Candao is almost always convincing in the high registers, and Azcona’s full, powerful resonant voice rises above the remarkable chorus and orchestra. Both men demonstrate acting skill.
The secondary roles are avidly sung and acted out by
Ricardo Cruz’s sets, brilliantly delineating a past decadence and enhanced by Monino Duque’s lighting, lend considerable ambiance, as do Maxi Cinco’s costumes which look even more ravishing with Jul B. Dizon’s jewelry.
The UST Symphony Orchestra’s rendition under the baton of Herminigildo Ranera is brisk, robust, exuberant throughout. Not the least, Floy Quintos’ expertise, his keenly sensitive and authoritative direction makes for a swiftly moving, compelling and, again, sparkling presentation.
Die Fledermaus, staged at the CCP main theater by the UST Conservatory of Music headed by Dean Raul Sunico, will be shown again with alternate casts Jan. 25 at
What was interpreted at the last PPO concert under the baton of Maestro Eugene Castillo was, in a sense, descriptive music. Gerald Fenzi’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” is based on Shakespeare’s comedy of the same name involving royal personages; Vaughn Williams’ “The Lark Ascending”, which describes the flight of a lark, takes its title from a poem by George Meredith; Prokofiev’s “Romeo and Juliet” delineates intense and provocative scenes from the tragedy of the star-crossed lovers.
For music based on a comedy, Finzi’s piece often sounded dark and gloomy, its opening passages focusing on the agility of the horn and the trumpet. However, on further perusal of the comedy, its dark undertones surface. The English King Ferdinand has barred women from his kingdom and consequently, he forbids his men from engaging in the affairs of the heart. But when the Princess of France and her ladies arrive to pay the King a visit, all caution is thrown to the winds. The King falls in love with the Princes; his courtiers, with her ladies-in-waiting.
Love’s constant companion being pain, eminent veteran actor Fernando “Nanding” Josef, in three soliloquies, expressed his lamentations in poignant, heart-rending fashion.
The orchestral passages were lush and vigorous, closely hewing to the spirit of the various allegro movements and finally ending in a stirring manner.
The exquisitely flowing lyricism of “The Lark Ascending” was reflected in Gina Medina’s refined, translucent, fluid performance, the composition giving the violin deserved prominence. Castillo, for his part, infused sensuous beauty into the long, flowing lines, the strings consistently muted as they echoed the lark’s golden voice.
Jaggéd rhythms, disjointed harmonies, robust melodic lines pervaded in Prokofiev’s excerpts from “Romeo and Juliet.” Described as “music of great dramatic power, of sensitively projected emotions, of meditative moods and of noble concepts,” the excerpts led the listener to envision the warring Montagues and Capulets; the young, winsome Juliet; the rapturous balcony scene; Romeo profoundly grieving over Juliet.
Castillo’s masterful cueing drew varied, widely diverse contrasts, from the lyrically gentle to the dramatically thunderous.
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