Inspiring Chopin concert / On Syjucos, Caitlin Coyiuto

Inner Wheel Club of Manila president Fortune Ledesma, members Minerva M. Tanseco and Fanny B. Blanco presented “A Night of All-Chopin Music” at the residence of Andy and Tereret Liboro. It featured outstanding pianists Dr. Raul Sunico, Ingrid Santamaria and Jonathan Coo.

Sunico was under great pressure because he was scheduled to speak at a meeting as newly elected CCP president; nevertheless, he devoted the needed time, effort and his singular talent to interpreting Chopin’s Barcarolle and Scherzo No. 4 in E. The former’s deep, tender sentiment was given the fullest expression. The latter bristled with musical energy, high speed and titanic force, with Sunico’s bravura demonstrating all these, as well as impassioned vigor. Chopin was admirably served.

Santamaria took the soloist part and Coo, the orchestral, in Chopin’s Concerto No. 1 in E Minor. Its melodic charm, florid configurations and percussive rhythms eloquently surfaced, Santamaria’s nimble, dexterous and utterly inspiring performance given brilliant assistance by Coo.

Musicologists aver that the concerto was not Chopin’s forte, and that the orchestral score could well be for solo piano. Notwithstanding, the duo infused grace and depth into the composition while showing closest ensemble work.

For an encore, the duo responded with the third movement of Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No. 3 in D Minor.

Restlessness and melancholy so typical of Rachmaninoff’s music were interpreted by Santamaria with surpassing beauty which received an answering chord from Coo. Through the intensity and power of the rendition — with its robust, thunderous passages — one discerned the composer’s mastery of structure, lyrical and harmonic expressiveness.

For the most gratifying concert, the IWC, Tereret Liboro, Pilie Barrenechea, Linda Villadelgado, Nenuca Blardony, Lita Gelino, Pilar Aldanese and BMW should be duly thanked.

Special guests included Indian Ambassador Yogendra Kumar, Brigitte MacDonald, Georgette Wilson and Vicky F. Zubiri.

Syjucos’ joint exhibit

Cesare A.X. Syjuco and his wife Jean-Marie are both immensely talented and versatile, and their daughters Michelline, Beatrix and Maxime obviously take after them. The Syjucos’ joint exhibit “Left of Center” at the Picasso on Leviste St., Salcedo Village, will be on view until Oct. 24. Already, the display has attracted the cognoscenti, art-lovers and the curious. Expect to see endless surprises!

Caitlin’s literary talent

Jesus College, Cambridge University, UK recently awarded to Caitlin Coyiuto the “Outstanding Student Prize for Achievement in Creative Writing”. Caitlin’s parents, eminent pianist Cristine and insurance executive James must be very proud of their flutist daughter.

Caitlin’s mentors gave her an A plus and this certificate:

“Caitlin Coyiuto excelled in the Creative Writing Major Class, where she distinguished herself among her peers. She successfully completed works of poetry and prose, demonstrating a keen ability to create not only a range of forms but also a nuance of tone and meaning in either genre. In every case, her work was ambitious in its subject matter, expertly handled, and filled with emotional resonance. In this regard, she demonstrated a maturity and development far beyond her years. Her verse is thoughtful, imaginative and original, with a quiet, patient voice that is haunting and evocative. She wrote interesting and complex prose as well, in which she created imagistic settings that reinforced the characters and conflicts, developed themes that were ambitious and moving, and demonstrated that her descriptive abilities were quite strong. Although a quiet, thoughtful student during class discussions, she was among the leaders in class activities, working tirelessly in the editorial staff of the program’s literary magazine (in which her work was selected to appear) and embodying the focus that characterizes the best of the students in the Cambridge Tradition. She was a star in our class.”