'Men of Mission and Music'

Having missed “Men of Mission and Music”, I requested Jiovanney Emmanuel Cruz to write a review of it. He graciously acceded. Herewith is the review of Cruz, our most internationally awarded concert pianist.

The Outlooke Pointe Foundation, in collaboration with and in benefit of the Institute for Pastoral Development, produced the sequel to last year’s Sulong Sining entitled “Men of Mission and Music”. The concert at the Insular Life Theater in Alabang Feb. 19 featured works by Copland, Porter and Gershwin under the baton of dynamic American conductor Marion Daniel. Singer Mica Pineda, the unknown yet already talked-about classical pianist Joshua Alexander Manalo, and the handpicked Outlooke Pointe Chamber Symphony Orchestra performed.

Lupang Hinirang and “May the Lord Bless and Keep You” were wonderfully sung by the Himig Muntinlupa Chorale. US Cultural Affairs Officer Alan Holst said a few words on US-Phil cultural relations and cooperation. I was artistic director and emcee; as the latter, I commented on the value of music in life/society, quoting quotable quotes on the program’s composers.

The concert was not the traditional kind with program notes, a bare backdrop, and performers simply playing through the pieces. Balanced, informative and educational, the program aided listeners to understand the music beyond what they heard. The cyclorama backdrop, linked to a closed circuit camera, captured every angle of the stage, focusing on Daniel’s dramatic and at times graceful choreography, the orchestral intensity, and Pineda’s young beauty. At Manalo’s turn to perform, the camera zeroed in on the keyboard for those with an obstructed view. A member of the audience said: “How strikingly thought-out and architectured everything was!”

Facing the rostrum as emcee, I began by recalling a speech of Boston Conservatory Music Director Dr. Karl Paulnack who observed how the Greeks compared music to astronomy, how listening to Messaien’s Quartet for the End of Time was the only way to survive in a concentration camp during WW II, and how classical music is not entertainment but rather a therapy for weary souls. At program’s end, I quoted Nietzsche: “Without music, life would be a mistake!”

Copland’s original 13-instrument version of Appalachian Spring had Ensemble du Monde founder-music director Marion Daniel both conducting and playing the piano part. I had programmed this Copland work as artistic director of FilFest — the season of concerts in Alabang I had founded in 2008. It is one of my favorite works; Filipinos ought to hear it at least once in their lives. However, after my speaking with members of the audience, some seemed a bit perplexed, owing to the depth of the work. But others imagined the beauty of the Appalachians through Copland’s almost perfect writing. The strings were a bit weak; were it not for the notable solos of flutist Crystal Rodis and bassoonist Frenvee Andra, the over-all performance would have been less than stellar.

The piece-de-resistance was Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Manalo (who studied music mostly on his own, and has taken formal piano lessons under me only the past two years) was full of youthful exuberance! With Daniel holding the reins quite tightly — when piano and orchestra were in collaboration — a seamless synergy arose.

Manalo’s lyrical passages had a controlled yet seductive swagger; the rhythmic sections were excitingly danceable. The crashing big chords were mostly cushioned and round; the flashes of harshness were seemingly brought about by the pianist’s apparent nervousness. His cadenzas were thoroughly free, with glimmers of wild moments, similar to a beautiful Pegasus waiting to be whispered to. His debut with orchestra commanded a spontaneous standing ovation, and after a couple of curtain calls, Manalo shyly obliged with Granados’ Spanish Dance No. 5 for encore.

The program was reminiscent of those 70s classical music heydays in the Philippines, but with a highly progressive, modernized stage. Our country deserves events like this, and modesty aside, my wife Tinky, “Men of Mission and Music” executive and logistics director, and I gave birth to these brainchild events similar to the music festival OPUSFEST. Kudos to the Foundation as well, for slowly but surely pursuing its mission of helping re-sculpt Philippine identity through the arts and empowering our youth to fulfill their dreams by promoting them. And to our musicians you are eternal testaments that Filipinos are truly gifted!