Coyiuto, Enomoto concert: eclectic, esoteric, exquisite

Cristine Coyiuto, a leading concert pianist, her 17-year old brilliant flutist daughter Caitlin Alisa, and Yuko Enomoto, one of Japan’s top flutists were the principals in last week’s concert at Alabang’s Chapel of the Forgiving Lord.

A most unusual setting, elegant and ultra-modern, its altar has a huge statue of the crucified Christ enclosed in a lighted frame, and a marble statue of the Pieta — a gift from Italy — hanging just above it. The “tapestried” wooden ceiling slopes downward on each side, giving the chapel a triangular shape.

What a holy, sanctified atmosphere enveloped the eclectic, esoteric, exquisite concert that ensued! It was marked by excellence throughout — by seamless, effortless execution and eloquent, sensitive expression by the pianist, who was the assisting artist, and by the flutists.

In C.P. Bach’s Hamburger Sonata, the dialogue between Cristine and Enomoto was remarkably close, particularly in the upper register’s swift, intricate passages that elicited rich tonal colors from each performer. Caitlin delicately simulated the song of the whippoorwill in bird-like sounds echoed by Cristine, both vastly delighting listeners in the third movement of Bohuslav Maritnu’s First Sonata. A highly dramatic contrast was conveyed between the Nocturne and the Allegro in Philippe Gaubert’s piece, between the languid and the spritely. Piano and flute created beautiful harmonic combinations in the Nocturne and virtuosic runs in the Allegro Schezando.

Enomoto gave a startling rendition of “Mei”, a composition by compatriot Kazuo Fukushima whose piece is a dirge for a friend. According to the program notes, the Japanese Nokhan flute uses minimum pitches and a vast array of timbres; the Shakuchi flute utilizes breathy sounds, puissant expressive grace notes and soul-altering pitch bends. Traditional Japanese flute music exhibits the power of one note (sound) and the power of silence, Fukushima integrated these two concepts.

To this reviewer, the intriguingly exotic and weird “Mei” showed the widest range of tempi, with its abrupt, arresting stops, long pauses punctuated by single staccato notes and the most rapid runs. It also demonstrated the most diverse dynamics, from the softest to the loudest — and shrillest! Enomoto awed the audience with her masterful interpretation, brief though the work was.

In Carl Reinecke’s “Undine”, performed by Cristine and Enomoto, the sustained, extended, languid notes conjured the floating image of the underwater sprite Undine, and later, of her short-lived happiness with her earthly husband Hulbrand.

Flutists Enomoto and Caitlin inevitably infected the audience with their joyful, exuberant rapport in Mozart’s playful Sonata in D Major; Cristine complemented their vibrance and vitality with her own sparkling bravura.

Franz Doppler, in his own fashion, was carefree and jovial, with the three players capturing his verve in “Duettino Americano” wherein the audience quickly recognized the American national anthem and the Yankee Doodle (Jack and Jill) in charming variations.

Overwhelming applause led to the encore Flower Duet from Delibes’ “Lakme”. Enomoto electrified listeners with Le Moineau Parisien, and the audience asked for more even after the three had rendered Tonight from Bernstein’s “Westside Story”.

The entire concert was a display of the flutists’ outstanding finger dexterity, superb breath manipulation and control, and sensitive artistry. Cristine conveyed her usual characteristics: refinement of touch, restraint, elegance, and virtuosity whenever daunting challenges demanded it. As always, she was the pianist’s pianist.

The program opened with Ralph Hoffman’s Psalm 23 for flute (Caitlin) and choir, the Novo Concertante under Arwin Tan. Hoffman (who later graciously served as page-turner for Cristine) composed his piece as a homage to the Coyiuto patriarch Robert in celebration of his 90th birth year “as a reflection of a life filled with trials yet a story overflowing with inspiration, determination and compassion. Coyiuto’s legacy continues to encourage people to rise above the turmoil of their lives, and the text of the Psalm expresses exactly that assurance.”

The Alabang Rotary Club headed by Dr. Nick Villatuya sponsored the benefit concert for the Don Bosco Children’s Village managed by Fr. Rocky Evangelista of the Tuloy Foundation; it was part of a series of cultural events supported by Prudential Guarantee founded by Robert Coyiuto.