Category: Arts and Culture

Performing artists express desire to help typhoon victims

Published by Ellen on November 13, 2013

By Pablo A. Tariman,VERA Files

The typhoon that killed hundreds in the Visayan region elicited shock and an outpouring of sympathy from the country’s leading performing artists.

“It is horribly sad,” said pianist Cecile Licad who expressed willingness to participate in any fundraising concert. The pianist once again received standing ovations for her performance of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Hawaii Symphony and the San Antonio Symphony in Texas.

Another artist who wanted to cheer typhoon victims is violinist Cho Liang Lin who has forthcoming engagements with the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan and the symphony orchestras of Detroit, San Antonio, and Shanghai. He wrote to Licad saying how deeply he was touched by the plight of typhoon victims. “If there are events that I can help to cheer the victims, please let me know. I am in!” the noted violinist said.

Bel canto live from Ayala Museum

Published by Ellen on October 29, 2013

By Pablo A. Tariman, VERA Files

Tenor Arthur Espiritu with pianist Najib Ismael

Like it or not, bel canto (the art of beautiful singing) is the most-quoted word in the opera circle.

Teachers brandish it as though it were a vocal talisman and some students think it is the key to instant vocal stardom.

If you are active in the conservatory circuit, you realize very few singers live up to it. A few sing to impress, not to communicate. Still many relish the bravura moments in Puccini and Verdi arias and end up doing the opposite of bel canto.

For lack of solid technique compounded by bad teachers, some students — who wanted to absorb the angelic resonance of bel canto — end up as pedestrian singers who think acting can cover up for a singing style way below the standard of how it should sound.

The truth is bel canto is better heard than lectured.

“An Evening of Bel Canto” — the closing season concert of the MCO Foundation, Inc. heard at the Ayala Museum last Saturday — gave that special audience the essential, if, substantial qualities of the art of beautiful singing.

“Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?”

Published by Ellen on September 15, 2013

Watching Yaya Teresa (played movingly by actress Rustica Carpio) in Joey Reyes’“Ano ang Kulay ng mga Nakalimutang Pangarap?”, I saw my grade school classmate Antonia.

After elementary school, Antonia, a farmer’s daughter, didn’t go to high school. She worked as a helper in the Gomez family. She was more than just a helper to the wife of the master of the manor. She was a friend, a shoulder to cry on. In the quarrels of the mistress of the manor with in-laws, Antonia was also a combatant.

She was a surrogate mother to the two children of the Gomezes.

MTRCB’s goal: build a culture promotive of human dignity

Published by Ellen on June 6, 2013

MTRCB Chair Eugenio Villareal in a dialogue with TV5

On July 17, the Movie and Television Review Classification Board will conduct a Child and Family Summit at Balay Kalinaw at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Participants will be parents and other family members including kasambahays. A workshop will be held and the output will be presented to networks and movie and TV producers.

This activity is in line with the pro-active role that the current MTRCB leadership is undertaking. It actually started under the term of now Senator-elect Grace Poe which Chairman Eugenio “Toto” Villareal is continuing.

Homecoming ballet stars in Ballet Manila’s gala

Published by Ellen on May 30, 2013

By Ellen Tordesillas, VERA Files

There’s no sweeter applause than the ones coming from the hometown audience.

For the audience, there are no stars who shine brighter than those from home.

On Saturday, dance enthusiasts will have a rare treat of Filipino dance artists who are shining in the world stage perform together. Ballet Manila’s Lisa Macuja-Elizalde gathered at least seven multi-awarded Filipino dancers with different ballet companies overseas for a one-night gala concert.

Curtain call for Philam Life Theater?

Published by Ellen on March 19, 2013

By Pablo A. Tariman,VERA Files

Pianist Sofya Sulyak takes a bow with PPO Conductor Olivier Ochanine

When award-winning Ukrainian pianist Sofya Gulyak and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra ended their “Elegantly Brahms” concert at the Philam Life Auditorium in Manila Wednesday, many in the audience knew it wasn’t just the musicians who were bowing out.

So was the iconic and much-cherished Philam Life Auditorium, which will be demolished after serving for 52 years as the venue of the most memorable performances the country has seen.

“Elegantly Brahms” is the last major musical event to be held at the Auditorium. Its parent company, Philam Life, the country’s premier life insurance company, is moving to Bonifacio Global City in Taguig and Mall of Asia starting April.

Philam Life has sold the site to mall developer SM Development Corp. (SMDC).

Arthur Espiritu soars in ‘The Poet Speaks’

Published by Ellen on February 8, 2013

Text and photos by Elizabeth Lolarga, VERA Files The sixth of this month will linger long in the head and hearts, like the “last song…

A Master Class by a world-class Filipino

Published by Ellen on February 1, 2013

Arthur Espiritu1 — Arthur Espiritu in a CCP Master Class

By Charmaine Deogracias, VERA Files

When the Cultural Center of the Philippines launched master classes last year as part of their artist education program, it was honored by no less than world-class Filipino artist, Arthur Espiritu. Not only was it CCP’s first voice masterclass offer, it was also a rare first to have a tenor conduct a masterclass.

A voice master class which is an expert’s one-on-one coaching session with advanced students in performance and technique, is most often conducted by sopranos. But for the Philippines and the Filipino artists, Espiritu gamely trained students from different conservatories who were mostly sopranos.

Melissa Corazon Mantaring, Head of Music Division of the Performing Arts of CCP’s Artist Training said it was a privilege and an honor that a sought-after,internationally-renowned tenor took time out to train the country’s potential opera singers in their first master class for voice.

Ina, Kapatid, Anak

Published by Ellen on January 15, 2013

Siyempre, lahat nakatutok sa “Ina, Kapatid, Anak” sa ABS-CBN noong Lunes ng gabi dahil yun ang gabi ng konprontasyun. Walang tawag sa telepono at sa cellphone.

Hindi naman nadismaya ang fans nitong telenobela. Magaling talaga ang mga artista. Para sa akin gabi yun ni Janice de Belen, bilang Beatriz. Yung mukha niya nang sinabi sa kanya ni Julio (Ariel Rivera) na anak nila si Celyn (Kim Chiu, ang galing. Walang salita. Mata ang nag-acting. Hindi OA. Simple lang.

Yun ang magaling na acting. Nakakabilib sa Pilipino.

Lahat naman sila doon magaling lalo pa sina Cherry Pie Picache, Ariel Rivera, Ronaldo Valdez at Pilar Pilapil. Malaki siguro ang impluwensya ng mga beteranong artista sa mga batang artista kasi gumagaling na rin sina Kim Chiu at Maja Salvador. Ang mga lalaki, sina Enchong Dee at Xian Lim, kailangan pang mahasa.

Ballet Manila’s Sinderela: poignant Elgar and dazzling Prokofiev

Published by Ellen on December 6, 2012

By Pablo A. Tariman,VERA Files

Stepmother and stepsisters with Sinderela

Ballet Manila has an interesting twin-bill for its holiday treat and with contrasting flavors at that.

It opened with an austere, if, poignant Sonata (choreographed by Osias Barroso) to the full music of Elgar’s Sonata in E Minor, Opus 82 for violin and piano. Providing live music is British violinist Robert Atchison with Russian pianist Olga Dudnik on the piano.

Sub-titled “Love’s Awakening With A Kiss,” Sonata is a complicated piece to interpret owing to the cerebral nature of the the music. But you actually warm up to both the music and the choreography as the story unfolds. Danced by Hana Oh and Harold Salgado with a corps de ballet, the Sonata wove its own magic when the music and the choreography found their common link. Salgado is a very competent partner and a very supportive one. A highly lyrical dancer with a luminous face is Hanna Oh whose subtle acting gave you a romantic clue as to what the piece is all about.