Former Rivermaya guitarist's surprising shift to classical music

I always like asking about the back-stories of artists—from childhood, parents, to provincial roots—because it usually gives me the most interesting of answers. When I got to hear the back-story of 10-string classical guitarist Perfecto de Castro, oft-described as one of the best of his generation, my immediate reaction was one of surprise.

For one, I found out that he’s the only musician in the family; his parents are lawyers, so are siblings and many other relatives. Good thing, his parents, while not really enthusiastic about his chosen career, also did not have the heart to stop him from pursuing it.

The 30-something Perf, whose roots are Visayan, says he was no child prodigy. You can, in fact, categorize him as a bit of a latebloomer, who mastered his craft by pouring in long hours everyday to practice. (There’s still hope for us, people.)

But the biggest surprise would have to be Perf’s past as a hardcore rocker. How hardcore? Let’s just say, he was the original Rivermaya guitarist, who had his ample share of being mobbed by adoring crowds, and served with all the perks that someone part of one of the frontliners of the band explosion of the 90’s could possibly enjoy. He eventually explored other sides of musicianship as he sound-engineered and produced rock albums. He did this “whole rock band thing” for a decade and was so good at it that, no wonder, awards came in.

If the number of fans is the measure of a musician’s fulfillment, then it should have been a hard transition for Perf into classical music, as we all know such genre can hardly summon crowds as humongous as those that show up at pop/rock concerts. But alas, this is why such terms as calling or destiny are coined because there are things in life that can’t be resisted nor explained.

This shift started when he met the highly-respected guitar pedagogue, Maestro Jose Valdez, who introduced him to the 10-string guitar. Backed with little experience in classical guitar through lessons at a Yamaha school in his teens, Perf would amp up his guitar skills and redefine the course of his career. Under the tutelage of Valdez, he went on to earn a Music degree at the Philippine Women’s University. “I love listening to classical guitar, but during my electric-playing days, I never thought I could play those pieces. But my mentor Jose Valdez made me realize that I could actually play it,” says this former NU Rock Awards’ Guitarist of the Year.

Today, the now L.A.-based Perf (he moved there in 2004 with his wife, who is a nurse, and their two sons) owns a music school in the US. Aside from gigs in different states, he returns yearly to the country for solo concerts in such venues as the Cultural Center of the Philippines. His recent homecoming this late August brought him to SM City Cebu’s Northwing, wherein he showcased well-loved staples in the classical guitar repertoire (in other words, works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Narciso Yepes, etcetera).

With my technical knowledge of the guitar instrument being very limited, it was my first time to see a 10-string guitar, and naturally, the first time to hear the kind of sound that comes out of it. It’s actually a regular 6-string with 4 more bass guitar strings. (Perf got his years-old guitar from a very prestigious guitarmaker in Spain; so precious a possession that when he travels with it, he also pays for its airline seat.)

What stood out, at least to me, was the seemingly smorgasbord of sounds emanating from a singular instrument. If it were a CD I was listening to, I would easily surmise that more than one string instrument was being played. The piece Recuerdos de la Alhambra by Franciso Tarrega (1852-1909), for example, sounded like there was a banduria somewhere—and I’m drawing this opinion from my short-lived affair with the Rondalla in grade school—providing accompaniment. How Perf made that possible with his two hands, I can’t even imagine! But one thing was made clear with his beautiful playing: if the guitar is in the right hands, it is capable of such tonal variations and textural richness that you’ll probably never be able to look at a guitar the same way again.

At The Northwing performance, Perf also paid tribute to his good friend, the late master rapper Francis Magalona, by playing Kaleidoscope World from the Freeman album. The two collaborated on the said multi-awarded album, which also credited Perf as co-producer. Seen at the concert were several familiar faces from the local band scene, as well as some of Cebu’s best guitarists. (There’s no 10-string guitarist yet in Cebu, however.) SM City Cebu big boss Marissa Fernan noted that she was already expecting a receptive turnout because “Cebuanos are guitar-playing people.” The night before the concert, Perf also jammed with local rockers at the Outpost. “Yes, I still play the electric and rock music,” says Perf. “I’m open, I mean I have to be open, to all kinds of music.”

Openness—how much we are willing to let music communicate with us—is truly the key to appreciating music and its many forms. We’re lucky that classical artists come to Cebu, thanks to efforts of the Arts Council and SM City Cebu, which has provided a mass-friendly venue for these acts. And these shows are for free. Let’s enjoy these opportunities to expand musical tastes. Call it “art for our sake.”

This afternoon, Lisa Macuja, the country’s top prima ballerina, will perform at SM Northwing. Show starts at 5pm.