An ABS-CBN Philharmonic Christmas show

MANILA, Philippines - Conductor Gerard Salonga has many things to thank for in 2012.

It was the year when he joined the ABS-CBN Philharmonic which is now preparing for a Christmas concert called A Christmas Gift on Dec. 16 at the Rockwell Tent while wrapping up film scoring for the Metro Manila Film Festival entry, El Presidente.

Thus far, his first few months with the ABS-CBN orchestra were quite revealing.

“We’re really enjoying the variety of the music we do here, and the network is committed to supporting the orchestra and what we do. Evidence of this is in the educational concerts. We’ve already had several concerts for kids, introducing them to the orchestra and to classical music.”

It was a grand year for him as well when he teamed up for the first time together with pianist Cecile Licad, prima ballerina Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and his sister Lea Salonga in a concert called Classics and Legends which won the Aliw Awards for Best Concert Collaboration.

His Christmas plans revolve around the family and a top priority is spending it with her mom, Ligaya Salonga.

Thus far, Gerard’s conducting credentials in the last five years are still modest but the way he hurdled those challenges makes him something of a phenomenon.

Starting as a conductor of Broadway musicals, then accompanying his famous sister Lea with some Hong Kong superstars leading the Hong Kong Philharmonic, then entering Manila’s classical circuit with Dvorak’s cello concerto and Saint-Saens’ piano warhorse with no less than Cecile as soloist, Gerard proved that you don’t have to come from Curtis or Juilliard to have a close affinity with classical music.

The last two years found him invading the ballet world starting with Tom Pazik’s Romeo and Juliet (with music by Prokofiev) which he conducted with his prima ballerina-cousin, Maniya Barredo, directing.

The Juliet was Atlanta-based Naomi Hergott who was his cousin’s ballet prodigy and the event kicked off Philippine Ballet Theater’s 25th season.

He likes to think his ballet debut last year went fairly well. His cousin put in a good word about his conducting ability and after working with singers and instrumentalists, he found himself in the pit once again coping with dancers’ movements.

“I didn’t get scolded too badly by Honey (Maniya), so I think it went well,” he rues.

 He was too young to remember the peak of Maniya’s ballet conquest but her last Giselle was something he would always remember.       

His first ballet opening night last year he describes as intense and very enjoyable. “The Filharmonika orchestra really delivered, and the dancers were amazing.”

A  few weeks before Christmas, Gerard got his second ballet assignment through a re-staging of The Nutcracker by the Philippine Ballet Theater. The proceeds of which went to the children supervised by the Philippine Society for Orphan Disorders (PSOD).

With Lobreza Pimentel and Regina Magbitang alternating as Clara and Lemuel Capa as the Nutcracker Prince, the ballet revealed the tall and willowy dancers of the company. But as it was, the featured dancers looked as though they were on their middle training phase. The audience though enjoyed the sights of children stealing the show from their older ensemble members.

What is remarkable was Gerard’s handling of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic which must have prodded the dancers to do well. The tempo was up the alley of the dancers and the solo variations and pas de deux had extra sparkle with the orchestra’s precision. In some parts of the ballet, one was inclined to just listen to the orchestra because of its first-rate playing.

The Clara of the 1 p.m. performance was highly promising and was always attuned to the orchestra which was at its best in the pas de deux of the Sugar Plum Fairy of Veronica Ylagan and the Nutcracker Prince of Lemuel. The dancers didn’t exactly match the brilliance of the orchestra but one can charge that to the future when the dancers get more advance training.

With two ballets to his credit, Gerard has earned a few feathers to make him expound on what it takes to be a ballet conductor.

In his book, tempi are the major consideration and the conductor must be familiar with the choreography and visual cues. One must learn the music so well so that he doesn’t bury his head on the score. He pointed out that the conductor must also know the tune, the tempo, and always be on the look-out for what’s happening on stage. “The film scoring and conducting training I got at Berklee were a huge help here,” he adds.

On the whole, he treats conducting a ballet as a collaborative art the way instrumentalists approach their work as chamber musicians.

Avers Gerard: “My cousin Maniya told me that she’ll dance to the music no matter what the interpretation is. I think the good dancers are open to any musical points that need emphasis. On the other hand, I also need to make them feel like I’m there to support them. They’re the stars of the show, so in the end, it’s going to be their call and I’ll support them.”

Thus far, what did he enjoy conducting ballet?

“The fact that orchestra is helping tell a story.  There are usually no words, so we work with the dancers’ facial and body expressions to tell a story.  That’s always amazing.”