Yes, Virginia, opera is alive and well in the Philippines
September 19, 2005 | 12:00am
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The gala opened with Fides Cuyugan Asensio, grande dame of Philippine opera and mentor to many of todays brightest opera stars, singing the Libiamo from Verdis La Traviata with tenor Leslie Diaz and the whole cast. It closed with tenor Nolyn Cabahug the man who gave opera a face in the country in the 80s and the 90s intoning Verdis Celesta Aïda from Aïda, before leading a mass singing of Nessun Dorma from Puccinis Turandot. Featured in between were names in Philippine opera, as well as rising and emerging stars in the local firmament.
In paper and both on stage, the sequence of songs seemed most curious. Operaphiles would notice the irony in the programming. The concert opened with one of the liveliest duets in opera Libiamo is a call for a good time and a toast to the importance of love; it closed with operas most unique opening aria: with barely a couple of minutes from the curtains rise, the tenor in Aïda is on stage singing a truly demanding song without the benefit of a warm up. Scattered in between were best-of moments in opera, sequenced in no recognizable order. You would get the same experience at home if you pressed shuffle after sliding in a compilation opera CD into your player at home.
The sequencing of numbers wasnt the evenings problem. It was the assignment of singers to songs. Surely, not all 30 singers were expected to sing an aria; thats why the program had a sprinkling of duets and quartets. However, assigning songs that were not appropriate to the voices of singers, both young and old, hampered what would have been a satisfying exercise.
Truth is, the most successful and satisfying moments in Opera Now were those that featured established opera singers singing songs suited to their voices. The evenings biggest successes were courtesy of Aileen Cura singing Kay Tamis ng Buhay from Felipe Padilla de Leons Noli Me Tangere and Camille Lopez singing Ritorna Vincitor from Verdis Aïda. Here were singers with voices perfectly suited for the expanse of the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and with the artistic and dramatic intelligence to do justice to the demands of their arias.
Cura had the honor of singing the only Filipino opera aria in the concert. Maria Claras aria expresses her deep love for her motherland, an idea not lost on the evenings audience. A staging of this operatic classic, now forgotten by many of todays young concertgoers, would be timely.
Lopez gave a truly riveting account of Aïdas aria. Her voice was loud and clear, its heft ringing throughout the hall. More than her powerful voice was the heartrending singing she gave the aria, expressing Aïdas dilemma whether to cheer on her lover Radames to victory or wish him failure to see his father and her family escape from the scourge of the Egyptian army.
Opera is more about beautiful singing than anything else. Acting often comes only second to the experience, although the demands of modern theater often required singers who could also sing well and act beautifully.
Mezzo Jay Valencia-Glorioso doesnt have the most powerful voice to fill the CCP Main Theater. In her version of Dalilahs Mon Coeur SOuvre à ta Voix from Saint-Säens Samson et Dalilah, she called on her dramatic prowess, seducing the audience to a most effective singing of this popular French aria. She might not have the marvelous voice to sing it her voice is more suited to character roles, such as the vengeful Azucena in Verdis Il Trovatore but lure the audience in this song, she did.
Among the evenings successes, musically and dramatically, were Lionel Guico in a rousing Largo al Factotum from Rossinis Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Pablo Molina in Dein ist Mein Ganzes Herz from Lehars The Land of Smiles, Kitchy Molina and Jai Sabas-Aracama in the Flower Duet from Puccinis Madama Butterfly, and Lisa Cabahug in Mein Herr Marquis from Johann Strauss Die Fledermaus.
Another curiosity was the inclusion of the opening O Fortuna from Carl Orffs cantata Carmina Burana. It sounds truly menacing, with its truths on the cyclic nature of fortune, but its not from an opera. Surely, there isnt a dearth of suitable operatic choral numbers. Theres the Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, Va, Pensiero from Nabucco, or even the grand Triumphal March from Aïda. There are a lot to choose from.
Kudos goes to Prof. Herminigildo Ranera and the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra for accompanying Opera Nows 30 singers without hitches. Ranera was able to scale down the orchestras playing to suit the individual needs of each singer. Those possessing of strong, powerful voices, he collaborated with highly charged music; those with light, budding voices, he paired with music of chamber-like dynamics.
One cavil, though. The idea of setting the orchestra on stage behind the singers was at a disadvantage to the music. Often, singer and orchestra were not in time, with either the orchestra galloping onward or the singer leading forward. It required singers and conductor to have ears that would adjust to the tempo of the music. Sometimes, it worked; sometimes, it didnt. Often recitatives were rushed to the detriment of the dramatic moment.
The Philippine Opera Company managed to hurdle the resources to stage a spectacle like Opera Now. It has proven that opera can still be staged in the country, that there is an audience for such a production, and that we have enough singers to mount a production. With enough marketing savvy, it just might be as successful in its forthcoming 2006 opera season.
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