Classical’s not dead

Classical music is not dead. Neither Merjohn Lagaya and Jorge Sababan of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra nor Lloyd Miranda and Homer Cabansag of the University of Santo Tomas Guitar Ensemble think that reviving classical music in the Philippines is a lost cause. "Classical music obsolete? No way. It is my passion to show what classical music truly is to the Filipino," says Homer. "The Filipino is good at adapting, and we (classical musicians) shall adapt to the circumstances." In a dog-eat-dog world where things must constantly change to survive, Merjohn Lagaya does just that. In his spare time, he brings new life to pop songs by merging cadenzas of classical music into them. Perhaps this is one of the changes that are needed to resurrect classical music from its grim grave of obscurity.

One of the major things hindering the proliferation of classical music in the Philippines is American commercialization, laments Jorge. "You turn on your radio and you hear almost nothing but mainstream music. The media does not support classical music. The government does not support classical music. If only we had two or three stations devoted to classical music, perhaps more Filipinos would listen to it," Jorge says. He can’t imagine himself being anything other than a musician. "My fondest memory is performing at the Luce Theater in Dumaguete City in my youth with the Philippine Youth Orchestra. The hall was jammed. The audience seemed to react as one, completely enthralled by our music. When we were finished, the applause was nothing like you’ve ever seen. This is what we musicians live for. We enjoy our music, but our number one priority is for the audience. We do it for them. Later on, I got a job playing the violin on a cruise ship, and it paid nearly double what I make now in the PPO. But working on a cruise ship is different from being part of an orchestra. On the cruise ship, I played nothing but simple pieces. It was nothing. I found my skills deteriorating due to the lack of challenge those pieces presented. Being part of an orchestra, however, is a completely different story," remembers Jorge.

In an effort to break free from the restrictions of classical music, a diverse range of musicians will perform a massive string concert intertwined with theatrical concepts. The concert is at 7 p.m. tonight at the CCP. "This concert will feature the best of Filipino string instruments. It will be a spectacle of music," stage director Chris Millado of the Cultural Center of the Philippines promised. "In this production, we will fuse theater and classical music. We will reinvent the classical concert. In addition to great music, we are adding the concept of audience visualization in the form of dance, elaborate lighting, and a constantly changing set. About 125 musicians will be performing pieces ranging from Bach to the Beatles, both classical and contemporary music," said Chris. "Concerts like this usually take a year to organize and prepare for. This son et lumiere, or sound and light show, will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The focus will be on the music." Chris hopes that the originality of this concert will attract a larger audience than usual. Many prominent musical names will be performing during this concert, such as Renato Lucas, Mary Ann Espina, Rachel Gerodias, and my very own violin teacher, the great Coke Bolipata. The foreign guest artists include French guitarist Thibault Cauvin and German violinist Angelo Bard, both musical geniuses. This will be Angelo’s second performance in the Philippines. He was last here in 2002. They will be supported by the UST Guitar Ensemble and Quartet, Cainta Los Trobadores Rondalla, Ballet Philippines, the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, the Metro Manila Community Orchestra, and the UST Symphony Orchestra. Never before have all these musicians come together, and it seems like it will be a damned good show.

Homer said that he normally practices three to five hours a day, and the rest of his time is spent studying. He and Lloyd believe that music is their destiny. They are looking forward very much to performing later this evening. How many people have this level of dedication to music and their studies, leaving hardly any time for anything else? "We smoke weed all the time, though," he added before he and Lloyd burst into laughter. "Just kidding. We don’t have time to smoke weed."

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Irene Rada, my PR contact in the CCP, would like to thank BNP Pariba, The Peninsula Manila, Alliance Francaise Manila, the Johann Strauss Society, and the National Commission for Culture in the Arts for their help in sponsoring the concert.