Memorial concert: A candle kept vigil

Between the American and Philippine flags on the CCP stage, a lighted giant candle kept vigil over the "victims and heroes" of September 11. Other sights heightened the drama of the occasion, bringing to mind the tragedy that shook the world: video clips and printed programs showing chaos and destruction, and pictures of those who perished and those who died while desperately trying to save them.

The sights, no less than the sounds, reminded the audience of man’s mortality and a nation’s vulnerability, thus rendering the memorial concert both moving and chastening. The "sounds" emanated from Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man and Barber’s Adagio for Strings, climaxed by Mozart’s Requiem which had been composed under circumstances as weird, in their fashion, as those that had surrounded the sudden crumbling of the Twin Towers.

Ruggero Barbieri wielded the baton over the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, with the Adventist UP Ambassadors Chorale Arts Society interpreting the vocal sections of the Reqiuem.

The presentation of Copland and Barbers subtly declared that two of America’s composers, among others, now stand with the immortals, a good many of their works having been long included in classic repertory. Copland, regarded "dean of American composers", marked his birth centenary in 2000, and his Fanfare was an apt program opener whose thunderous pounding of the percussions and blaring of the brasses would have awakened Rip van Winkle from his slumber. The initial brass passages were rather shaky, but the overall work, though brief, was compelling.

At any rate, Fanfare represents Copland’s archetypal craft for the unsophisticated listener (common tao as the title suggests), in contrast with his complex, abstract creations e.g., Connotations.

Barbieri exquisitely sustained the long pianissimo lines in Adagio for Strings, eloquently conveying the composer’s strong, distinctive lyrical vein, as also his structural skill in tenaciously keeping to one melodic theme, this fluctuating from piano to pianissimo, to almost inaudible pianissimo, the strings taut and shimmering. Interestingly, Toscanini himself so recognized the merit of Adagio — originally, it was the slow movement of a string quartet in B Minor which was later transcribed for orchestra — that he introduced it under his baton in 1938. What more persuasive proof that the Adagio has endured?

Neither the choral nor orchestral interpretation of the Requiem seemed inspired or inspiring. The choir was generally unimpressive in such aspects as vocal blending, expressiveness, tonal coloring, dynamics, faring better in soft rather than loud passages. In the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei, the choir sallied forth impressively alive and vibrant.

The audience was highly responsive to the soloists: soprano Aileen Espinosa-Cura (despite her vibratos), alto Agnes Barredo, tenor Nolyn Cabahug (who lived up to his reputation as our finest homegrown tenor) and bass-baritone Laurence Jatayna (whose rich voice belied his height). The soloists sang with spirit, remarkably delineating the heights and depths of the music.

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Ambassador Francis Ricciardone’s opening remarks and, not the least, the presence of President Gloria M. Arroyo deepened the meaning of the commemorative concert.

CCP President Nes Jardin welcomed the audience.