Licad, Colmenar show startling rapport / Licad dazzles anew

For last week’s Philamlife concert, Conductor Rodel Colmenar recruited and added some of the best instrumentalists to the augmented 80-member Manila Philharmonic Orchestra. The result? A fascinating range of dynamics – from thundering tuttis to sustained pianissimos – as well as a marvelously disciplined and polished performance by the brasses and woodwinds.

Behind all this and more was the firm, authoritative command of Colmenar who has lately kept audiences increasingly awed by his baton work which, in the recent concert, was particularly eloquent in descriptive, programmatic music.

In Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade Op.35, the Sultana, whom the Sultan has scheduled for execution, is able to lift her sentence by mesmerizing her husband, for one thousand and one nights, with wild, fantastic tales of adventure – suspenseful, exciting, spirited and dramatic – as vividly and vibrantly conjured by the orchestra, its mighty crescendos gently broken by the recurring violin solo announcing Scheherezade’s re-entry for another night, and the start of another tale.

In the likewise descriptive Moldau by the Czech composer Bedrïch Smetana, the orchestra depicted the river’s unpredictable moods, with Colmenar stirring the ensemble to powerful climaxes as the river roars mightily toward the riverbed, or to long pianissimo lines, as the river ultimately wends its way tranquilly. Serenely.

Through the river’s journey, the horns in loud, unwavering blasts signal a chase in the woods, while a profusion of tonal colors depicts the merriment and jubilation at a wedding celebration in the lowlands.

Sonorities were balanced, sounds were cohesive except at rare moments when they could have been more integrated. As the score demanded, the ensemble in one instance tended to be rather "brassy" for aural smoothness. But in sum, Colmenar asserted admirable dynamism and audacity – as well as command – the brasses and woodwinds (usually the most recalcitrant in local ensembles) reaching, as earlier observed, an outstanding performance level.

The audience immediately sat up in fevered excitement as Cecile Licad opened Charles Camille Saint-Saëns Concerto No. 2, Op. 22, playing the cadenza in her characteristically vibrant, robust tones, her manner exuberant, her attention focused on the music.

When the orchestra came in to join the piano, a stunning, startling rapport ensued, and as they carried on, it was clear that the meeting of spirit and style between Licad and Colmenar would persist– as it did, in fact – for the entire concerto, from the andante sustenuto (first movement) to the allegro scherzando (second movement) to the presto (third movement) indeed, through every rhythmic drive and accent.

Licad the while exhibited dazzling brio in the massive chordal passages, incredibly rapid arpeggios and cascading runs – her fingers seemingly skimming over the keyboard to produce the liquid, rippling marvels of sound. Through the technical dexterity, tonal clarity and lucidity were imperatives.

Licad was unleashing a magnificently new, dauntless, daring and adventurous spirit, just stopping short of recklessness and imprudence. And underneath that "daring" was still her sensitive artistry that expressed the concerto’s exquisite lyricism, dramatic content and ingenious musical ideas. Sentiment was without mawkish sentimentality.

Above all, coupled with Licad’s rhythmic vitality and passionate intensity was an impetuosity, an impulsiveness that infused the Concerto with spontaneity – a freshness of approach. From this, the audience derived the sensation of listening to the Saint-Saens opus for the very first time. Yet, how often they had heard it!

As is usual in Licad’s performances, the audience roared its approval and gave her a standing ovation. In response, the pianist played a work by Louis Gottchalk, Francisco Buencamino’s Inday – a medley of Philippine melodies – and a Frédéric Chopin prelude, leaving this dangling. Unfinished. As Licad took her final bow, she was smiling impishly.