Dominating the concert was Raul Sunico who revealed himself a formidable pianist, excellent assisting artist to soprano Thea Perez and tenor Ronan Ferrer, and singularly imaginative arranger.
Sunico played Chopin’s Nocturne in A Flat in exquisitely poetic manner, then with magnificent bravura and brio rendered the Lerner-Loewe’s My Fair Lady medley, while also interpreting his own arrangements of Themes from Rachmaninoff’s Somewhere in Time, Cuenco’s Bato sa Buhangin and the folk songs Bahay Kubo/Leron Leron Sinta, opening the former with a most innovative evocation of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.
In-between, Sunico accompanied Perez’s aria Donde Lieta Usci from La Boheme, Ferrer’s Liebestraum by Liszt and No Puede Ser by Sorozobal. Also duets from Broadway musicals, Velarde’s Kahit Isang Saglit and Arevalo’s Ikaw Ang Mahal Ko.
Both singers conveyed clarity of diction – the tenor even more than the soprano – long sustained top notes and sensitive feeling. Sunico, for his part, revealed extraordinary versatility, having recently played the four Rachmaninoff concertos in one evening – sans score! The tremendous applause was rewarded with an encore each from pianist and vocalist
Outstanding violin prodigy Junior Salanza interpreted Beethoven’s Romance in F, displaying considerable assurance and aplomb. Pianist Greg Zuniega assisted impeccably. Sopranos Thea Perez and Nenen Espina, tenors Eugene de los Santos, Ronan Ferrer and Randy Gilongo sang Libiamo from Verdi’s Traviata and Prendero quell brunettino from Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, the tenors later giving a delightfully new treatment to the Neopolitan O Solé Mio. All five then ended with Ikaw Ang Mahal Ko.
The UP Singing Ambassadors sang cohesively and danced to fascinating choreography, finishing with the richly talented Minette Padilla, Menchu’s daughter, as soloist in G. Canseco’s Ikaw.
Hereon, the pianists took over. Fr. Manuel Maramba’s Widmung (Dedication) by Schumann had élan, power, light and shade. Sunico and Fr. Maramba charmingly rendered Philippine Airs on two pianos, after which Sunico dazzled the audience with the My Fair Lady medley (see above). Nena Villanueva displayed her devastating technique in Ginastera’s daunting Danzas de Argentina, then brilliantly led Menchu, Erlinda Velasco and Amelita D. Guevarra in a robust rendition of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 on two pianos.
The sisters Dayrit – Amelita and Menchu – beautifully concluded the long concert with two pieces by Cuenco, also on two pianos.