Not-so-random notes

Errata. The title of my review last week should have been "Cristine Coyuito: The Pianists’ Pianist" (apostrophe after the letter "s"). Another line should have read: "Cristine, with her seamless feats and the subtlest artistry, might indeed be called the pianists’ pianist."

A line in my review of the MM Community Orchestra should have read: "Its instrumentalists come from all walks of life – ages ranging from 15 to 48" (not 15 to 18).

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Two hundred forty-five persons have already signified their willingness to read two pages each of Miguel Lopez de Cervantes’ immortal novel Don Quijote. The novel, consisting of 126 chapters and 1072 pages, would require around 50-hour continuous, non-stop reading. Each participant is to read two pages in the original Spanish.

The dates for this event are April 22 to 24 at the Salon de Actos, Instituto Cervantes. The reading will start at 11 a.m., April 22. Each reader will receive a copy of the novel and a certificate of participation. Paella will be served on the midnight of Friday and Saturday, and a breakfast of chocolate con churros on Sunday morning.

About 700 readers are needed; interested parties should call Liza at 526-1482 to 85.

On March 30 at 7 p.m., Spanish professor and writer Pedro J. de la Peña will lecture on Spanish poetry from 1927 to the present – a fascinating journey spanning 80 years!

De la Peña (born in Santander 1944) is a doctor of philology, and has a B.A. degree in journalism. In 1982, he was appointed professor of Contemporary Spanish Literature at Valencia U. Known for his research on 19th century literature, he has authored the critically acclaimed Antologia de la Poesia Romantica (1984) and Las esteticas del siglo XIX (1994).

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May I suggest that music artists who perform in public be taught stage deportment by their mentors or tutors. In the recent Winners’ Concert at the Philamlife auditorium, the first soprano did not know how to take a bow; the second soprano, standing onstage before actually performing, wrongly acknowledged the presence of her friends seated in the first front seats by directly looking and smiling at them.

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It was, I believe, the National Artist for Creative Dance Leonor Orosa Goquingco who, in 1957, introduced the playing of the national anthem before the start of a performance. The occasion was her ballet-dance concert under the sponsorship of the Music Promotion Foundation headed by the late Maestra Jovita Fuentes.

Since then, the national anthem is played or sung in the various exhibition halls before any concert or performance begins. To my mind, the best recorded national anthem is the a cappella version sung by a mixed chorus at the CCP Little Theater.

I also like the national anthem in the F. Santiago Hall. It is played while a flag onstage keeps flying in a breeze generated by an electric fan. The sight of the flag "flying" proudly elicits a patriotic feeling in the audience.

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For sometime now, I have been wanting to commend the ushers, usherettes, security guards and other personnel of the Cultural Center. Polite and friendly, they go out of their way to extend every help and courtesy to the viewing public. The CCP administration headed by President Nestor Jardin and Vice-President -Artistic Director Fernando Josef deserve our thanks for the wonderful reception accorded art and music lovers each time they visit the CCP.

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About a year or so ago, I received an invitation from the ladies committee of the International Bamboo Organ Festival in Las Piñas. Two of the signatories, if I remember correctly, were Mrs. Lourdes R. Montinola and Dulce Fernandez. The letter was an invitation for me to join their group.

I answered the letter through one of my columns, stating that I was declining their gracious invitation on principle. Otherwise, being a reviewer – or critic, if you will – I would find it awkward to comment on the concerts at Las Piñas. If I were to praise the concerts, the reader would conclude that I was doing so to favor the organizing committee of which I am a member. If I were to criticize the concerts, I would be doing so ungraciously, being part of the organizing committee. As the saying goes, "Damned if I do (praise), damned if I don’t."

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Eversince Cecile Guidote Alvarez became the NCCA executive-director, its innovative socio-civic-cultural projects have been unending. As a prelude to marking World Water Day on March 22, a special World Water Theater Arts forum was held on March 19, complemented by the showing of documentary films and art exhibits on water, featuring in particular the water-based heritage sites Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, as well as the Ifugao Rice Terraces which largely depend on water.

A discussion focused on the impact of water on health, tourism, food security and livelihood to realize an arts action agenda for the protection and conservation of water. The UN ‘Water for Life’ International Decade for Action is 2005 to 2015. Former Senator Heherson Alvarez, vice-president of the Advisory Committee on the Protection of the Seas (ACOPS), and Director Liwanag Godinez, Health and Sanitation Operation Center Chief of MMDA, were among the speakers.

Mr. Alvarez has always been fiercely campaigning against destructive environmental practices such as illegal logging, air pollution, dynamite fishing among many others.

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Dan Andrew S. Cura, FEBC president, wishes to notify listeners of 98.7 DZFE-FM "The Master’s Touch" that the station is embarking on a signal-strengthening project to better serve the public. Hence, the station will be off the air for about a week starting April 11.