We have long been having a proliferation of extremely remarkable pianists, senior and junior and Michael Lao Cu, 21, quickly entered the ranks of the latter. His recent concert “A Philippine Orchestral Debut” at the Philamlife theater with the Metro Manila Community Orchestra under Conductor Josefino “Chino” Toledo was a solid affirmation of this.
The orchestral rendition of Otto Nicolai’s Overture to The Merry Wives of Windsor exuded considerable charm, particularly the two recurring melodies which the ensemble played, under Toledo, with affecting grace and ardor.
Cu, tall and lanky, with exceptionally long fingers, rose to the daunting demands of The Rhapsody on a Theme by Paganini by Rachmaninoff who tailored his compositions to his own wide finger-span and brilliant technique. Cu began the Rhapsody with dramatic intensity, rendering the opening variation’s tumultuous chords and staccato notes nimbly, briskly and fiercely. The entire work is marked by thunderous openings and endings interspersed with three melodies themes, the first of these being the most hauntingly exquisite. Cu displayed his strong lyrical vein in these beautifully melodious inner portions while impressively injecting élan and brio in the vivid, sparkling outer variations.
In his graceful manner of playing, he would lift a hand high after finishing a passage, while spontaneously injecting a bit of showmanship by keeping the hand up a second longer for the listeners’ view. Or he would half rise from his seat, maintaining this position after a particularly hazardous passage.
In Ravel’s Concerto in G Major, Cu instantly stunned the audience with the burst of staccatos, turbulent chords and rapid glissandos across the keyboard, maintaining the lightning pace of the first movement (allegremente) with enormous vitality through to the cadenza and contributing considerably to the ensemble’s fiery conclusion.
There were rich tonal colors in the second movement (adagio assai), ravishingly nuanced pianissimo lines and subtle appogiaturas.
In the third movement (presto), musicologists find the scherzos and prestos of Mozart and Mendelssohn, and these the pianist interpreted with typical dispatch and animation, finishing them with grand impetuosity.
The orchestra exhibited youthful vigor, energy and spontaneity, with Toledo admirably meeting the musical exigencies of both concertos with spirit while establishing with Cu meticulous rhythmic exactitude even in the swiftest passages and the most abrupt stops.
Lusty audience approbation led to a native folksong whose complex variations running through the entire keyboard conveyed aplomb and a Chopin Nocturne, the pianist’s characteristically exquisite pianissimos surfacing.
A student of the eminent pianist-pedagogue Reynaldo Reyes at Towson U, Maryland, Cu will pursue a post-graduate degree in the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He leaves us with high hopes of his eventually joining international pianists.
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The Guinness Book of World Records 1993, with Peter Matthews as editor, lists down pianists who continued to give concerts at an incredibly old age.
The Romanian pianist Cual Delavrances (1887-1991) gave her last public recital, with encores, at the age of 103.
The longest international career in the history of Western music is held by Polish pianist Mieczslaw Horowski (born July 1892), who played for Emperor Franz-Joseph in Vienna, Austria, in 1899. In Cecile Licad’s early years at Curtis Institute, Horowski was one of her mentors and actually performed with her in public.
The world’s oldest active musician was Jennie Newhouse (born July 12, 1889) of High Bentham, Great Britain. She was the regular organist at the Church of St. Boniface in Bentham since 1920.
Our “senior” pianists are Nena R. Villanueva, Reynaldo Reyes and the much younger Raul Sunico. All three are still very actively concertizing and drawing raves!