In Don Quixote ballet, Lisa reigns supreme / Korean pianist in concert

As choreographed by Alex-ander Gorsky after Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus, with Lisa Macuja Elizalde as artistic director and Osias Barroso as artistic associate, Don Quixote is a rather odd ballet.

Although it bears the name of Don Quixote, Don Quixote is not the principal. He is a secondary character: except for his grand entrance – made by the tall, imposing Harold Salgado — his brief pas de deux with Kitri, and an even briefer duel with a windmill, he is a mere observer in the sidelines. His quirky squire Sancho Panza, Gerardo Francisco, often overshadows him. The group dances are actually created around Kitri and her lover Basilio.

In any case, the ensemble, I dare say, was virtually comparable with the best of the London, Paris and New York ballet companies I had seen. The matadors sent the pulses beating, and heir cape work was brisk, brilliant and eye-catching; the ballerinas consistently conveyed spontaneity, flowing grace and flawless precision.

Certain of the soloists — Sarah Abigail Cruz as Mercedes, Mylene Aggabao, Yanti Marduli and Jennifer Olayvar among them — could become future Lisas if they were to persevere in the arduous Vaganova method of training. But as of now, there is only one Lisa. With her shapely figure — she’s 45 and a mother of two — she still dazzles and awes with her sparkle, speed and nimbleness in the arabesques, pirouettes, jetés and fouettés. Indeed, Lisa reigned supreme throughout the ballet as the smiling, coquettish Kitri, miming and dancing with incomparable élan.

Rudy de Dios, Basilio, was a startling partner. In future, his technique may equal that of the late Patrick Bisell or Anton Dolin, both of whom performed in Manila. Although rather small and slight of build, De Dios exhibited remarkable strength and fortitude in the demanding lifts while showing control in multiple turns and high-flying jumps.

Eloquent miming etched the characterizations of Gerardo Francisco as the highly amusing Sancho Panza; of Marcus Tolentino as Lorenzo, eccentric father of Kitri; Jonathan Danilo as the wealthy, stodgy Gamache, pretentious suitor of Kitri. De Dios’ “suicide” was a striking episode, and Francis Cascaño portrayed a vibrant Espada.

Spanish ambiance predominated and the ravishingly elegant costumes, huge sets and lighting effects made for a presentation more grand, lavish and overwhelming than any other in the annals of local ballet.

As staged in Aliw Theater by Ballet Manila, the country’s largest company, Don Quixote had a few negligible glitches, as any production would inevitably have. How Lisa mesmerized viewers and glued them to their seats! In its entirety, the spectacle will long be remembered as fascinating, rivetting, magnificent – fully deserving of superlatives and a thunderous BRAVO!

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Jinsang Lee, renowned Korean pianist, will give a concert at the Philamlife Theater tomorrow, Oct. 22, 7 p.m. He will play Chopin’s Introduction and Variations in B Flat Major, three Nocturnes, three Mazurkas, and the Introduction and Rondo in E Flat Major, Mendelssohn’s “Songs Without Words” and Ferdinand Hiller’s Three Caprices and a Sonata.

Only 28, Lee won first prize in the Hong Kong International Piano Competition in 2008, with Vladimir Ashkenazy as jury chairman; first prize at the 2009 Geza Anda International Piano Competition in Zurich, as well as winner of the Mozart, Schumann and public prizes.

Pianist Lee has played with the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the Sendai Philharmonic Orchestra and the WDR Radio Orchestra Cologne, among many others. Conductors he has worked with include Ashkenazy, Christopher Warren Green, Michel Brousseau and Peter Gulke. Among his concert venues are Cologne, Nuremberg, Bonn, Dusseldorf, and festival sites in Germany and England.

During the 2009-10 season, Lee will be performing in Madrid, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and different German cities.

Tickets for his Philamlife concert may be obtained at the lobby.