Don Q/Praises for J. Toledo /R. Golez performs in Russia /Spanish fete, Aussie diva

Missing Don Quixote

Owing to illness, I deeply regret having missed seeing Lisa Macuja-Elizalde in Ballet Manila’s Don Quixote. I never cease to be amazed at Lisa who, at 46, outclasses the rest of the ballerinas. How much younger they are than she is! I saw the earlier version of Don Q with Lisa in it; doubtless, she must have danced even better in her latest — and last — performance in Don Q.

NY critics praise Toledo

Conductor-composer Josefino Chino” Toledo garnered high praise from the two New York music critics for his composition which was premiered at Lincoln Center by the New Juilliard Ensemble during its opening concert anniversary last Sept. 22. The reviews follow:

From: The New York Times By Zachary Woolfe

“Josefino Chino Toledo’s “Glimpses of Quiapo Church From Echague Street” (2004), a musical exploration of a spot in Manila, had some of the riotous good spirits of Mr. Zur’s work — and a delightful part for mandolin — but also sections of solemnity. It ended with the players singing a Philippine ritual chant with charmingly unprofessional voices, a moment that could have felt gimmicky but was just lovely.”

From: The Classical Music Network / NY

By Harry Rolnick

“Filipino composer Chino Toledo started with a picture that — for those who know Manila — was almost a literal soundscape. The bustling, hustling sounds at the start more than vaguely resembled the start of Bartok’s Miraculous Mandarin, and for good reason. The Hungarian was trying to depict the crazy slums of Edwardian Limehouse in London. Manila’s Echague Street loudly proclaims the same madness, not of horses and coaches, but of Filipino jeepneys and diesel-gushing buses and stalling taxis. And Mr. Toledo gave a terrific orchestral picture of urban Filipino madness.

“The end was the entrance to the church, where the music tapered down — literally — to near silence. I say literally because the thousand-odd tapers lit in the “Black Nazarene” church drip their wax drop by drop, exactly as the piece ended.”

Ph culture in Russia

From Oct. 7 to 10, the Russian Federation will host in Moscow and St. Petersburg “Days of Philippine Culture in Russia”. The Liceo Folkloric Dance Troupe of Cagayan de Oro, fresh from the World Expo 2012 and the Asean Cultural Festival in Yesan and Seoul, S. Korea, will perform on Oct. 8 at the Maly Theater.

On Oct. 9, the brilliant piano alumnus of Juilliard, Rudolf Pelaez Golez, and composer tenor John August Pamintuan will perform at the Concert Hall of Glinka National Museum Consortium of Musical Culture. The following day, both musical artists will perform at the Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory Glazunov Hall in St. Petersburg.

Today, Oct. 6, the Liceo Folklorico Dance Troupe will perform for all Filipino residents in Moscow at the Metro Park Pebody.

There will be a photo exhibit of Filipino churches by photographer/travel journalist Noel San Andres.

Meet a Spanish film director

Generally, I don’t write on films but the invitations were marked “Rush” and “Urgent”. Instituto Cervantes Director Eduardo Calvo invites all cinema enthusiasts to the 11th Spanish Film Festival Oct. 4-14 at the Greenbelt 3, Cinema 2. Select and choice Spanish films will be shown through those dates.

“Grupo 7”, directed by much-awaited Alberto Rodriguez, will be shown Oct. 8 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 10 at 9:30 p.m. The famous director will hold informal discussions with the viewers after each showing.

Alberto Rodriguez Librero, as the invitation notes, was born in Sevilla in 1971. He is considered to be one of the most widely-known directors in Spain. In 2005, he directed “Siete Virgenes” which premiered in the San Sebastian Film Festival and received many positive reviews, ultimately garnering six nominations for the Goya Awards.

The discussion between Rodriguez and the movie-goers is likely to include “Grupo 7”. Here is the plot in brief: A special police force created to combat drug trafficking networks is questioned for its violent methods.

Aussie Wagnerian soprano due

To mark Wagner’s birth bicentennial, Claire Primrose, a much sought-after Wagnerian diva and Australia’s leading dramatic soprano will sing arias from Wagner’s operas accompanied by the Manila Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Russian Alexander Vikulov, the principal guest conductor of St. Petersburg Symphony State Orchestra on Nov. 10, 8 p.m. at the Philamlife Theater.

Primrose will sing arias from Tannhauser, Tristan and Isolde, Die Walkure and Die Gottendammerung.

Recipient of numerous awards, the soprano has also sung in operas by Puccini, Cherubini, Gluck, and Mozart in Athens, Austin, London, Monte Carlo, Tel Aviv, Helsinki, Valencia, Russia and Iceland. She has given recitals in Wigmore Hall, the Queen Elizabeth and Barbican Halls in London, Cologne, to name a few.