Opera hits a high note

MANILA, Philippines - After a long  aficionados cry “too long!”  dormancy, the opera scene in Manila bursts forth with life this year with not one, not even two, but three productions, all at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Kicking off the opera frenzy is “La Traviata” on March 2, 3 and 4, in a unique joint production among the Cultural Center, the Opera Guild Foundation of the Philippines, and the Daejeon Opera Company of Korea.

La Traviata, which literally means "The Fallen Woman," is an Italian opera in three acts composed by Giuseppe Verdi and set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. Following the story of a beautiful but doomed prostitute, the opera is best remembered for the widely performed “Libiamo ne’lieti calici” (The Drinking Song), “Addio Passato” and “Sempre Libera.”

La Traviata will be a grand musical experience for Manila audiences as Korea’s opera luminaries and the country's leading vocalists take center stage. The three lead roles of Violetta, Germont and Alfredo will have two casts – the Korean cast led by multi-awarded soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi, baritone Dae-San No and tenor Jae-Wook Lee, and the Filipino cast led by acclaimed soprano Rachelle Gerodias, bass baritone Andrew Fernando, and tenor Arthur Espiritu.

Rachelle Gerodias

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO), under the baton of Korean conductor Jae-Joon Lee, will provide live orchestral music, while the internationally awarded UST Singers will render choral support. Floy Quintos will direct the production with set and costume design by Eric Cruz.  

CCP president Raul Sunico is delighted to have the Italian opera make its mark in the local opera scene. “We always considered opera as the most complete form of musical production, because it combines singing, acting, musicians, sets, costumes,” he explains, “and opera here hasn’t been active for some time.”

Sunico, a highly-acclaimed concert pianist, believes that many people want opera to be alive again in the Philippines. "It gives our local artists, especially voice people, the opportunity to appear in other operas because all these vocal artists sing arias, and they have never been part of a real full-length production of which arias are part and parcel. For our community, it’s a chance for them to be exposed and to fully appreciate the opera."

Yun-Kyoung Yi

Preparations for the project are in high gear. “We are having the sets done here,” Sunico adds. “The costumes will be something close to a formal setting, not necessarily traditional, since traditional costumes are expensive.”

But, he clarifies, “we will be faithful to the score, both the orchestration, and the singing.”

Korean conductor Lee has fond words for the Filipino artists. “I can see the Filipinos’ passion to play music,” he says. “I’d rather work with Filipino musicians because they love listening, and they understand every phrase of what I’m trying to explain. Filipino musicians absorb what I’m saying exactly, and they improve. I’m so impressed.”

Lee adds, “I think in the near future the Filipinos will be the best musicians all over the world.”

Jae-Wook Lee

The title role of Violetta will be performed by Korean soprano Yun-Kyoung Yi and Filipino soprano Rachelle Gerodias.

Yi is a 2nd prize winner of the Bellini International Voice Competition in Italy, she has performed the lead parts in “La Traviata,” “Lucia di Lammermoor,” “Rigoletto,” and “La Boheme,” among others. She is currently a visiting professor at her alma mater Keimyung University.

“She's an awesome and extraordinary soprano,” Lee proudly says of his fellow countryman. “I think the audiences will be enthralled by her performance.”

Gerodias is one of the Philippines’ most awarded sopranos. She received her Master’s Degree in Vocal Performance and Vocal Literature from the famed Eastman School of Music in New York. She made her European debut in the role of Liu in Puccini’s “Turandot” at the Volskoper Wien in Vienna, Austria.

Dae-San No

For the role of Germont, Korean baritone Daesan No and Filipino bass baritone Andrew Fernando are set to ignite the stage. No’s opera credits include the title role in “Falstaff” and “Rigoletto.” He has won numerous awards, including the Placido Domingo Fellowship Award at the Academy of Vocal Arts.

Fernando is an Opera Pacific Resident Artist for which he has sung many roles, including Friedrich Bhaer in “Little Women”, Marullo in “Rigoletto”, Masetto in “Don Giovanni.”

Korean tenor Jae-Wook Lee and Filipino-American tenor Arthur Espiritu take on the role of Alfredo. Lee has performed in various concerts all over the world, including the Philippines, and is an award winning singer, having bagged top prizes in the Montserrat Cabelle, Rosetum and Nino Carta international vocal competitions.

Espiritu is the winner of the 2009 George London Award and the La Scala Award. He makes a much-anticipated debut on the CCP stage with this production.

Arthur Espiritu

Sunico hopes the event will serve as a boost for tourism as well. “Operas are few and far between,” he says, “and one of the reasons why there are so few operas in the Philippines is, first of all, because of the expense involved in the production. Secondly, sometimes we don’t have enough artists to fill the roles, and thirdly, the logistics of the production are formidable since there are many people that are involved. Fourthly, it’s because opera is a relatively unknown art form in the Philippines. We would like this to be a promotion also for the people to be exposed and to appreciate opera.”

With productions of “Madame Butterfly” in June and “Barber of Seville” in July, opera will most likely gain a vigorous following in Manila. 

For information on La Traviata and other productions, call the CCP Box Office at 832-3704 or 832-1125 loc. 1409.

Andrew Fernando