MANILA, Philippines - The last time soprano Eleanor Calbes was heard in Manila was two years ago, at Philamlife Theater with President Macapagal-Arroyo in the audience. She was given a standing ovation worthy of a balikbayan.

She repeated the feat in her native Cagayan where music-lovers in Tuguegarao City and Aparri (where she was born) witnessed what it took to be a world-class singer.

The first time La Calbes was heard as soloist of the Toronto Symphony, a Canadian critic noted : ?One cannot recall anyone singing Strauss?s ?Voices of Spring? with such carefree abandon and vocal ease, which is what Eleanor Calbes gave us.?

When she hit Broadway in the early 70s, her Liat in ?South Pacific? was called ?endearing? and her Tuptim in ?The King and I? was ?a vocal event.?

As far as I know, she was the only Filipino singer to have been chosen by Richard Rodgers (of the Rodgers-and-Hammerstein fame) to sing in one of his famous musicals. And with Lea Salonga, Otoniel Gonzaga and Cecile Licad, La Calbes has sung for royalties like Britain?s Prince Phillip. She was also one of the first Filipino music celebrities to guest on ?Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.?

A long-time resident of Canada, where she had performed in operas, directed musicals and where she continues to teach young singers, Calbes is one of the last great Filipino divas in the league of Conchita Gaston, Dalisay Aldaba and Evelyn Mandac. Her gorgeous voice is immortalized in a Canada-made CD, ?My Journey in Song,? with pianist Eldon McBride as assisting artist.

There are 22 songs?Filipino songs, opera and art songs. It opens and concludes with sacred songs.

There is unusual fervor and sense of piety in her rendition of Malotte?s ?Our Father? and Gounod?s ?Ave Maria.?

Her ?Pakiusap? (by Santiago) and ?Bayan Ko? (by Constancio de Guzman) are sure to stir patriotic moments. There?s fun and humor as she interprets Philippine folksongs like ?Ti Ayat ti Meysa nga Ubing,? and then she shifts back to melancholy as she sings ?Dandansoy.?

As far as this voice connoisseur is concerned, the crowning glory of Calbes on this CD are Strauss?s ?Kling? and ?Breit Uber Mein Haupt? and Korngold?s ?Marietta?s Lied.? You don?t know what cantabile and legato lines are in vocal art until you hear her in these entries.

The voice soars without effort and stays midway with even more breathtaking effect?it?s in the way she caresses words and music that makes the great difference.

Another song to marvel at on this CD is her rendition of Gerswhin?s ?Summertime? (from ?Porgy and Bess?). The last few measures are sheer vocal magic and it leaves you with great desire to watch the entire Gerswhin opera.

Calbes shares a duet with her sister, Delicia Calbes Asimont, in Santiago?s ?Sakali Man,? and, with her student Shayamala Krishnan, in Franck?s ?Panis Angelicus.?

For those who want to know the vocal odyssey of Eleanor Calbes, her CD is the perfect answer. Call 0906-5104270.

Licad wows Tucson

After her well-received Rach 2 in Germany, pianist Cecile Licad is back in the US for more engagements. She wowed Arizona music-lovers with her performance with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra (TSO) the other Thursday, of Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 2.

Critic Cathalena Burch of the Arizona Daily Star described Licad?s performance as ?flawless, stunningly expressive, virtuosic to degrees that boggle the mind. This pianist took our breath away.

?The audience at Thursday?s Tucson Symphony Orchestra concert was not alone. The musicians were just as awe-struck, watching the Philippine-born pianist with the wonderment you imagine from a child seeing a giraffe for the first time. This is, indeed, high praise because we have seen more than our share of extraordinary pianists on stage with the TSO. But none in recent memory caused quite the stir Licad, who last played with the orchestra in 1989, did.

?Much of the excitement came from the piece she played, Saint-Saens? Piano Concerto No. 2. It is a weighty, virtuosic behemoth that casts the orchestra as accompanist to the pianist.?

The 46-year-old Licad, outfitted in a red gown, set the tone from the opening notes. Her gestures were grand but not grandiose. Her play was expressive but never boastful. She allowed herself balletic hand gestures and a few dramatic head tilts, but she never lost sight of the audience loosely filling the hall. Licad deftly countered her muscular introduction in the first movement with a poetic grace as the piece moved to the main theme.

?When Licad finished playing, the audience bolted to its feet; most were standing before Licad had a chance to rise from the bench with shouts of ?Bravo!? and ?Yeah!? A few fans even whistled, which is a rare response at a symphony concert.?

Feedback to Zaens? CD

We have good feedbacks from the first buyers of Jonathan Zaens?s ?Kundiman?Philippine Art Songs.? Imelda Lim of Ortigas Center described it as ?awesome? and Rose Abreu and Dr. Tony Lorenzo called it ?simply beautiful.?

Columnist and baritone Nestor Mata said: ?It?s a fresh musical experience hearing kundiman by Zaens with an uncommonly rich and smooth voice.?

For those who missed the launch of the CD of baritone Zaens and pianist Abelardo Galang, copies of the CD are available at FullyBooked bookstores.