MANILA, Philippines - Most every other launch these days is heralded by a blare of noise and fanfare. It?s become the standard for events , that every other product being introduced in the market must come with copious and inescapable branding, smiling image models and a dose of information overload. Directors, like myself, who do events have learned to transform these ingredients into what I like to call the ?Ta-dah? formula where everything is staged so that the product is revealed with as much pomp and ceremony as a deity descending among awe-struck mortals. Well, one thing I can say, it may be a tired formula but it works. Clients are happy. But deep inside me, after most every launch, I doubt if the crowd has gone home with very much in terms of impression or recollection...

Which is why Ayala Land Premier?s launch for Abrio, the crown jewel in its Nuvali development in Canlubang, struck me as an atypical project. The event was envisioned as a thank you-party for those who had very quietly bought into Phase 1 of the property. Ecologically-balanced, well-planned, private and secure, Abrio was only the very latest manifestation of a philosophy that Ayala Land has honed through many landmark developments. A philosophy that places a premium on the luxury of privacy, the elegance of open space, the wealth of nature, and the simple yet incalculable worth of the individual and the family.

The directions for the event were simple and clear. Artists were to shine that February evening at the Manila Peninsula?s Rigodon Ballroom. Their own quiet meditations on sound and space, their interactions with each other would be their invitation to the audience to enter and experience the quiet luxury that Abrio stood for. Each would interpret the concept of Abrio through their own quiet introspection.

As far as the line-up of artists went, this was a stellar group. Violinist Coke Bolipata, dancer Myra Beltran, The Philippine Opera Company?s Jack Salud and a winsome trio of young sopranos called The Opera Belles were allowed the artistic freedom to choose pieces from their repertoire that best expressed their feelings about space, sound, movement and the creative process. Serving as a cryptically elegant inspiration were photographs of an installation done by architect Lor Calma, who created a whimsical sculpture from bamboo branches in situ by a breek in the Abrio property. A quonset hut? An intimation of what could rise? An eloquent testimonial to the human spirit? Calma?s installation was all that, and more, to these artists.

The event itself was luxurious in the spare, calm atmosphere that is the essence of true luxe. Fernando Zobel de Ayala opened the show with words of thanks to the audience that had gathered and hinted that the selections for the evening would give them the atmosphere of Abrio better than any kind of hype would.

Then, Bolipata and Beltran opened with a piano-and-violin selection from Spiegel that, given any other event, would have been a major risk.. Launch crowds are used to spectacle and visual bombast, but this number, with Myra dancing alone on the stage for a good seven minutes was hypnotic and serene. Lit only by the palest of washes, against an all white backdrop, Myra seemed to combine both stillness and movement as she explored the empty space around her accompanied by Coke?s haunting violin.

Then, the artists of the Philippine Opera Company were revealed. Jack Salud stood, with his back to ththe audience, gazing out onto a framed image of e Abrio landscape, before turning to the audience to sing Ennio Morricone?s ?Nella Fantasia.? The Opera Belles, costumed as modern wood nymphs then sang a techno-version of Puccini?s ?Vissi?D?arte.? Myra and Coke returned for Astor Piazola?s ?Grand Tango.? Finally, to Stravinsky?s ?Firebird,? a set of drawings by Lor Calma were flashed on the screens.

A difficult repertoire, even for the most cultured. But somehow, that evening in February, with very few words spoken, an entire atmosphere was conveyed, an idea was visualized, an overwhelming sense of calm and serenity was enjoyed by the audience. Abrio had been communicated in a way that best suited the philosophy that it embodied. No hard-sell, no big bang, no showers of confetti. Just a sense of privilege. The Privilege to see the work of these artists, the privilege to have become a part of a community that would honour the principles that these artists had just expressed so eloquently. And the crowd expressed their thanks for the privilege of being there, by clamoring for more.

In the beginning , all those involved in the project were worried that the low-key approach would be too new for the audience. We should have trusted the concept better. Abrio is all about what the French would call Luxe, Calme et Volupte. A single graceful movement, a note sustained in the air, a voice rising above the silence , a drawing, an image ?these were all we really needed.

Two months after the project was finished, I still look back at that evening and one word comes to mind: Refreshing.