Cebu Cebu
Santamaria and Reyes concert wows Cebu mall audiences
By Jaime Picornell
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 09:06:00 08/24/2008
Filed Under: People, Culture (general)
MANILA, Philippines - SM City Cebu's Northwing overflowed with an appreciative crowd on the evening Ingrid Sala Santamaria and Reynaldo Reyes performed on two pianos, a delightful program of the Romantic Era (1800-1900). Their entrance to the concert area was greeted with enthusiastic applause.
Ingrid wore a figure-hugging terno of silver lace and sky blue chiffon. Reynaldo also wore blue, his barong sprinkled with a bit of glitter. Both outfits bore the signature of Pitoy Moreno.
They greeted some of their friends and relations on front row like SM Cebu's Marissa Fernan who organized the event splendidly, the Honorary Consul of Sweden Jose Sala and his wife Susan, Rosebud Sala, Teresin Mendezona, Lisa Estenzo Torres, Anita Cabahug, Trasmonte, Dante and Gloria Ramos, Sue Gray and Amelia "Mem" Castillo La O.
Mem said she admired Ingrid and Reynaldo's stamina. That morning she had attended a similar concert at the clubhouse of Santo Niño Village. It was sponsored by Victorino and Pilar Cusi. "It was a different program," said Mem, adding, "And so I'm here again."
The concert was part of the 16th Romantic Piano Concert Tour that is currently taking Ingrid and Reynaldo through cities, remote areas, and what-have-you all over Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao. They've been at it since 2001, twice a year, and they say they'll continue doing it for as long as they can.
"These are classical concert performances which are also educational undertakings," said Reynaldo in a talk that preceded the event. "We explain what we play, and after the concert, you may ask questions," he told the audience.
"We must remember the importance of classical music in our lives. Classical music is not just for the elite, but for everyone," he stressed. "It is there, here, for the taking. Did you know that more brain cells are produced when you listen to classical music? I'll tell you more."
Musical insights
He then proceeded to give some interesting insights into musical terms. Centuries back the piano was called pianoforte, and in some places it still is. Piano means soft, and forte means loud (or strong). When played the instrument can be both, alternately.
Concerto is a Latin term from the word "concertare" which means "to fight, or to contend." Later, in the Italian language it came to mean the opposite as in "to agree, or to cooperate." Listen to classical music and observe that the sounds may sometimes seem to fight each other, but most of the time, they harmonize.
With that, Ingrid and Reynaldo mounted the dais and took their places to play Camille Saint-Saens Concerto No. 2 in g minor, Op. 22. In this work, the composer displayed all his qualities: skillful workmanship, clear texture and invariable effectiveness.
Next came Concerto No. 1 in g minor Op. 25 by Felix Mendelssohn. It has all his virtues: idiomatic piano writing with tender technical variety, mastery of design and expert scoring. The three movements were played without interruption.
Filipino music is always a part of Ingrid and Reynaldo's repertory. She performed solo Buencamino's "Mayon," while Reynaldo played Santiago's "Souvenir de Filipinas," solo also.
The finale was Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a theme by Paganini. Liszt and Brahms had previously done similar works. It is a piece for piano virtuosos. The 17th variation, which comes 12 minutes after the piece's start, is immediately recognizable. It was the theme of the movie "Somewhere in Time," and more recently of the Filipino TV series, "Gulong ng Palad."
After the concert, Reynaldo answered questions from the audience. He said we are born with 100 million brain cells which we don't all use. Mathematics activates them. Listening to classical music does the same. So what is classical music? Reynaldo said it is music that endures no matter how long ago it was composed.
Ingrid also addressed the audience, to tell them that 21 of their concerts of the past eight years may be seen and heard on YouTube. Just look for Ingrid Sala Santamaria.
The last words to the attentive audience, no matter if the mall's resonance was ponderous, came from Marissa Fernan. She thanked one and all for their presence and said there'll be more of the same in the future. There was resounding applause to that.
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