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LAHING KAYUMANGGI Listen to Music
"Lahing Kayumanggi" (literally, "Brown Race," i.e., the Malay people), 1973, is a symphonic poem that incorporates slices of thematic material from "Bahay Kubo," a popular children's folk song about the various crops grown in the countryside. In "Lahing Kayumanggi," the maestro uses the theme from "Bahay Kubo" and weaves it in and out of lushly orchestrated passages, making the music seem to allude to the nobility of the simple life. The rhythms to which the themes are set evoke a pastoral atmosphere; one might imagine a quiet afternoon in the Philippine countryside, with a sweeping view of golden rice fields and clear blue skies. The mood changes in the middle of the piece, becoming livelier and more cheerful in Allegretto Mas Eleganza, where a new theme evokes the celebratory atmosphere of the native fiesta. It then builds up and becomes more agitated in Alla Marcia, returns to peaceful mood in Tranquillo Solemne (where horns carry the theme amid fluttering strings), swells to a peak in Grandioso, and ends with subtle grandeur in Poco Piu Animato.
ANG BUAN SA KABUNDUKAN Listen to Music
"Ang Buan sa Kabundukan" (The Moon in the Mountains), 1952, is yet another masterpiece of a symphonic poem. Here, the Maestro evokes the feelings one would associate with the moon, or a moonlit sky over the mountains - its tranquil mystery, splendor and quiet majesty.
The Maestro penned the descriptions of the music directly onto the score, for instance, the piece opens with "Twilight," which is characterized by long, sustained notes (especially on the strings) with minimal movement. Later it develops into a slightly more agitated mood while retaining the mysterious air, occasionally swelling into big, thick textures that quickly dissipate into thin air, reminiscent of the first movement of Debussy's "La Mer."
Towards the middle of the piece, a light, animated section changes the mood, the "Soft, cool breeze" is introduced, and the section ends in a majestic but not overpowering way. "Clouds passing by" starts with harp arpeggios over sustained woodwinds (carrying another theme), which suggests light, translucent clouds moving across the dark sky. This is followed by "Moon in all its splendor," which portrays the night sky as grand but not consuming. Towards the end, "The face of the moon, (is) gradually covered by the dark clouds... And all was darkness."
SA DALAMPASIGAN Listen to Music
"Sa Dalampasigan" (By the Seashore) 1976 is the Maestro's ode to the endless romance — that between land and sea, sand and water — unfolding before him as he stands and sees the waves (fierce and gigantic from afar, gentle and graceful as the draw near) kissing the shore, turns to wondering if the tide erases all the traces of yesterday, and ends by expressing his own yearning to be like the vast sea that has the seashore for its lover. The music serves to enhance the text, setting the mood and expressing the maestro's longing amidst images of rolling waves and swelling water.
A symphonic poem, also known as the tone poem, is a piece of orchestral music in one movement that is written to narrate or illustrate a specific subject.
LUCIO D. SAN PEDRO'S PROFILE (1913-2002)
Maestro Lucio San Pedro is a giant in the Philippine music scene, with a wide-ranging body of works that include chamber of music, concertos for violin and orchestra, choral works, cantatas, band music, songs for solo voice, and music for violin and piano. In 1991, at the age of 78, Maestro Lucio San Pedro was conferred the title of National Artist for Music — the highest award that can be given to any Filipino Artist. It was a fitting honor to cap the bevy of awards he had already received throughout his illustrious career, among them are: Republic Cultural Heritage Award in 1962, the Tanglaw ng Lahi Award from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1982, and the Signum Meriti Award from the De la Salle University in 1983.
The Maestro and his music were firmly rooted in the small town of Angono, an idyllic setting blessed with a view of both lake and mountains. It was Angono's rustic charm — the colorful fiestas and the verdant scenery, as well as the simple nobility of its common folk — that inspired the Maestro to write his music.
Maestro San Pedro called his musical philosophy "creative nationalism," but instead of being parochial, his music is universal; it is evocative without being literal. "I do not believe that nationalism in music can be expressed solely ny literally using the materials of folk songs. The composer, rather, should squeeze from these materials the essence, style, atmosphere, and the common touch that is Filipino and express it in terms of his personality, style, and temperament."
The Maestro's skill in composing simple songs and complex orchestrations is evident in "Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan," which he composed while on his way home to Philippines aboard a ship with master lyricist Levi Celerio (who penned the words after Maestro San Pedro set down the melody). "Sa Ugoy Ng Duyan," now a classic Filipino lullaby, also forms the fourth movement of his most famous orchestral work, "Suite Pastorale," which pays tribute to his hometown to Angono. "Maestro San Pedro's orchestral works are unsurpassed for their imaginative orchestration," the music critic Antonio Hila once wrote. "The Maestro knows definitely his meat, for as by instinct he knows precisely when to use the horns, the oboe or the flute. And when the orchestra plays together (tutti), one simply marvels at the sound, the tone colors are being unraveled... but what unpretentious appeal. The Maestro writes with an unassuming heart, a heart that likewise tempers the mind. It is the feel, more than the cold technical requirements of the craft that makes his music pulsate with life. But the taste is not popular, neither the style. In his hands, these folk materials take on an impressive artistic aura as he transforms them into great symphonic music."
ANDREW FERNANDO
US based Filipino Baritnone Andrew Fernando is currently gaining international exposure in the operatic and concert scene. He is a former member of the Opera Pacific resident artist program. He participated in more than fifteen productions staged by the company. More notably as Doctor Bartolo in "Barber of Seville," Professor Bhaer in "Little Women," Marullo in "Rigoletto" and Kommissarius in "Der Rosenkavalier." The Los Angeles Times hailed him as the Young singer to watch. He is an alumnus of the world-renowned San Francisco Opera Merola Program and is the 2003 First Prize Winner of the prestigious Loren L. Zachary National Vocal Competition in the United States. He was also granted the Grand Prize in the 2004 Pasadena Opera Guild Vocal Competition.
During his stint in the Philippines, he played Marcelo in the Cultural Center of the Philippines' production of "La Boheme," Uncle Bonze in "Madame Butterfly" and as Dr. Lavander Gas in Mennoti's "Help! Help! The Globolinks!"
Mr. Fernando is an alumnus of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and the University of Santo Tomas. He has performed with Hong Kong Arts Festival as Zweiter Soldat in their 1998 productions of Salome.
He became a soloist for the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra and was featured in solo recitals at the Chicago Cultural Center, Seattle Town Hall and the Cultural Center of the Philippines. In the 2003-2004 season, he appeared as The African in Ibert's "Angelique" at the San Francisco Merola, Escamillo in "Carmen with Eugene Opera" in Oregon, soloist for The International Bamboo Organ Festival in Manila, Il Guido in "Death in Venice" and Antonio in "Il Viaggio" with Chicago Opera Theater.
His theatrical appearances for the 2004 - 2005 season include: Un Mandarino in "Turandot" with Opera Pacific, the Baritone soloist of Tippet's "A Child of Our Time" with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, Starvelling in a "Midsummer Night's Dream" with Glimpses of Asia. The following year, he appeared as the Baritone soloist of Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony" with The Los Angeles Metropolitan Symphony at the Walt Disney Hall, Sacristan in "Tosca" with Opera Pacific and the Baritone Soloist in Handel's "The Messiah" with Syrinx Concerts Orchestra in France and Count Almaviva in Mozart's "Le Nozze di Figaro" with Singapore Lyric Opera.
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