You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?

There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!

Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!


Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!

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Showing posts with label Performing Arts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Performing Arts. Show all posts

Monday, March 16, 2015

Amadis Ma. Guerro: Erotic Productions, Anniversary Dances and a Major Recital

REPORT CARD ON THE PERFORMING ARTS


By: Amadis Ma. Guerro, Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—As part of its Drama-in-Education Program, St. Scholastica’s College Manila (SSC) has been staging since 1990 Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with its magical atmosphere, mortals, immortals, fairies, love potions and quarreling quartet of lovers.

This year it restaged the popular play to celebrate 25 years of presenting it. And what a major production it was! There was a large cast of children and young adults, felt performances, lavish sets and costumes, and special effects.

What also made the production special was the fact that many who appeared in the play ten years ago as students now acted in the play as young adults.

Kudos to the school’s Grade School Unit and the SSC Children and Teachers Theater; Divine David, head of the directorial team; and director emeritus Naty Crame Rogers, PhilStage Gawad Buhay! awardee and a high school alumna of St. Scholastica.

It was ingenious to bring opera—well, opera arias and duets—to audiences in the form of a storyline stringing together works by Mozart and Verdi (“Seasons of Desire” at Abelardo Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman). The performers were soprano Elaine Lee, tenor Ivan Nery and baritone Lawrence Jatayma, with Dingdong Fiel at the piano. The narrators (Jacqui Amper and Ruth Alferez) were even bilingual. The Valentine show was directed by multitalented Nazer Salcedo.

For adults only

Rody Vera’s “Bilanggo ng Pagibig” was a powerful for-adults-only play (Dulaang UP, Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater), directed with vivid imagery by Jose Estrella. It was inspired by “Prisoner of Love,” the memoirs of Jean Genet: inmate, thief, male prostitute, homosexual and celebrated French novelist-playwright.

The play highlighted events in Genet’s life, notably his support of the Palestinian struggle against Israel. Ensemble acting was compelling, with a clutch of hunky, handsome young actors playing Genet’s lovers, including a circus acrobat (Paul Cedrick Juan), a race car driver (JC Santos) and Palestinian revolutionaries (Ybes Bagadiong and Io Balanon).

Vera and director Loy Arcenas are at it again.

After having transplanted Anton Chekhov’s “Three Sisters” (“Tres Marias”) to the Ilocos, they have now adapted Chekhov’s “Cherry Orchard” to the Visayas (“Arbol de Fuego” at the Peta Theater Center, Quezon City).

Agrarian Russia in the late 19th century became semifeudal Negros in the l970s, during martial law, when the price of sugar fell and the sugar barons faced ruin. The production was riveting, the cast headed by the luminous Cherie Gil as the Señora. It was like watching an original Filipino play, with class-war overtones.

Hacienda Carmen at the end was sold, and the flame trees (los arboles de fuego), Chekhov’s cherry orchard, were destroyed.

It’s the season for adapting foreign classics to Filipino settings. This time, Elmer Gatchalian set the French novel “Les Liaisons Dangereuses” in Manila on the eve of the 1896 revolution, with references to “insurectos” (“Juego de Peligro,” directed by Tuxqs Rutaquio with his flair for eroticism).

They may not always have been convincing as snooty Spaniards, but the cast was outstanding, with knockout performances by Shamaine Centenera as the evil Señora (Glenn Close in the film version) and Arnold Reyes as the seducer Vicente.

It was another for-adults-only play.

Ballet Manila celebrated its 20th anniversary with a heady mélange of classical and contemporary works (Aliw Theater, Pasay City). Soloists Abigail Oliveiro and Brian Williamson stood out in Marius Petia’s “Paquita.” Striking was “Bloom” by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Belgian-Colombian choreographer, which focused on Asian rituals of prayer approximating the formation of petals.

“Ecole,” by Osias Barroso, a tribute to the demands of classical ballet, started with the dancers limbering up as if in rehearsal. Then the pace became faster, the performers increased in number until they filled the stage, the music by Czerny rose to a crescendo, and the audience during the matinee—mostly students—erupted in applause.

New music

Composer-conductor Chino Toledo, the apostle of modern music, strikes again.

In a recent concert at the Unilab Compound in Pasig City, in celebration of the Metro Manila Concert Orchestra (MMCO), Toledo presented works by four new composers: Jimuel Dave Dagta, Jourdann Petalver, Timothy Kyle Siaton and Jem Robert Talaroc.

This brought to 33 the original works produced by the MMCO under its pioneering program Music UnderKonstruction.

The evening was capped by the premiere of a major work by composer Alfredo Buenaventura, “Maharlika,” commissioned by the MMCO through the heirs of Vicente Rufino and dedicated to the late cultural organizer Conchita Sunico.

The recital of Romanian soprano Nelly Miricioiu at the Meralco Theater was a triumph. The audience was impressed by her still-powerful voice and her emoting, as she interpreted art songs and arias by Verdi, Rossini, Respighi, Chausson, Puccini and Bellini, with gestures and expressions suited to each composition. But they were simply bowled over by her heartfelt rendition of three iconic Filipino songs: Velez’s “Sa Kabukiran,” Abelardo’s “Mutya ng Pasig” and the Visayan folk melody “Ay, Kalisud.”

Miricioiu was accompanied by the always excellent collaborating artist Najib Ismail. Translations into English of the lyrics on the screen helped in appreciating the repertoire.


Monday, November 29, 2010

Unsung Philippino Heroes

While staying in Manila again last week, I came across a wonderful write up of Pablo A. Tariman in the 'Philippine Daily Inquirer' about unsung heroes in the performing arts. I strongly agree with him. Of course, Manny Pacquiao, with a reputation as one of the greatest boxers ever, without difficulties named with the same breath nowadays with Dr. Jose Rizal seem to be Philippine national heroes. 

Pablo A. Tariman mentioned also Efren Penaflorida, who made the pushcart his classroom to help children get basic education. For his selfless dedication he was named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. Congratulations again!

I love classical music. I was blessed being able to host a classical music radio show for several years in the Philippines. During that time I always tried to add classical music elements performed by Philippine artists in my show. Not easy sometimes - but with the help of several record companies I got successful.

During that time I also learned a lot about these unsung heroes, Tariman also mentioned in his article.

Iloilo-born Filipino tenor Otoniel Gonzaga, i.e., who has reaped audience adulation in Vienna as Calaf in Guiseppe Verdi's "Turandot" or as Bacchus in Richard Strauss' opera "Ariadne auf (on) Naxos". Imagine, he remains the only Filipino tenor who has sung the Verdi opera "Otello".

Another Filipino opera singer, Arthur Espiritu, made history by becoming the first Filipino tenor to make it to "La Scala di Milan" (the Mandalay Stadium of Opera). 

Recently, as one could learn from Tariman, Lea Salonga was again the toast of england and millions of TV viewers when she sang in the 25th-anniversary concert of "Les Miserables" in London, where she was the first Filipina to sing the lead part of that musical, by the way, one of my favourites and requested in almost all radio shows of mine. 

Or, let me mention Cecile Licad. After her triumphs in several continents, she again made waves in Michigan and Germany with her 'Chopin No. 1'. Again, imagine my dear readers, she's now heading for Russia where she will become the first soloist of the Russian state orchestra. New York Times critic Harris Goldsmith says she's among the world's greatest pianists. Wow, wow, wow...!

It's really a never ending list. Allow me to quote Pablo Tariman again, because he so very, very well right in his article:

"This is good an occasion for us to refelct on the plight of artists who have no millions in pre-formance contract and who have to make do with modest fees compared to the million of dollars earned by champs and other athletes. So, while basking in the glory of Pacquiao, Filipinos should remember that the world also needs performing arts heroes and heroines who can provide truly inspiring anthems of the spirit."