Three concerts in a week... and more

Last week was one of the most musically exhausting, and this week is contending for the position.

On Monday last week, I bought a P300 worth of ticket for "3K: Tatlong Kompositor," only to find out after that my schoolmates hoarded a number of unused compli tickets - so much for waste of money. But I was really eager to watch that concert in PhilamLife Theatre because my choral arranging teacher, Dr. Buenaventura, was there and I wanted to find out if he really is "magaling" as what he is always boasting in our class. And indeed, his compositions were outstanding that night. It would have been a very fulfilling event if not for the 3-hour ordeal of listening to "other" different compositions, including a 30-minute yoga-ish meditation music with 3 movements (one movement was ecstatic, but three is literally mind-blowing) and a Katipunan-ish yelling performed through a play with bolo and such, much like a sarzuela excerpt of the Pugad Lawin. It was the first time that I walked out of a concert hall delirious, as if I had bottles of Red Horse grande in a bar. Hunger might be a factor, but the music definitely caused it.

Just when I had enough of weird music, I watched another concert at the CCP the night after. It was the 40th anniversary celebration of the CCP Foundation, so Imelda and "friends" were there (forgive my repetitive quoting). The first part was very good, Mahler performed by PPO under Yatco, except for the loud dripping of rainwater somewhere. Imagine, may butas ang bubong ng Nicanor Abelardo Hall, CCP's main theatre. Then the intermission was disturbed by Cayabyab's three-piano "plak-plak ching" contemporary music composition. My professor made a scene by approaching the poor performers and somewhat scolding them, a typical reaction of purists ;-). And when we came back for the second half, we were stuffed with other Ryan Cayabyab's music medleys, one with multi-dance numbers and the other with multi-genre singers, including Piolo Pascual as the special guest artist. The dances were okay, but the other one, the one with a Piolo Pascual, wasn't palatable. My professor commented that there was a murder in CCP, "Pucchini was murdered!", she said, referring to the medley where classical music (including Pucchini's La Boheme and Madame Butterfly) was tampered with pop-ista music (OPM's, rock music, etc.). The intent was good, but the outcome was unaccepted by critics. However, in all fairness, I wasn't sick when I got out of CCP.

On Thursday, I went to UP Diliman and looked for the College of Music after attending a frustrating session in choral arranging class. There, I watched UP Voice Ensemble and Santa Isabel College Singers fund-raising concert. It was good, to say the least. But I feel bad for my schoolmates who work so hard in that combo chorale, but not given much credit for it, not to mention working too hard but not effectively promoting the school (Santa Isabel, not UP). But again, it was okay.

I was supposed to watch CCP's "Seven Arts, One Imelda" on the Friday of that week, if only I had compli tickets but sadly, we ran out of luck. I heard that some protest about CCP giving Imelda a tribute, after all what the Marcoses had done to the country. But as what they say, despite of Imelda's dark background, she still is the founder of CCP, with all the thrust of promoting beauty and culture. And at least, Imelda patronized true artists, unlike now where anyone who did some art and is close to "the queen" can be a National Artist.

This week is different. The toxicity comes from the fiesta in the school - playing violin for mass here and there as the whole music department was obliged to serve the whole time. But now I'm benign, as what doctors say.

Dip me more in the drama, tragedy and politics of classical music, like what happened last week, and I might, just might, be more interested in getting a BM degree instead of finishing my MS.

Kidding.