Filipino songs in concert halls

Title

Identifier

Recognition

Language

English

Source

The Republic (No. 19) 28 July 1973

Year

1973

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

1 he <Arts YEVTUSHENKO’S ‘SHOW* ‘A poet’s biography as spectacle’ Yevgeny Yevtushenko: Fiery and eloquent voice of young Russia Poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko, first c the Soviet “young lions” to speak on for literary freedom during the posi Stalin era, is still, after almost tw decades, the eloquent voice of youn Russia. The fiery Yevtushenko abhoi silence, just like fellow-Russian Maxii Gorki who once declared “Let ther be an outcry, let there be abuse, k there be confusion; anything rathe than silence, dead, icy silence.” In his continuing battle againf dead, icy silence, Yevtushenko ha revived the Russian tradition c poetry as protest, a tradition whic began with Alexander Blok and whic reached its agitated peak in th rentings of Mayakovsky. In the early 1950s, as leader of modernist movement of protestin youth, Yevtushenko read his poetr; anywhere and everywhere in th Soviet Union. During the past decade Yevtushenko has held public recita tions of his poetry (he calls ther “poetry concerts”) in other countrie as well. Since 1960, he has heli poetry concerts in 49 countries an< has been wildly acclaimed in all Yevtushenko’s eloquence is such tha audiences get frenzied just listening t< him. Last July 16, Filipino esthetes wen afforded the opportunity to see an< hear Yevtushenko in a poetry concer at the Cultural Center. For a full hou and a half, the audience, whicl included the First Lady, Mrs. Imeldi Marcos, sat mesmerized by the mys tique of one man—poet Yevgenj Yevtushenko. The concert began with the poem “I Fell Out of Love With You,” whicl was read in its English translation bj award-winning Filipino poet, Rolandc Tinio. (The evening’s program callee for the recitation of Yevtushenko’s poems in English, then in Russian.^ Tinio, thin, wiry, looking very much like the university professor that he is read the poems Incantations, Stolen JApples~and People as though they RECOGNITION Filipino songs in concert halls The Filipino song, it is generally conceded, has come into its own as concert hall music and much of the credit belongs to baritone Aurelio Estanislao. He has been called the “champion of Filipino song” — and rightly so. Estanislao has always believed that the Filipino song de serves more attention and recognition. In this connection, he has seized every opportunity to sing Filipino compo sitions. Back in 1956, fresh from the Conservatoire National du Musique de Paris (where he finished with a Premier Prix du chant) and the Mozarteum Academy of Music in Salzburg, Estanislao insisted on sing ing an all-Filipino program, “Himig ng Pag-ibig.” Presently, he is the main stay of the award-winning “Aawitan Kita,” the Pilipino musical program shown weekly on television. Last July 17, Aurelio Estanislao held a solo recital, “Awitan” (from the Pilipino word awit, meaning song) of Tagalog songs at the Phil-Am Life auditorium on United Nations Ave nue. Assisted by Professor Regalado Jose, Estanislao sang the old familiar kundimans (love songs) of Nicanor Abelardo, the new songs of Rodolfo de Leon and the avant-garde compo sition of Ramon P. Santos, Tagulaylay. Estanislao sang the songs with an artist’s sensitivity to the demands of the Filipino language. Pilipino, he has declared in an interview (Woman’s, July 26) is an affectionate language and so the tone of its songs must be endearing. The Filipino song is inti mate, full of feeling — the Pilipino word for it is malambing — and does not lend itself well to “vibrato.” Estanislao is also ever-aware of the fact that song has its roots in poetry which is why he insists on bringing out the right stresses in the lyrics. This insistence on fidelity to the character and nuances of language has earned him as much brickbats as praises. Some critics have accused him of taking liberties with the phrasing of the songs. Estanislao defends his obsession with diction by pointing out that some composers, even emi nent ones, are not always careful to fit the notes to the accents within the words. He adds, rather wryly, that the taking of these “liberties” is his prerogative as interpreter. As interpreter, Estanislao has not fallen into the common pitfail of European-trained Filipino singers — that of applying European opera techniques to the local musical stage. At Tuesday night’s Awitan, Estanislao’s renditions were devoid of the histrionics usually associated with Italian and German opera. This is not to say that Estanislao sang without feeling. He sang the Pilipino songs with all the lambing of a lover serenading his beloved — which was quite fitting since most of the songs in the repertoire were addressed to the fair sex. Aurelio Estanislao is the country’s sole exponent of the French chanson and the German lieder and, as someone has observed, he sings French songs like a Frenchman and German songs like a German. Perhaps Estanislao’s real talent lies in being able to accord a song with the feeling and quality of the language in which it was written. This particular kind of virtuosity is what has earned him the role of soloist in the Ritterssaal and Mirabell series of the Salzburg festival. He has participated in various other musical festivals both in Europe and the United States and has recorded for the leading record companies on the continent. For these and many more outstanding achievements, Estanislao has won the honor of being the first TOYM (Ten Outstanding Young Men) awardee in music. Estanislao: A champion 28 July 1973 THE REPUBLIC

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