Last night, history was made. Glass ceilings were shattered. Old myths perpetuated by a male-dominated profession proven rubbish.
Dr. Beverly Shangkuan-Cheng, a home grown musical prodigy turned choral conductor extraordinaire after earning degrees from UP, Yale and the University of Michigan, conducted a philharmonic orchestra for the first time and made them sound better than they ever have.
(Then again, when one remembers that most instruments strive to sound like human voices, and that there was a time composers didn't even indicate parts if they were meant for a voice or an instrument, the success of a choral director in handling an orchestra shouldn't come as a surprise.)
Concertgoers know that the performance itself is merely the tip of the iceberg when it comes to determining a conductor's skill. Most of the concert's success is determined in rehearsal, and this being the Philippines, the stressed conductors work with very limited hours indeed.
Having experienced Beverly's masterful rehearsal technique in a previous life, I can attest to how her exactness and efficiency in determining the most essential parts that need to be cleaned in practice did indeed come out gloriously on the night itself. This demonstrates her complete mastery of the scores, which one would think is a given, but few conductors achieve. Beverly knows what measures make or break a piece, and it came out during the show.
Take the 2nd movement of Beethoven's 7th, something so famous, audience members can hum along.
With Beverly's guidance, she coaxed new depths of expressivity, new lines and phrases that made me hear a classic as if for the first time.
The repertoire choice is bold and novel, the sight of which prompted this audience member to buy tickets via Ticketworld immediately upon reading that she showcased three Filipina composers!
Marie Jocelyn Maril's very academic PYAGSAWITAN "WEDDING AND HARVEST" opened the evening with additional traditional Filipino instruments like the kulintang and the dabakan joining the orchestra, merging East and West (which is exactly what Beverly personifies) in a piece that called for nontraditional ways of playing string instruments, treating them almost like percussive instruments at times, as well as blending the musical forces on hand in a glorious display of interlocking melodies and rhythms. It's always a brave move to include a "composition major" piece meant for the odd intellectual in the audience, and Beverly rightly began with this one as it certainly demanded all of our focus, though this always risks alienating the majority.
Lucrecia Kasilag's FESTIVAL was naturally a joyful, noisy affair with eruptions of "Uy!" shouted by the instrumentalists. Melodious and sparkling, it was too bad it was extremely short! Thankfully it was played twice, as the audience clapped so long in the end, they played it as an encore, too.
The hidden gem that reminded me of the joy of live concerts is Denise Santos' THE LIGHT OF EXTREME DARKNESS. She previously worked with Hans Zimmer's studio and the great maestro's influence could be heard in the haunting five note motif, playing over and over again with added layers building up to a sonorous intensity that, to quote my companion, "made my soul leave my body." THIS is why we go to concerts! THIS is what Spotify cannot even approximate. We discover new favorites, and I hope Denise Santos' work is included in more programs locally because THAT WAS SERIOUSLY ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE!! To think that it was meant to be "existential and philosophically musings throughout the pandemic."
Ralph Vaughan Williams' SERENADE TO MUSIC came next, with sixteen of the brightest stars in the classical vocal scene gracing the stage without microphones. This audience member was moved by the degree of trust Beverly placed in the singers, choosing them to be placed foremost, sacrificing her ability to cue them so they could be more clearly heard. Then again, when one realizes who's singing, one recognizes that the complete faith of the conductor in these particular singers is justified. Of these sixteen, soprano Bianca Lopez-Aguila and tenor Ervin Lumauag stood out last night for the power and beauty of their tones, being heard two storeys above the stage, as all vocalists alternated lines from Shakespeare's HOW SWEET THE MOONLIGHT. This marks the second time I have heard this text set to music, as Jocelyn Pook also wrote a song wonderfully interpreted by Andreas Scholl. Having only heard a solo interpretation, I was more deeply moved by the ensemble singing in unison at times, then making way to let their different vocal gifts shimmer through the air.
Surprisingly, the Beethoven was a mixed bag. The first movement seemed a bit weighty, as if there had been lack of rehearsal or sense of ensemble. But the second was glorious. Ah! The second movement! I have no words. The third and fourth movements were expertly led, with Beverly at times seeming to jump in that flaming red gown that made her every gesture a joy to behold.
Forget TAR and Cate Blanchett. What is the use of a fictional female conductor when we have the real thing with us?
The CCP should know that they have a gem already in Philippine shores. They have been auditioning several foreign composers these past months, and honestly I have to ask... why? When we have a glorious conductor like Beverly already here?!?!!?
Sometimes, the best man for the job is... a woman.
Perhaps my favorite memory from last night was witnessing a little boy happily waving his arms, imitating the female conductor onstage, moved by the beautiful sound of Beethoven.
Perhaps last night, a musical destiny has been forged. And perhaps, musical history.
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