(Photo credits: The Philippine Opera company at http://www.philippineoperacompany.com)
(Foreword: Forgive me if I am redundant in my use of adjectives, but there are only so many ways one can describe something that is magnificent, sublime, exquisite and down right HISTORIC!)
If there is one show that all Filipinos should be MANDATED by government to watch (will that be ever possible? hehe), it's definitely HARANA.
A feast for the ears:
HARANA featured the impressive vocal talents of sopranos Ma. Florence Aguilar-Barquez, Marya Eliza Deeda Barretto, Ana Feleo (also the Producer), and Karla Patricia Gutierrez (who is also POC's Artistic/Managing Director). Tenor Sherwin Sozon and baritone Miguel Castro also gave solid performances but the male singer who stood out that evening was Lawrence A. Jatayna, whose beautiful baritone voice and solid technique made audience members go: "Josh Groban WHO??!" :)
HARANA featured five different "suites," with songs as follows:
The Igorot Suite (Dumbele, In Salidumay, Ay ay Salidumay)
The Maria Clara Suite (Bituing Marikit, Sampaguita, Dahil Sa Isang Bulaklak, Pamaypay ng Maynila, Iyo Kailan Pa Man)
The Rural Suite (Ano Kaya ang Kapalaran, Ang Maya, Ibong Kakanta-kanta, Kalesa)
The Muslim Suite (Asik -- performed by Ina Feleo, Mamayog Akun, Dayo Dayo Kupita, Pokpok Alimpako, Dayang Dayang)
The Folk Suite (Waray Waray, Kung Ako'y Mag-aasawa, Sa Kabukiran, Rosas Pandan, Manang Biday, Atin Cu Pung Singsing, Sarumbanggi, Pobreng Alindahaw, Sa Libis Ng Nayon)
The Contemporary Suite (Saan Ka Man Naroroon, Hindi Kita Malimot, Bato Sa Buhangin, Anak, Nais Ko, Bayan Ko)
It's dificult to pinpoint which number was the best since the whole concert was so polished, and the performers well-prepared! But the highlight of the evening (for me ) was Ina Feleo's Muslim dance, "Asik." I have seen my fair share of cultural performances, but I've never witnessed a more spectacular Muslim dancer. I felt I was watching a true-blooded Muslim princess, she was THAT graceful, THAT masterful! It's finallly proven... you do not need to undress to dance seductively. ASIK definitely had several pulses in the audience go crazy. But I do not think ASIK is meant to be a seductive dance. There's just something so darn seductive about a fully-clothed woman with a regal majestic air, proudly deigning to honor us with a dance. I have to say it in Filipino... kinilabutan ako sa sayaw niya.
Another highlight was also the Contemporary Suite, with a lot of kinilabutan akomoments, with "Anak" and especially "Bayan Ko." It was a hair-raising experience... with seven masterful singers singing with such infectious fervor and passion... with the Filipino flag projected on screen... and the whole thing ending with the performers raising their right hand to their chest, saluting the flag of our Motherland.
There were only 7 performers on the playbill but there were more than seven, as several members of the audience were singing along. They couldn't help it! I'm referring to the lolos and lolas who seemed to be, for the most part, balikbayans. Tears were rolling down their cheeks as they listened to songs from their youth, songs that are unfortunately no longer heard on the radio or on TV. And what beautiful songs they were.
Purists might not wholeheartedly approve of the modernized adaptations of the Filipino songs (courtesy of Von De Guzman), nor the artistically bountiful choreography (courtesy of Ina Feleo) that all the singers performed that made me gasp and think, "How on EARTH do they manage to still sing, after doing all that?" On the other hand, I greatly appreciate how HARANA made Filipino songs accessible even to the young audience member who has never heard a single folk song or kundiman in his life.
A feast for the eyes:
With five suites, that made five different costumes per performer, all so rich in detail, so exquisite in craftmanship, that a large part of the concert's success is owed to costume designer Zenaida Gutierrez. The lighting was also well done, courtesy of Melvin Manuel. There were scenes that the singers were not moving at all, just singing, but the lighting made for a very dramatic tableau.
A mission:
Yet another hair-raising moment. In the performer's mini-speeches towards the end of the show, they said:
"Filipino music is a precious jewel that needs to be protected. We are more than performers. We are warriors, tasked with the noble duty of guarding our rich cultural legacy, until the next generation is ready to receive it."
Amen to that! :)
Watching HARANA makes one proud to be a Filipino. Everyone watching that night left the hall with emotions running high, with renewed passion to serve the Motherland in whatever capacity they are able to.
I can only guess how much more hair-raising, how much more emotional and memorable an experience it will be for the overseas Filipinos who will get to watch HARANA perform in their June 11 performance at the Theater de Compagnie in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
MABUHAY ANG POC! MABUHAY ANG MUSIKERONG PILIPINO!
(HARANA is showing for the last time tonight, 8 pm, at the RCBC Plaza in Makati. Do watch it! You won't regret it! For tickets, call POC at 892-87-86)
