Diplomatic notes on the ivory
IRECEIVED from an unimpeacheable source (Foreign Service Officer Chris Gracia Rola who doubles as cultural maven) that her boss, our envoy to France Ambassador Tess Lazaro, uses culture as an instrument of diplomacy and impresarios for Dr. Raul Sunico’s European swing.
One day after arriving in Paris, Dr. Sunico traipsed the ivory at “Une Soirée Musique et Vin at Chateau Siran” in Margaux (Sept 19); and followed thru with a matinee performance the next day (Sept 20) “Raul Suncio – Midi au Piano” at Station Ausone in Bordeaux. The programs: Sept 19, Chateau Siran: Playera (Granados), Liebestraum (Liszt) , La Plus Que Lente (Debussy), Hanggang sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan (Canseco/ arr. Sunico), Saranggola ni Pepe ( Gallardo/arr. Sunico), Polonaise in Ab, op. 53 (Chopin), Themes from Somewhere in Time (Barry/Rachmaninoff/arr. Sunico), My Fair Lady Medley ( Lerner/ arr. Sunico), Piazzolla (Milonga del Angel and Adios Nonino (Piazzolla), Jazz Interludes (Brubeck), Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin).
Sept 20, Salle Ausone, Mollat Conference Center: Prelude in C# minor, op. 3 no. 2, Prelude in G# minor, op. 32 no. 12, and Prelude in G minor, op. 23 no. 5 (all Rachmaninoff); Allegro de Concierto (Granados) ; Sonatine (Ravel); Modere, Mouvement de minuet, Anime, L’Isle Joyeuse (Debussy); Kumintang (Buencamino); Impromptu in Gb, op. 90 no. 3 (Schubert); Etude in E, op. 10 no. 3 and Etude in Ab, op. 25 no. 1 (both by Chopin); Alt Wien (Godowsky); Liebestod, from Tristan und Isolde (Wagner/Liszt); Rigoletto Paraphrase (Verdi-Liszt).
You can be sure that both evenings would be intoxicating even to a Philistine, because the hosts, both old Manila hands Philippine honorary Consul Edouard Miailhe and his wife Severine, have returned to Bordeaux as heir and full-time vinter and wine master at the Chateau Siran.
Sept 21 – “An Intimate Evening of Classical Music” at the Cercle des Delegues of UNESCO Headquarters in Paris The concert is an initiative of Ambassador Lazaro and the Philippine Permanent Delegation for our candidature to the UNESCO Executive Board. (Footnote: We used the Philippine Madrigal Singers and Ligaya Amilbangsa and her Alun-Alun Dance Company in June, 2007, at our successful candidature for a Philippine seat in UNESCO Board.)
Sept 24 – I received just in time before we go to press the confirmation that Philippine Consul General Marichu Mauro has booked the concert for Dr. Sunico at the Plazzina Liberty at the Largo Marinai d’Italia in Milan.
Sept 28 – Concert at the Diligentia Theater in The Hague. Philippine Ambassador Jett Ledda has booked the Diligentia Theater for Dr. Sunico’s concert performance before the diplomatic corps and business leaders at Den Haag.
*** Last year, Dr. Sunico took a break from his duties as the then president of the Cultural Center of the Philippines for a tour de force performances in Paris, Brussels, and Berlin. The sojourn included exquisite interpretations of French, European and Philippine classical favorites at the Studio 105 of Maison de la Radio France in Paris in celebration of the 118th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence.
Dr. Sunico is famous for playing without notes because of his photographic memory. (Like Shakespeare is known not to repeat, his programs at these five concert performances read like an alphabet soup of masters and compositions.)
Before I could send this article to Manila Bulletin, Gary Lising, not the music critique that I could depend on, tapped my shoulder to add that after hearing Dr.Raul Sunico’s interpretation of masters’ compositions, he said that Raul does not only have photographic memory, but a photogenic one. FEEDBACK: