ABH reminds us to love our own, support our own
ue to insistent u lic demand hili ine era om any s Ang
Bagong Harana (ABH) returns on sta e on ct to at the arlos omulo uditorium la a
ABH ta es off from the success of hili ine era om- any s musical re ue Harana. he word
harana is a a alo word that connotes a traditional form of courtshi in which a man woos a woman s affection y sin - in lo e son s
he harana or kundiman ecame a mainstream musical style with eteran erformers namely iomedes aturan and u en a alo o ulari in it until the late s nfortunately with the ad ent of newer music enres harana has uietly een left ehind oday the youn eneration may not e en now its real essence as far as ili ino fol traditions are concerned ecause they are more drawn to Western influences
his is the reason why hili ine era om any has chosen to do
Ang Bagong Harana ecause now more than e er when lo ali ation is the future of the world we need to remind oursel es of who we are where we are where we ha e een and what we held dear his is oin to e a tou h o ecause the commercial theater and concert scene is full of im orts ut we want to do it ecause we need to e reminded of how eautiful our music is and how much our souls can e enriched y hearin these son s sun a ain says artistic director arla utierre
hili ine era om any e t ettin in uiries a out a re eat run which is why we are rin in ac the show t is a difficult effort to try and do somethin truly ili ino nowadays ut after the warm res onses from audiences and critics we now that there is an audience that is hun ry for this ind of entertainment that reconnects us to our souls
What was the secret of the small re ue s success “Ang Bagong Harana was en isioned as a lo e son to our country We wanted to show audiences that there is so much wealth that modern ili inos can mine from our traditional and contem orary music n this a e of lo ali ation it is all the more crucial for us to now who we are and what we ha e that we can call inoy lot of erformers may say that we are the est in the world ut we wanted to o a ste further and ro e it y usin our own traditional and contem orary material nd we wanted to showcase youn sin - ers who ha e committed themsel es to classical sin in and to our traditional material
ABH will still carry the ori inal re ertoire which showcases the est wor s of noted ili ino com osers from different music enres icanor elardo yan aya ya Willy ru
Francisco Santiago, Antonio Molina, Resti Umali, George Canseco, Ernani Cuenco, Levi Celerio, Jose Estrella, Constancio de Guzman and Felipe de Leon.
The show begins with an evocation of a lost innocence, as expressed through traditional children’s songs (Penpen di Sarapen, Si Filimon, Pamulinawen and Sitsiritsit) sung by the company. From there, the love song to country moves through various evocations — a kundiman suite ( Nasaan Ka
Irog, Pakiusap, Anak ng Dalita and Madaling Araw), framed against the backdrop of revolution, a tribal suite based on the indigenous respect for the environment, a suite of folk songs framed against the backdrop of a fiesta, a tribute to Sylvia La Torre that reconnects with our bodabil roots. But more than just mining the past, Ang Bagong Harana moves swiftly into the present, using OPM classics like Fredddie Aguilar’s Anak to make pointed social commentary.
“At the end of every show,” says Karla, “just before we serenade the audience, I always remind them to “love our own and support our own.” I believe that it is a very timely message. With all the foreign material that is coming into the entertainment scene, it is easy to disregard our own music and our own young performers. With POC’s Ang Bagong Harana, we have a reminder that there is so much to discover and love about our own culture.
Ang Bagong Harana is a must-see production for every Filipino because it represents the very best that we, the Filipino race can be. As most of our previous audiences have told us the show is an effective way of communicating our greatness as a nation. Through a musical revue like Ang Bagong Harana, we Filipinos once again find our voice and our pride. This will also serve as a musical treat for foreigners as an initial step to immerse themselves in a truly authentic Filipino music environment with the hope of making them understand our country’s cultural and musical heritage.
The cast of young people is the show’s biggest artistic statement. It tells the audience that there are young people who are bravely making their own efforts to preserve our music, as well as re-define old songs for their own generation.
Ang Bagong Harana will feature Philippine theater’s celebrated singers, Karla, Aizel Prietos, Cris Go, Janine Santos, KL Dizon, Lawrence Jatayna, Michael Odoemene, Nazer Salcedo, Al Gatmaitan, Jurgen Unterberg with the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group.
Directed by Floy Quintos with music arrangements by Von de Guzman, Jessie Lasaten, Jesse Lucas and Paulo Zarate.
Ang Bagong Harana will have a limited run on Oct. 12 and 18 at 8 p.m. with matinees on Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 and 20 at the Carlos P. Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati.
For details, call 822-9609, 0917-5272880