A CONCERT WITH A FLAVOR OF VIENNA
It’s not every night that one can savor a musical treat featuring the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO), along with an ensemble of classical vocalists and dancers. So it was a no-brainer accepting the invite from Eduardo H. Yap to attend “A Tribute to MAP Management Man of the Year Awardees” two Mondays ago at Makati Shangri-La’s Rizal Ballroom.
Cocktails at the foyer started at 6 p.m., with guests in formal attire, the ladies in long gowns, partaking of wine and chitchat or conducting photo ops together with a couple of young gentlemen in European period regalia, complete with silver wigs. Serving as plush background for group pics were the heavy red curtains that yet concealed the entrance to the ballroom.
Trust Eddie Yap, chair of MAP’s arts and culture team and the evening’s executive producer, to arrange for grand drama, so that the awarding rites also featured “A Concert with a Flavor of Vienna.”
That meant that at the heart of the event was the conduct of Viennese waltzes, as performed by MAP members, their better halves, and invited ladies, to the popular music of waltz king Johann Strauss — such as Emperor Waltz, Beautiful Blue Danube and Vienna Spirit. His French counterpart Ernie Waldteufel was represented with the Skaters Waltz, while Johannes Brahms lent a taste of the music of Hungary, at the time part of the Hapsbsurg Empire, with Hungarian Dance No. 5.
Together with the MAP Ensemble Dancers, classically trained vocalists toasted the awardees with the familiar drinking song, Libiamo, from Guiseppi Verdi’s La Traviata.
Soloists also interpreted the acclaimed love duets O Soave Faciulla (Oh Sweet Lady) and Che Gelida Manina from La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini. Other vocal numbers were Quando M’en Vo, also from La Boheme, as well as Dein Ist Mein Ganxes Herx and Lippen Schweigen by Franz Lehar, and the Sound of Music Suite by Rodgers and Hammerstein.
The singers included tenor Nomher Narito Nival, soprano Jade Rubis Riccio, baritone Belford Mabunga, mezzo-soprano Krissan Manika Tan, Christian Nagano, Marie Anne Dominese, Leroze Lapresca, and Peter Kawsek. Professor Arturo Molina served as the music director and principal conductor, with baritone Andrew Fernando also serving as music director.
Choreography was handled by Jeremy Vallejo and co-choreographers Jerome Aquino and Jhun Bino, while Jay Glorioso led the production team.
Cited by MAP president Ramoncito “Mon” S. Fernandez, for “outstanding achievements of any individual in the private sector, whether MAP member or not, who has exceptionally distinguished himself/herself in the practice of management” was a sterling roster of awardees through the last five decades.
These were: Washington Z. Sycip ((1967), Geronimo Z. Velasco (1977), Henry A. Brimo (1978), Jose M. Soriano (1979), Cesar E.A. Virata (1981), Jaime V. Ongpin (1982), Vicente T. Paterno (1982), Dante G. Santos (1983), Cesar A. Buenaventura (1985), Roberto T. Villanueva (1985), Jaime Zobel de Ayala (1987), Ramon V. del Rosario (1988), Jose B. Fernandez Jr. (1989), Raul T. Concepcion (1990), Oscar J. Hilado (1991), Alfonso T. Yuchengco (1992), Juan B. Santos (1994), David B. Consunji (1996);
Rizalino S. Navarro (1996), Gabriel C. Singson (1998), Delfin L. Lazaro (1999), Henry Sy Sr. (1999), Oscar M. Lopez (2000), Tony Tan Caktiong (2002), Jesus P. Tambunting (2003), Rafael B. Buenaventura (2004), Manuel B. Pangilinan (2005), George S.K. Ty (2006), Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala II (2006), Jose L. Cuisia Jr. (2007), Antonino T. Aquino (2009), Jesus P. Estanislao (2009), Lilia B. de Lima (2010), Ramon R. del Rosario Jr. (2010), Erramon I. Aboitiz (2011), Aurelio R. Montinola III (2012), Edgar O. Chua (2013), Albert F. del Rosario (2014), Amando M. Tetangco Jr. (2015), Teresita Sy-Coson (2016), and John Gokongwei Jr. (2017)
Among these exalted movers and shakers have been fathers and sons, a father and daughter, brothers, several ambassadors and men who served government with distinction, as well as a couple of ladies who broke through the glass ceiling and proved that their gender isn’t confined to Cinderella’s glass slippers worn at a ballroom till midnight.
Speaking of which, thanks to classical music cognoscenti and concert impresario Eddie Yap’s conceptualization and overall handling of the memorable affair, we enjoyed most the pas de deux performed by a couple of young dancers whose names escaped us. That, and also in particular, the O Soave
Fanciulla duet by Nohmer Nival and Jade Riccio.AmongNohmer’sdistinctionshas been an international vocal competition award, while Jade has won various local competitions, including the 2014 NAMCYA. As a much-sought-after soprano from Palawan, she’s currently working on a solo album.
The affair’s beneficiaries include MAP’s Teachers Training Program and Marginalized Entrepreneurs’ Financial Inclusion through MAP’s EMERGE Program.