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Opera ‘San Andres B.’ re-imagines Bonifacio as hero, ‘saint’
Left to right: Marvin Garaymon (as Rizal), Dondi Ong (as Andres B.) and Antonio Ferrer (as Emilio Jacinto). Tanghalang Pilipino
The newest Filipino opera, Tanghalang Pilipino’s “San Andres B.,” directed by a scared and nerved-wracked Floy Quintos, holds its world premiere on Nov. 29 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Aurelio V. Tolentino.
In an interview, Quintos, who had directed at least five foreign operas staged in Manila with Filipino and international casts, said that the two-act opera “is not opera in the classical mode, nor is it a pop or rock opera. Rather, in Chino Toledo’s words: it is a new new opera.”
“Toledo’s score captures the conflict, the struggle, the dilemna with unrelentingly jagged and edgy musical lines,” he added.
Prof. Virgilio S. Almario, national artist for literature, wrote the libretto of “San Andres B.” while Prof. Josefino Chino Toledo is the composer and musical director. The opera runs one hour and 45 minutes.
Tenor Dondi Ong plays Andres Bonifacio opposite soprano Margarita Roco as Gregoria De Jesus, tenor Antonio Ferrer as Emilio Jacinto, and baritone Marvin Gayramon as Jose Rizal.
“San Andres B. is also new because the work is not a historical account of Bonifacio’s life or the Katipunan. Rather, Virgilio Almario’s libretto seeks to capture the internal struggles of an ordinary bodegero who sees the social conditions of his country and times, and is torn between complacency and heroism,” Quintos said during the interview.
In grand operas, the audience knows toward the end the singers will perform the arias beautifully, and then audience leaves the theater content and satisfied, he added.
“In fact, in many of the operas I have done, when it comes to the major arias, I just tell the singer: Stand there. Feel it lang, every word, sing beautifully, mean it, move with the aria. Panalo ka na. However, with 'San Andres B.', it is not like that. Walang instant buttons to be pushed by familiar music or by plots. Wala, wala,” said Quintos emphatically.
“In the local art scene, it is time for something unfamiliar, disturbing, strange. It is time to hear something new. I told the singers na ang dream ko for San Andres B. is, well, remember how Stravinsky’s 'Rite of Spring' was first greeted by the audience during its premiere? Riots. Hisses. Boos and bravos! Ganun ang gusto ko mangyari,” he said.
In a separate interview, Toledo said that for his first opera work, he used three sources of sound: the indigenous, represented by the kawayan (bamboo) instruments; the common and familiar, represented by the Western orchestra; and the new sound, represented by electronic and processed sounds.
“This device of layering various sound sources is not an altogether new compositional approach. 'San Andres B.', however, is in a class of its own as it produces a rich but complex texture that appears to be mysteriously accessible,” Toledo said.
“Akin to the concept of a parable, the music is conceived from symbolic representations, tied to the text, enabling the listener to grasp the contents of the libretto, but intended to musically engage the listener proactively. The music of San Andres B. is music that’s in your face, in the here and now, so present, so engaging, so real you could almost touch it,” he said.
During the interview, Toledo said appreciating an opera is not “an easy task,” a fact well-known to opera lovers.
“If all these seem daunting to the uninitiated layman, keep in mind that the process of musical composition is indeed a technical one. The music is meant to be digested, appreciated, and taken as parts of a whole,” Toledo said.
For his part, librettist Almario, who has done extensive research on Bonifacio, said the work is “not a biographical sketch of Andres Bonifacio, nor does it attempt to present the historical events leading to the 1896 Revolution.”
“'San Andres B.' is a look at how a nation transformed and evolved after the events of the 19th century,” he said.
“Andres Bonifacio came to be the embodiment of the Filipino consciousness. He brought to fore issues pertaining to the situation of the Filipinos under Spanish Colonial rule in relation to the abuses done by those in power, the unrelenting toil and unrewarding labor and the high levels of ignorance and illiteracy among the people,” Almario said.
“This opera seeks to present the decision to revolt as a process of transformation. It also seeks to dramatize the swift, creative, innovative, and constant moves of Andres Bonifacio in his determined quest to further expand the membership of the KKK movement in such a short period of time,” Almario said. — BM, GMA News
"San Andres B." runs from Nov. 29 to Dec. 8. For details, contact Cherry Bong Edralin at 832-1125 local 1620/1621; (02)218-3791; 0917-750-0107/ 0918-959-3949, or email tpmarketing_ccp@yahoo.com or cherry_edralin888@yahoo.com. Tickets also available at all TicketWorld (891-9999).
In an interview, Quintos, who had directed at least five foreign operas staged in Manila with Filipino and international casts, said that the two-act opera “is not opera in the classical mode, nor is it a pop or rock opera. Rather, in Chino Toledo’s words: it is a new new opera.”
“Toledo’s score captures the conflict, the struggle, the dilemna with unrelentingly jagged and edgy musical lines,” he added.
Prof. Virgilio S. Almario, national artist for literature, wrote the libretto of “San Andres B.” while Prof. Josefino Chino Toledo is the composer and musical director. The opera runs one hour and 45 minutes.
Tenor Dondi Ong plays Andres Bonifacio opposite soprano Margarita Roco as Gregoria De Jesus, tenor Antonio Ferrer as Emilio Jacinto, and baritone Marvin Gayramon as Jose Rizal.
“San Andres B. is also new because the work is not a historical account of Bonifacio’s life or the Katipunan. Rather, Virgilio Almario’s libretto seeks to capture the internal struggles of an ordinary bodegero who sees the social conditions of his country and times, and is torn between complacency and heroism,” Quintos said during the interview.
In grand operas, the audience knows toward the end the singers will perform the arias beautifully, and then audience leaves the theater content and satisfied, he added.
“In fact, in many of the operas I have done, when it comes to the major arias, I just tell the singer: Stand there. Feel it lang, every word, sing beautifully, mean it, move with the aria. Panalo ka na. However, with 'San Andres B.', it is not like that. Walang instant buttons to be pushed by familiar music or by plots. Wala, wala,” said Quintos emphatically.
“In the local art scene, it is time for something unfamiliar, disturbing, strange. It is time to hear something new. I told the singers na ang dream ko for San Andres B. is, well, remember how Stravinsky’s 'Rite of Spring' was first greeted by the audience during its premiere? Riots. Hisses. Boos and bravos! Ganun ang gusto ko mangyari,” he said.
In a separate interview, Toledo said that for his first opera work, he used three sources of sound: the indigenous, represented by the kawayan (bamboo) instruments; the common and familiar, represented by the Western orchestra; and the new sound, represented by electronic and processed sounds.
“This device of layering various sound sources is not an altogether new compositional approach. 'San Andres B.', however, is in a class of its own as it produces a rich but complex texture that appears to be mysteriously accessible,” Toledo said.
“Akin to the concept of a parable, the music is conceived from symbolic representations, tied to the text, enabling the listener to grasp the contents of the libretto, but intended to musically engage the listener proactively. The music of San Andres B. is music that’s in your face, in the here and now, so present, so engaging, so real you could almost touch it,” he said.
During the interview, Toledo said appreciating an opera is not “an easy task,” a fact well-known to opera lovers.
“If all these seem daunting to the uninitiated layman, keep in mind that the process of musical composition is indeed a technical one. The music is meant to be digested, appreciated, and taken as parts of a whole,” Toledo said.
For his part, librettist Almario, who has done extensive research on Bonifacio, said the work is “not a biographical sketch of Andres Bonifacio, nor does it attempt to present the historical events leading to the 1896 Revolution.”
“'San Andres B.' is a look at how a nation transformed and evolved after the events of the 19th century,” he said.
“Andres Bonifacio came to be the embodiment of the Filipino consciousness. He brought to fore issues pertaining to the situation of the Filipinos under Spanish Colonial rule in relation to the abuses done by those in power, the unrelenting toil and unrewarding labor and the high levels of ignorance and illiteracy among the people,” Almario said.
“This opera seeks to present the decision to revolt as a process of transformation. It also seeks to dramatize the swift, creative, innovative, and constant moves of Andres Bonifacio in his determined quest to further expand the membership of the KKK movement in such a short period of time,” Almario said. — BM, GMA News
"San Andres B." runs from Nov. 29 to Dec. 8. For details, contact Cherry Bong Edralin at 832-1125 local 1620/1621; (02)218-3791; 0917-750-0107/ 0918-959-3949, or email tpmarketing_ccp@yahoo.com or cherry_edralin888@yahoo.com. Tickets also available at all TicketWorld (891-9999).
