National Artist Ryan Cayabyab at the grand piano as son Toma conducts the PPO. Ducks Entertainment
Tributes to National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab come around every few years, including one staged with the now-defunct ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra and the top Kapamilya singers. None has been as big or as grand as “Liyab, Mga Himig ng Dakilang Pag-ibig,” staged at The Theater at Solaire on Sunday, September 20.
Originally intended as a single-evening show, it sold out quickly enough for a matinee to be added, which also sold well. It was an ambitious debut for Ducks Entertainment, a new company venturing into concert production led by couples Mon and Monique Eugenio, and Melfred and Arlene Hernandez.
The concert brought together the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and a choir of some 200 voices, essentially an assembly of the country's top choirs. The soloists were led by Lea Salonga, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Bituin Escalante, Jed Madela and Arman Ferrer. At the matinee, where Salonga was unavailable, Sofronio Vasquez and Gigi de Lana joined the lineup.
Two conductors shared the podium: Jonathan Velasco, a former student of Cayabyab; and Cayabyab's son, Toma. Having two batons gave a fresh sound to many very familiar works.
“Liyab” is more than a celebration of Cayabyab’s music but also a tribute to the country's National Artists, arriving just weeks after the announcement of the latest batch of 10. Cayabyab's songs serve as the vehicle. Above the stage, three giant panels in a ScreenX-like configuration displayed the works and quotes of National Artists across visual art, literature, dance, film and architecture, timed to the music.
The pairing formed a striking narrative. All these art forms spring from creativity, passion and love, which is the show's overarching theme.
Images of works by National Artist Ang Kiukok accompany the music. Ducks Entertainment
Directed by Mikko Angeles, who did the “Bar Boys” musical, the show was divided into three parts, each exploring a different kind of love: love of God, love of country and the romantic love most associated with Cayabyab's songs.
This structure allowed us to hear compositions we rarely encounter, since past tributes have tended to lean on his pop hits. It also maximized the enormous choir, as some of these pieces demand that scale.
Faith and country
The concert opened with two pieces from “Misa,” Cayabyab’s own musical version of the Mass: a purely a cappella "Kyrie" for two sopranos, followed by "Credo" with the full orchestra and choir. This was followed by "Tomad Senor," a piece he wrote for a film "Ignacio de Loyola" on the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola, which I was hearing for the first time.
"Il Signore," Cayabyab's take on the Prayer of St. Francis, counterpoints the familiar English text with an Italian one sung by soloist Gary Fabricante, and was one of the most beautiful melodies of the evening.
The massive 200-voice choir is composed of members of several choirs. Ducks Entertainment
The love-of-country section began with a glorious, moving choral arrangement of Smokey Mountain’s "Paraiso.” The staging placed it against imagery of a Manila slum, and the juxtaposition heightened the emotion of the song. "Luha sa Nakalimutang Lupa" from the musical “Katy” followed.
Then came the evening's first guest vocalist, crossover tenor and theater actor Arman Ferrer. He began with "Iduyan Mo," the theme from “Aguila,” the sweeping epic directed by National Artist Eddie Romero and starring National Artist Fernando Poe Jr.
Ferrer has mastered the pop sound, tempering his tenor tendencies for a loving, effortless rendition that soars to the high notes while retaining an airy lightness. He then shifted to a classical tenor style for "Mi Ultimo Adios" from the musical “Illustrado.” It stretched his range so thoroughly that the well-heeled audience gave him a well-deserved mid-show standing ovation — a perfect note on which to go into intermission.
Romantic hits
The second act was the more familiar Cayabyab tribute. The big choir returned with "Hibang sa Awit," which I have seen many times since the '90s with the male vocal group Tux. Hearing it at this scale felt like a welcome return and ushered us into the romantic section.
Bituin Escalante followed with a jazz version of "Mamang Kutsero," complete with an extended scat break, arranged by Cayabyab himself, which suited her style perfectly.
Jed Madela sang "Awit ng Pagsinta" from “Rama Hari.” I have heard it performed by fine musical theater actors, from Gian Magdangal to OJ Mariano, and Madela's was probably the cleanest and most effortless. He then took on "Kahit Ika'y Panaginip Lang," with the female choir members taking the female part. He toned down his usual powerful belting into an almost crooning ballad, soaring but still light. Terrific.
Ogie Alcasid brought "Tuwing Umuulan at Kapiling Ka" and then "Da Coconut Nut," which suited his comedic side well. With the female choir backing him, it also showed why this Filipino novelty song has become a favorite of choirs around the world.
Escalante returned with "Once Upon a Life," originally recorded by Gary Valenciano. It began with just her and Cayabyab at the piano, and despite the cavernous size of The Theater at Solaire, you were transported to a small hotel bar late at night — relaxed and a little melancholy — before the orchestra swelled in.
The guest soloists at the matinee show: (from left) Arman Ferrer, Ogie Alcasid, Martin Nievera, Bituin Escalante, Gigi de Lana, Jed Madela and Sofronio Vasquez. Ducks Entertainment
Martin Nievera came next. I hadn't heard him in a long time and was amazed that the quality of his voice is still there. "Sometime, Somewhere" has almost become a contest piece, with singers pushing it higher and higher, but Nievera found the sweet spot: deeply emotional, and just turned enough to make it his own.
Then came "How Can I," a track from his second album and one of the most beautiful melodies he ever recorded. It is also one of my favorite Cayabyab compositions, and I was moved hearing it again after all these years.
Then came the star everyone was waiting for. Lea Salonga began with "Liman-Dipang Tao," which I had heard her sing at her own concert years ago. She excels at these character and storytelling songs, and this was a master class in both. She followed with "Magbalik Ka Na, Mahal" from “Rama Hari,” and her clear, perfectly enunciated delivery made you appreciate the poetry of the lyrics.
She then joined Escalante for "Minsan ang Minahal Ay Ako" from “Katy.” Their voices complemented each other beautifully, Escalante's deep, soulful sound against Salonga's pristine tones. As theater artists, they had no trouble mining the emotion of what is essentially a love letter to the performing arts.
The finale
With all the artists back onstage, they sang Smokey Mountain’s Better World" for an uplifting turn before the patriotic fire of "O Bayan Ko," one of Cayabyab's lesser-known works, commissioned for the centennial celebrations.
Cayabyab smartly mashed it up with the National Anthem and had everyone stand. It wasn't a bid for a standing ovation but a way to bring out a love of country in everyone in the theater, and it brought the concert to a perfect close.
The encores were fun, as the singers kicked back with the OPM anthem "Kay Ganda ng Ating Musika," followed by "Kumukutikutitap," because it is September and therefore already Christmas season in the Philippines.
Ducks Entertainment, I can't wait to see what you do next. Given the talent and coordination it took to put all these people onstage, a night like this won't be easily replicated.
Good luck topping it.