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By Rome Jorge, Lifestyle Editor
Photos by Angelo, Cantera
Amplified, electrified and plugged in, it is
music for the people, by the people and of the people. But it
ain’t rock ‘n roll. Roll over Beethoven. Tell Tchaikovsky the
news. Welcome
to a new age of original Pinoy orchestral music.
It is music not as untouchable museum artifacts
but spanking new works being polished and perfected by hands both
young and old. This is Music Underkonstruction.
This program and others are what set apart the
Metro Manila Community Orchestra (MMCO). And the man leading the
charge with his baton is Josefino Chino Toledo.
Toledo, a Ten Oustanding Young Men awardee
praised by no less than the late National Artist Leonor Goquingco as
“one of the [Philippines’] finest and best conductors ever”
and acclaimed by critics the world over, is the musical director
and, along with internationally acclaimed violinist and beloved
philanthropist Alfonso “Coke” Bolipata, co-founder of MMCO.
The MMCO, established in March 2000, is a
project of the Institute for Orchestral Development in the
Philippines based in Miriam College Center for Applied Music. Under
the helm of Toledo, its efforts have been nothing less than
revolutionary.
Classical music for babies and newbies
Toledo reveals, “The integration of other arts
is always needed. We have different kinds of concerts. We have a
series of children’s concert called Cradle Music. The audience was
different so it had to be amplified, enhanced and theatrical.”
Cradle Music for Babes and Babies, a concert series conceived in
2007, aims to introduce children and their families to classical
music. It deepens appreciation by providing context, explaining to
new audiences what classical music all about.
He shares, “Last time we did a Star Wars-like
theme that had classical music such as Mozart. There was lighting,
set design and actors involved—space characters who explained the
pieces.”
He explains, “The problem is, you need to get
close to audiences but can’t do it musically. So there has to be
something that can bridge us to them. But it’s limited what you
can get from that. What if they don’t like didactic listening
pleasure? Most of the time, you just go there to enjoy it.”
Toledo notes the various ways of perpetuating
musical appreciation in a new generation: “Through performances in
alternative venues like malls and school campuses. We have
categories. There’s music for kids and we have an outreach that
goes to different subdivisions.” The MMCO’s most acclaimed
program is no child’s play.
Brand-new heavies
“We are the only orchestra that every year
plays music under construction. Music Underkonstruction involves new
pieces from younger artists writing for orchestra and we play it in
concerts.”
“When there’s a new piece, the orchestra
reads it and then there’s interaction. After we polish it, we
perform it in a concert. We’re the only ones who do it. Most
schools only do readings. It’s original music by Filipino artists
trying to express the expression of the 21st century. It’s in the
mold of art music.”
The music generated new composers is varied:
“There are those who submit stuff that similar to John Williams.
You’re crossing over into mainstream. There are music graduates
and music students. Francis de Veyra [best known as bassist for
multi-awarded and hugely popular jazz-funk-punk-spoken word group
Radioactive Sago Project] once submitted. We had a Fine Arts major
from UP [University of the Philippines]. Last time, we had three or
four from UST [University of Santo Tomas]. They have very different
expressions.”
He reveals what it takes to be performed: “You
write it for orchestra and then you submit it, we’ll read it in
one of the rehearsals and we’ll have a discussion with the members
and the conductor. We read it for the intention of performance.”
Toledo attests that Music Underkonstruction is
an annual commitment towards fostering original orchestral music.
“Last year, we performed eight works,” he notes.
There is no orchestra better suited to playing
brand new works of aspiring composers. The MMCO itself is a band of
young Turks.
Amateurs rule
Since its inception, the MMCO has evolved. He
reveals, “It’s a younger orchestra. It fluctuates. We used to
have from ages 8 to 65. Now, we have 18 to 35 years of age—young
professional musicians who want to have other training. It’s more
innovative in terms of programming but less popular in style.
Basically, it is community ensemble that is progressing into
something else. Actually, it’s a semi-professional orchestra. They
go to rehearsals because they want to play. That’s the good side
of amateurism.”
However, what Toledo refers to by amateurism is
not a lack of polish or genius. He states this criterion:
“Proficiency. What we play is hard, even harder than the other
orchestras. The audition is always going on. The limitations, it’s
more of financial limitations more than the actual membership.”
He expects nothing less from these
“amateurs.” Toledo confesses, “I shout when I have to. But
basically, it’s easier for me. I can get what I want with a
different system.” Even his own daughter, 22-year-old Charise
Toledo who has been playing here with the MMCO since second year
high school, receives no special treatment. “I treat them all the
same,” he testifies. His daughter is but one among many in a
musical brood.
Musical family
“I came from a musical family. My father was
from Pangkat Kawayan [bamboo orchestra]. My grandfather and my
relatives snag and played the violin. From a young age, I grew up
with music. I went to UP for my undergrad. And then I went to Paris
conservatory. I started the percussion program in UP. I played with
the Manila Symphony Orchestra right after graduation. I became
musical director at age 26.”
“I have two children. The other one is
incoming prep next year. His name is Gabriel. He asked us to buy him
a small violin but it just lies there unused. Mommy taught him to
play the piano he didn’t take to that as well. But when he saw the
cello, he said, ‘Ah papa, that’s going to be my instrument.’
Right now it’s too big for him so we’re waiting for a year or
two.”
His wife Emily is graduate of Music Education
from UST. All this makes for a very musical household. “You
can’t help it. One is practicing, my wife is on the piano and
I’m doing music compositions upstairs. Hay naku. It’s filled
with musical scores. I’ve been writing since mid-1970s. Imagine
that.”
Besides the MMCO, Todeo reveals what keeps him
busy: “Teaching, writing a lot, fulfilling writing works.” This
month alone, Toledo performed nine concerts, conducted for the UP
Sarswela Festival as well as for the gala pof the Cultural Center of
the Philippines (CCP).
Techie conductor
Toledo reveals the impact of technology on his
creative process: “I have my works encoded [digitally]. File
transferring is amazing. For example, with projects in Europe, I
just send it to them. In two hours, they’ve rehearsed it. I do
everything [on the computer] from the beginning, even the
sketches.”
“There are projects that you need to supervise
until the mastering from the network to the scoring library. These
are all digital music so you are involved in the entire process. I
have no problems with digital music.”
It is this same acceptance of contemporary
realities that allows him to further orchestral music in the 21st
century.
He examples how he meets his audiences halfway:
“Even if it’s classical, as long as it’s something very
familiar. Personally, it’s not the kind of music but the
accessibility of the pieces [that matters]. For example, Carmen is
always accessible. Even if it’s classical, that’s a given. No
matter where you play Carmen, it’s going to be Carmen. Everybody
would recognize that. There are such pieces that are that
accessible.”
Toledo clarifies that neither familiarity nor
fusion are essential to the youth’s appreciation of orchestral
music. He notes that today, orchestral and classical music must
compete in an amplified, high definition, multimedia sensory
environment.
He observes, “It’s not really the piece
itself but more of the performance situation. These day’s we’ve
all got iPods. We’re all watching MTV. Everything that you’re
hearing is amplified. You’re hearing everything through your
earphones. I think that any piece that you play with that same
situation, it’s going to be appreciated. Even if music is
accessible, if it’s badly amplified, it’s not going to be
appreciated at all. We are talking about a lot of things, not just
the venue, but the performance situation as well. You are competing
with the iPod.”
“For example, if you’re performing at the
CCP, the sound should be closer to the audience, not detached. And,
I think for several times, we tried that and people understand it
more. We enhance just a little—just a few microphones with a
little reverb to get the familiarity of the ambiance. But of course
you can’t do that with all concerts,” he notes.
“We get personal. There are kids as young as
12 years old that you’d meet after the concert and go, ‘Sir
those pieces were beautiful.’ It is the music that transcends
limitations. Our perception of what is for old and what is for
young—those categories don’t exist anymore, right? So, you have
crossover, you have fusion.”
Nonetheless, Toledo is neither dogmatic nor
sacrilegious: “There are instances that you need to do it [to be a
purist]. For example, Bach—you cannot do anything with it. It’s
going to be Bach. It’s like you were ruining the essence of Bach
[if you altered it].”
With the same breath, he sees a common symmetry
between Bach’s intense, in-your face approach and today’s music:
“With other classical music, there is depth. There is dimension.
But with Bach, the foreground, middle ground and background are the
same. It is similar to rock music. Like with rock music, the bass is
as strong as your vocals.”
The man even listens to rock ’n roll. “I
like Imago. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that what they play is
something closer to what I’m doing. You listen to music because it
will express what you’re thinking. It’s important that the music
speaks for you. It’s basic expression.” Chino Toledo speaks the
same language as today’s youths. He plays their original music and
he is being heard.
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