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Friday, May 3, 2024

The Russian Art Song (Romance) Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908)

by Georg Predota, Interlude

Repin: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Repin: Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov

Romances gradually evolved from the pastime of the rich and famous into an acknowledged musical genre. As Rimsky-Korsakov wrote in 1897, “I think that in their requests for melodiousness, sing- ability and expansiveness, singers and the public at large are right… short melodies, fragmentation, music departing from harmonies, and demand for dissonances – are things in themselves undesirable… There was a time (I remember it) in the sixties when the majority of Chopin’s melodies were considered weak and cheap music… But nevertheless, pure melody, deriving from Mozart, through Chopin and Glinka is alive up till now, and has to remain alive, for without it the fate of music is decadence.” 

On Georgian hills lies night’s darkness;
Aragvi roars before me.
I feel sorrowful and at ease; my sadness is light;
My sadness is full of you,
You, only you…
My gloom is not disturbed or tortured by anything,
And my heart again burns and beats faster because
It cannot renounce love.

Mily Balakirev

Mily Balakirev

In his autobiography, Rimsky-Korsakov claimed that his first song was a setting of a poem by Heinrich Heine in December 1865. While this particular claim can’t be verified, he did compose 22 Romances during his apprenticeship with Mily Balakirev. Initially, Rimsky-Korsakov was harmonizing the Russian folksongs collected by Balakirev. Rimsky-Korsakov remembers, “Balakirev had at that time a large stock of Oriental melodies and dances. He often played them for others, and me in his own most delightful harmonization and arrangements. My acquaintance with Russian and Oriental songs at the time marked the origin of my love for folk music, to which I devoted myself subsequently.” Rimsky-Korsakov’s encounter with oriental melodies and dances immediately transferred into his romance settings. 

Enchanted by the rose, a nightingale
Day and night sings above it;
But the rose listens silently…
In that way a poet with his lyre
Sings for a young maiden;
But the dear maiden knows not
To whom he sings and why
His songs are so full of melancholy.

From the very beginning, Rimsky-Korsakov’s romances have an artistry that is foremost a musical one, as he strove to form a symbiotic relation between the poetic statement and a singable design. Inspired by hearing the soprano Ermolenko-Yuzhina at the house of Mikhail Glinka’s sister, Rimsky-Korsakov issued his Four Romances Op. 2, in 1866.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, 1866

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, 1866

The second song of the set is titled “The Nightingale and the Rose.” Penned by the young Russian poet Aleksei Koltsov in the “Persian style,” the poem is set by Rimsky-Korsakov with a static chordal accompaniment infused with oriental arabesques, with the declamatory vocal line reeling with the agony of the lover’s grief. 

Your glance is as radiant as the heavens
With its azure enamel;
Your youthful voice like a kiss
Vibrates and melts away.

Just for the sound of your magical accents,
For your single gaze
I’d gladly give up the hero of the battle –
My Georgian dagger…

The cornerstone of Rimsky-Korsakov’s professional credo was “a scholarly and learned approach to composition technique, diligent attention to all aspects of craft, and the urge to tame musical anarchy and dilettantism.” In his compositional technique, Rimsky-Korsakov was essentially European-trained while at the same time being firmly rooted in the unmistakable Russian music tradition. “He actively pushed the confines in the sphere of harmony, in no small part through the usage of the whole-tone and octatonic scales, which opened up possibilities for a wider harmonic palette and delicious relations between tonalities.” 

I bitterly lamented amidst the desert:
“Who from now on will be
As close to my heart as You once were?”
The echo responded: “Alas!”

“How will I live on, sick and morose,
Tormented by ever present sorrow
And many onerous years?”
The echo responded: “Alone!”

“But what should I do? The world is a grave,
Meaningless life is abhorrent to me.
Where is former splendour, pleasure and paradise?”
The echo said: “Dead!”

Apollon Maikov

Apollon Maikov

After having published his Romances Opp. 2, 3, 4, 7, and 8, Rimsky-Korsakov did not return to the genre until the early 1880s. This reawakening coincided with his desire to author a theoretical textbook. As he writes, “When I took over Lyadov’s class in harmony, I grew exceedingly interested in teaching that subject. Tchaikovsky’s system (I followed his textbook in private lessons) did not satisfy me… and I conceived the idea of writing a new textbook on harmony, according to a wholly new system as regards pedagogic methods and sequences of exposition.” For the romance composer, harmony and counterpoint, “providing very many sonorities of great variety and complexity.” 

Of what in the quiet night I secretly dream,
Of what in the light of day I think every hour, –
Will remain a mystery to everyone, and even to you, my verse,
You, my flighty friend, my daily consolation,
To you I won’t convey the yearnings of my soul,
Because you might reveal whose voice in the night’s silence,
I hear, whose face appears to me in everything,
Whose eyes shine for me, whose name I
endlessly repeat.

Rimsky-Korsakov once again turned his attention to different matters, and there was an extended interruption in the composition of the romances. In fact, Cesar Cui remarked in 1896, “Rimsky-Korsakov apparently does not have much interest in the genre.” However, during his great Liederjahr of 1897, Rismky-Korsakov composed 47 romances. Yet his approach to vocal style had undergone a noticeable change. The poem for Op. 40, No. 3 “In the Still of Night,” was written by Apollon N. Maykow and carries the subtitle “Elegia.” The music tenderly traces an internal nocturnal dream, with the musical substance entirely derived from the emotional content and diction of the poetry. 

Not the wind blowing from on high
Has touched the leaves in the moonlit night –
My soul has been touched by you:
It is aflutter, like the leaves,
It is as sensitive as the lyre’s strings.
The blizzard of life was tearing it apart,
And with the crushing attack,
Whistling and howling, tore the strings,
And covered my soul with icy snow;
But your voice caresses my hearing,
Your touch is as light
As the down flying from the flowers,
Like a breeze of the May night.

Leo Tolstoy

Leo Tolstoy

As Rimsky-Korsakov reports, his method of composition had undergone a significant change. He writes, “I had composed no songs for a long time. Turning to Tolstoy’s poems, I wrote four songs, and the feeling came over me that I was not composing in the same way as I used to. The melody of these songs, following the text, turned out purely vocal with me; that is, it became such at its very birth, with but mere hints of harmony and modulation accompanying in its train. The accompaniment formed and developed after the melody had been composed, whereas formerly, with few exceptions, either the melody was created as if instrumentally, that is, apart from the text, though in harmony with its general purport, or it was stimulated by the harmonic foundation which occasionally preceded the melody.” 

I know the reason why by these shores
A mysterious pensive mood seizes the sailors:
A melancholy nymph with flowing tresses,
Half-hidden by rustling reeds,
Sometimes sings a song there
About the silk of her hair,
The azure of her tearful eyes, the pearls of her teeth,
And a heart full of unrequited love.
Passing by in a boat an enchanted sailor
Listening to her song stops rowing;
And, even when she falls silent,
He still imagines for a while the singing above
the waters,
And the nymph in the reeds
With flowing tresses.

Alexander Pushkin

Alexander Pushkin

Having found a new method of composition, Rimsky-Korsakov was elated to have discovered, “the true vocal music, and feeling satisfied, too, with my first essays in this direction, I composed song after song to words by Tolstoy, Maykov, Pushkin, and others. In no time at all, I had well-nigh a score of songs already.” Significantly, Rimsky-Korsakov discovered that his new way of composing romances would also lend itself to the writing of operas. As he explains, “I had a feeling that I was entering upon some new period and that I was gaining mastery of the method, which heretofore had been quasi-accidental or exceptional with me.” 

Amid a desert, arid and bare,
In soil, flaming with heat,
The Upas tree, like a fearsome guard,
Stands alone in the entire universe.

The nature of the barren steppes
Created it in the day of wrath
And soaked with deadly poison
Its green branches and its roots.

The poison percolates through its bark
Melting from the midday heat,
And congeals by evening
Into a dense translucent resin.

Birds nor beasts roam not near it:
Only a black whirlwind
Occasionally would fly nearby –
And rush away, but already deadly.

And if a wondering cloud would sprinkle
Upon its dense foliage,
From its branches, the toxic rain
Flows down into the sizzling sand.

But a human sent another human
To the Upas tree with a commanding glance;
And he obediently set off on a journey,
Returning by the morning with the poison.

He brought back the deadly resin
And a branch with withered leaves;
The sweat across his pale face
Was flowing in cold streams.

He weakened and laid down
Under a tent upon a trestle-bed,
And the poor slave died
By the feet of an unconquerable sovereign.

Meanwhile the Tsar drenched with that poison
His obedient arrows
And sent around death
To neighbours in foreign lands.

Rimsky-Korsakov later suggested that these romances merely served as preparatory exercises for the operatic compositional spree of his later years. Essentially, he viewed them as studies for finding and perfecting new ideas and methods before implementing them in an operatic context. He also demystified the concept of musical nationalism. “In my opinion,” he writes, “a distinctively Russian music does not exist. Both harmony and melody are pan-European. Russian songs introduce into counterpoint a few new technical devices, but to create a new, unique kind of music, this they cannot do. Russian traits, and national traits in general, are not acquired by writing according to specific rules, but rather by removing from the common language of music those devices which are inappropriate to a Russian style.” 

Tormented by spiritual anguish
I dragged myself through a grim desert,
And a six-winged seraphim
Appeared to me at a crossroads;
With his fingers, light as a dream,
He touched my eyes:
They burst open wide, all-seeing,
Like those of a startled eagle.
He touched my ears
And they were filled with clamour and ringing:
I heard the rumbling of the heavens,
The high flight of the angels,
The crawling of the underwater reptilians
And the germinating of the grapevine in the valleys.
He pressed against my lips
And tore out my tongue,
Both exuberant and sly,
And into my frozen lips
The sting of a wise snake
He pushed with his bloody hand.
He cleaved my chest with a sword
And took out my trembling heart,
And thrust into my opened breast
A flaming piece of coal.
I lay in the desert like a corps.
And God’s voice called to me:
“Arise, my prophet, behold and hark,
Submit to my will,
And, traveling across the seas and lands,
Spark people’s hearts with verse.”

Comparable in volume and significance to the romance output of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff, Rimsky-Korsakov’s chamber vocal compositions fully reflect the range of traits and features we find in his larger works. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that he was frequently dubbed the “Singer of the Russian Soul.”

200th Anniversary of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

by 

Ludwig van Beethoven in 1824

Ludwig van Beethoven in 1824

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of this memorable event, the Beethoven-Haus Bonn has organised an extensive and multi-faceted 10-day anniversary programme. Visitors and enthusiasts, onsite and online, are treated to exhibitions, a book presentation and signing, a conference, various exhibitions, concerts, and livestreams. At the heart of the celebration is the re-creation of the 7 May 1824 concert at the Stadthalle Wuppertal. 

7 May 1824

Beethoven-Haus Bonn

Beethoven-Haus Bonn

In 1824, Beethoven assembled a large orchestra and recruited Henriette Sontag and Caroline Unger to sing the soprano and the contralto parts, respectively. According to participating musicians, the 9th Symphony had only two full rehearsals, and was prefaced by the Overture Op. 124 and the Kyrie, Credo and Agnus Dei from the Missa Solemnis. Unsurprisingly, various stories and anecdotes surrounded this momentous occasion. Beethoven, stone deaf at this time, actually took part in the performance by giving the tempos for each part and turning the pages of his score “as though he wanted to play all the instruments and sing all the chorus parts.”

However, the official conductor Michael Umlauf, had instructed the singers and musicians to ignore all of Beethoven’s instructions. When the concert had ended, Beethoven was still conducting and Caroline Unger is credited with turning Beethoven to face the applauding audience. Beethoven’s underlying conception of music as a mode of self-expression still resonates strongly today, and whether one agrees with, or rejects his compositional approach, after him, nothing in music could ever be the same. 

7 May 2024

Martin Haselböck

Martin Haselböck

200 years later, the complete premiere performance will be reconstructed by the Orchester Wiener Adademie, considered one of the leading period-instrument orchestras. Soloist and the WDR Rundfunkchor under the musical direction of Martin Haselböck invite audiences to the 19th-century historical City Hall in Wuppertal to experience the original programme in its original order and its entirety. This promises a unique and rather lengthy listening experience, and one that will undoubtedly provide a new and unique perspective.

As the Director of the Beethoven-Haus Bonn, Malte Boecker explains, “to mark its 200th anniversary, we are presenting the Ninth for the first time in the sound of 1824 again as well as in the probable instrumentation, the line-up and the programmatic arrangement that Beethoven himself had planned.” Researchers and scholars have been able to reconstruct a number of facts regarding the original performance. Apparently, the choir had been positioned in front of the orchestra and not as we have come to expect, behind the instrumental forces. Additional research has suggested a possible instrumentation described by Beethoven, and important new details regarding the musical text. 

Romantic Historiography and Meaning

Caroline Unger

Caroline Unger

According to the organisers of the anniversary concert, “in terms of content and aesthetics, the reconstructed programme shows a variety of relationships and suggests that Beethoven wanted to appeal to the idea of Eternal Peace with the Academies.” By definition, ascribing meaning to a programme and/or a particular work is a slippery subject, as we can interpret Beethoven’s meaning in endless ways. It all depends on our interests as modern reconstructions, while historically informed, are essentially restorations according to contemporary attitudes and tastes.

The recasting of this event in the tradition of terms and meanings is not really a historical project, since the concept of historiography was invented long after Beethoven’s death. It is simply impossible to ascribe a definite meaning to Beethoven’s programme or symphony, nor is it possible to deny the symbolic dimensions of the evening and the work. That is probably why a critic once wrote, “Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is a piece one loves to hate: It’s incomprehensible and irresistible, it’s awesome and naïve.”  

Berlin Premiere

Henriette Sontag

Henriette Sontag

It might be worth remembering that Beethoven was adamant that his 9th Symphony should be premiered in Berlin and not in Vienna. His threat to take his symphony to Berlin was real enough as it took a petition signed by many prominent Viennese patrons, friends, financiers and performers for the composer to change his mind.

Why then was Beethoven so unhappy with Vienna? For some years the composer had lamented the changing musical taste of Viennese audiences, who numerously flocked to see the operatic entertainments offered by Rossini and other Italian composers. Beethoven and Rossini probably met once in Vienna in 1822, and supposedly Beethoven counselled his young colleague with the words, “Above all, make a lot of Barbers!” 

Ode to Joy

For Beethoven, Rossini was a composer of light comedies, who embraced the “rankest lap of luxury” by pandering to populist demands. Supposedly, Beethoven quipped “Rossini would have been a great composer if his teacher had spanked him enough on the backside.” Whether this meeting and conversation actually took place or not is clearly beside the point, as it quickly became, and still is, part of a much larger narrative.

Schiller’s Ode to Joy

Schiller’s Ode to Joy

By presenting his Ops. 123, 124, and 125 in a single academy, Beethoven was clearly not trying to appeal to popular demands. Rather the opposite, it seems, as a programme of such seriousness, duration and ticket expense, was hardly going to attract the bohemian party crowd. By appealing to the spirit of Romanticism and the shared ideals of humanity as expressed in Schiller’s Ode to Joy, the composer appeared to have made not only a musical point but also issued a decisive cultural statement.

200 years later, the Ode to Joy is the anthem of both the European Union and the Council of Europe. Its described purpose is to “honour shared European values, expressing the ideals of freedom, peace, and unity.” The 2024 re-creation of the 1824 academy still won’t be a crowd magnet, nor will it be an attractive event for most Europeans. However, the statement of intent seems very clear. The utopian ideals expressed in the 9th Symphony, although no longer believable in 2024, still need to provide the fundamental bases of interaction in a world intent on proving the opposite on a daily basis.

Thursday, May 2, 2024

Nikisch conducts: FILM 1913 + Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody No.1


Arthur Nikisch: Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No.1, 1920 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra STARTING TIMES: Silent Film 1913: 0:00 VERSION 1: Side 1 0:55 , Side 2 5:13 Side 3 9:10 Side 4 12:29 VERSION 2: Side 1 15:08 Side 2 19:27 Side 3 23:24 Side 4 26:42 INTRODUCTION to Nikisch's recordings and his art of conducting see below! Arthur Nikisch was the most famous conductor of his times. Unfortunately there exist only few recordings with him and all are from the acoustic era. Hence, for us Nikisch stands in the shadow of his great successor Wilhelm Furtwängler. But Nikisch was the only conductor Furtwängler really admired. He wrote: "Nikisch vermochte es eben, ein Orchester singen zu machen. Dies... ist etwas höchst Seltenes." ("Nikisch was able to let an orchestra sing. This... is something very rare.") Nikisch himself admired Richard Wagner, not only as composer, but also as conductor. He played at least two times as violinist under his baton. From Wagner he got the idea of modulation of tempo as a condition for real melos and expression. But the ability to realise this idea in a perfect way came out of Nikisch himself. Many contemporaries described Nikisch as a magician. So the question for us is: Can we experience these wonderful qualities from the few recordings that were made under primitive conditions about hundred years ago? My answer is: yes, to a large degree. Of course there are final losses, but there is enough left for us to experience the essence of his art. I made every effort to transfer the two shellacs (Grammophon 65906 and 69567) into the digital world. There is no manipulation of sound (equalisation: flat). Hence, the surface noises of the shellacs might be louder than you are used to. But this is the price we have to pay for getting the full sound of the records.(You should not use headphones for this transfer.) I let the record breaks untouched because they belong to the recording sessions of that time .If you don't like listen with gaps you may click on the indicated starting time of the next side (below the video) when the current side ends. The two short silent films at the beginning are rare (not on Youtube as far as I know) and illustrate very clearly Nikisch's way of conducting. He moves his arms and hands precisely but at the same time you might feel his magic influence upon the orchestra. A good transfer should be in accordance with these visual impressions and with the statements of the contemporaries about Nikisch. I hope I have settled this task. How difficult it is you can recognize by the fact that I had to offer two versions. As indicated in the video the first version is best for listening with only a computer. The loudness is still not very high but should be enough in most cases. If necessary put the volume at 100 percent. For this version I had to double the maximum loudness in the film program. This means one more step of computing with the result of less musicality. I did it because many people listen just this way. But if you are seriously interested in Nikisch's art you should connect your computer with a good HiFi system and listen to the second version. Then you will marvel and understand why Arthur Nikisch was so famous.

Europe celebrates Beethoven


 

By Thomas Schüle

Professor of Music Management and Musicology at Liceo Conservatory of Music, Theater and Dance

Director, International Relations at INTERKULTUR

Former Vice Director Sales at Staatsoper Stuttgart


I´m off to Vienna to sing Beethoven's 9th with the Vienna Singakademie and the Vienna Symphony Orchestra! 

Tuesday, May 7, 2024, marks the 200th anniversary of the premiere of Beethoven's world-famous Ninth Symphony. ARTE and ORF are taking this as an opportunity for a unique European TV music event and broadcasting the four movements of "the Ninth" live (time-shifted) one after the other from four European cities, interpreted by four top orchestras, each under top-class musical direction. Viewers can experience this extraordinary concert event in front of the TV screen.


The Gewandhaus Orchestra under Andris Nelsons opens the evening in Leipzig with the first movement. It continues with the Orchestre de Paris, which can be heard in the Philharmonie de Paris with the second movement under Klaus Mäkelä. The third movement will be interpreted by Riccardo Chailly conducting the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala. For the fourth and final movement, ARTE returns to the city of the world premiere, Vienna. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra will perform under Petr Popelka. Exciting!





FIRST CLASSICAL CONCERT of 15-year-old Karolina Protsenko | Mendelssohn ...


15 year old Karolina Protsenko is playing Mendelssohn Violin Concerto In E Minor as soloist with Orchestra Nova LA for the first time. Karolina is playing on a Carl Becker violin Chicago 1937. Big thanks to Karolina's violin teacher Sam Fischer for nourishing her musical talent and being a great classical violin mentor for her. Condactor: Ivan Shulman Videographer: Sam Liu Soundman: Jeff Dollente

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Barry White - Cant Get Enough Of You Love Babe (Remix)



42,923,607 views Jan 22, 2015

Rickmansworth Young Musician of the Year 2024 - Elizabeth Pinyan Guo -


Rickmansworth Young Musician of the Year 2024 - 2nd Prize Winner - Elizabeth Pinyan Guo - Piano Clair de Lune - Debussy

Prokofiev - Dance of the Knights


Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet, No 13 Dance of the Knights Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev (Russian: Серге́й Серге́евич Проко́фьев, tr. Sergej Sergeevič Prokof'ev)[1][2] (27 April [O.S. 15 April] 1891 -- 5 March 1953)[3] was a Russian composer, pianist[4][5] and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is generally regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century.

Nine-year-old Wilson Liu Performs Prokofiev's Prelude Op. 12, No. 7


Nine-year-old pianist Wilson Liu, a student at the Juilliard Pre-College program, performs Prokofiev Prelude.

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

LOVE'S THEME - HOLLAND SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA



Paolo Conte - Via Con Me



Felicità - Karolina Protsenko & Daniele Vitale Sax | Behind The Scenes



15-Year-Old Karolina Protsenko plays "Love Theme" by Ennio Morricone



Rhythm of the rain


Saturday, April 27, 2024

How Cecile Azarcon creates hit songs in just a few minutes

BY ROBERT REQUINTINA


AT A GLANCE

  • Cecile revealed she would treat music fans to new songs at the concert.


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Cecile Azarcon

Cecile Azarcon's story as a singer and songwriter began when she was 19. At this age, she wrote the powerful, inspirational song "Lift Up Your Hands," which was popularized by Basil Valdez.

"Ang daming storya ng 'Lift Up Your Hands.' That's the song that ushered in my music career. Who would have thought an inspirational song would be played on the radio?" recalled Cecile during a recent Zoom from California with the entertainment media. Cecile is set to celebrate her 45th anniversary in the music business with an all-star concert at The Theatre in Solaire on May 24 and 25.

After 45 years in the music industry, Cecile can still vividly recall how she created this smash hit. 

"When I wrote that song, words and music came to me in 10 minutes. It's a divinely inspired song. I didn't even have a Bible in front of me. Hindi ako nag bukas ng Bible tapos sinabi ko, 'Uy maganda itong verse na ito magawa nga ng kanta.' I didn't have an idea that it was based on Matthew 11:28.

"May alam naman ako sa Bible. Somehow lumabas na lang yun. I was on the phone with a friend of mine. She's the daughter of our pastor. Mahirap kapag pastor's kid ka. Marami pa ring challenges. She was troubled at that time, so I told her not to do anything drastic and I prayed for her. After we put down the phone, the words and the music came about.

"So excited ako. And I was hanging out at Vicor or Blackgold Records yata. And there was a piano. Kapag may piano nangangati ang kamay ko. So I played the song. Hindi ko alam dumadaan si Basil Valdez. Nakikinig na pala siya sa labas ng pintuan. 

"After I sang the song, pumasok siya at sabi niya,  'What's that song?' Sabi ko it' nothing. Then sabi niya, 'Well, I'm doing my first English OPM album. Can I include it?" Tuwang-tuwa ako. Hindi ako makapaniwala. Kasama yan sa album niya na Corner of the Sky. Ang 'Lift Up Your Hands' nasa Side B. It's not even the carrier of the album.  

"Tapos wala siyang payola. Hindi siya tinutugtog sa radyo. This DJ naman (George Poon) got into trouble with the station manager for playing 'Lift Up Your Hands.' It's not on the playlist. He broke the playlist rule. It became an overnight success so pinatawad siya ng boss niya. He wasn't fired. And the rest is history," Cecile said.

Now living in the US, Cecile was amazed that she was still part of the music industry after 45 years.

"Masayang-masaya ako. I cannot contain the joy and gratitude I have in my heart. Kasi wala naman nag-expect na aabot ka ng 45 years in your career lalo na sa music industry. Yung ibang kasabay ko mga ka-contemporary ko wala na like Willy Cruz, Rico J. Puno, George Canseco. Inabot ko pa si George. We used to hang out at Vicor. 

"I am grateful. And I feel bad dahil yung iba hindi nabigyan ng ganitong pagkakataon na mabigyan ng tribute. Siguro nabigyan man pero wala na sila," she said.

(I am grateful. And I feel bad because the others were not given this opportunity to be given a tribute. Maybe they were given, but they are gone.)

Cecile once joked with pop diva Kuh Ledesma about arranging a concert tribute in her honor. 

"Niloloko ko nga si Kuh Ledesma noon. She recorded most of my songs. Sabi ko, 'Kuh baka naman bibigyan mo ako ng tribute kapag patay na ako. So she gave me one in 1988. It was the first concert that featured all Azarcon songs at the Music Museum. I'm so happy na yung mga kanta ko kinakanta nila sa karaoke and nire-revive pa rin," she said.

(I was telling Kuh Ledesma then. She recorded most of my songs. I said, 'Kuh, maybe you will give me a tribute when I am dead.' So she gave me one in 1988. It was the first concert that featured all Azarcon songs at the Music Museum. I'm glad they are singing my songs at karaoke and are still reviving them.)

In 2013, Cecile's song "One More Try" became the Kapuso series "My Husband's Lover" theme, starring Dennis Trillo, Tom Rodriguez, and Carla Abellana.

Kuh, who was also part of the series, convinced Cecile to use the song in the primetime series. Cecile was okay with her music being included in a gay-themed project.

"I'm very open-minded naman. At maganda ang naging kwento ng series. In fact, ang nag convince sa akin na gamitin yung kanta for that teleserye was Kuh Ledesma. She was part of the series, playing a mother. I'm very happy na nabuhay muli ang kanta because of that serye," Cecile said.

"One More Try" came when she had been writing depressing songs. She needed to write songs that conveyed positive thoughts.

"One of my favorite songs is 'One More Try.' I wrote that for my sister. I hope she won't mind if I share it. My older sister was going through a difficult time in her marriage.

"I just realized na ang dami ko ng songs na isinulat pero depressing. So parang gusto ko naman magsulat ng something positive. Nagdasal naman ako. Sabi ko, 'Lord, bigyan mo naman ako ng song na positive.' That's how 'One More Try' came about. Huwag kang mag-give up. You hold on," she added.

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Songs for other artists

Cecile has been approached by some artists who asked for songs, but she has yet to offer anything. She had to decline because the songs needed to match their personality.

"It's always a privilege when a singer approaches me and asks for a song. Hindi naman ako mapili na dapat sikat ka or may pangalan ka. I have given songs to total unknowns, and it doesn't matter. Minsan hindi ko alam ang kahihinatnan ng kantang binigay ko. Basta magaan ang loob ko, mabait siya, gusto kong tulungan, bibigyan ko talaga ng kanta.

(It's always a privilege when a singer approaches me and asks for a song. I'm not picky that you must be famous. I have given songs to total unknowns, and it doesn't matter. Sometimes, I don't know the outcome of the song I gave. As long as I'm happy, they are kind, and I want to help, I'll provide them with a song.)

Cecile mentioned being friends with the late singer Rico J. Puno and Divine Diva Zsa Zsa Padilla, but couldn't provide any of their songs.

"Isang tao na may sama ng loob sa akin ay si Rico J. Puno. He's also my kumpare. He's been asking for a song and wala talaga akong maibigay sa kanya.

"But I was touched and blessed because nakausap ko yung anak niyang si Tosca. When Rico was in his death bed, the last song that he sang, na pinakanta niya sa mga anak niya, was 'Lift Up Your Hands.' Sayang sana binigyan ko siya ng kanta. 

"Si Zsa Zsa Padilla naman she did a video noong birthday ko. Nag sentiment din siya na hindi ko raw siya nabibigyan ng kanta. I was thankful when she said yes as one of the singers who will interpret my songs.

"Zsa Zsa is also a good friend. She was just a voice student when she was starting. Noong humihingi siya ng kanta, hindi ko talaga siya mabigyan. Pero noong meron na akong kanta, hindi naman siya nag re-recording. So it was not yet meant to be. I hope in the future I would be able to give songs na babagay sa kanila," Cecile said.

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Writing songs

Cecile disclosed that some of her greatest hits were composed in just a few minutes. And she was inspired when she wrote these songs.

"Kapag inspired ka, walang effort. May flow lang. You picture the moment. Kapag tumagal ka ng tumagal, hindi na inspiration yun eh. Pwersado na. Kadalasan kapag lumagpas na ng isang oras, tumitigil na ako.

(When you are inspired, there is no effort. There is only flow. You picture the moment. When you take a long time, it is no longer an inspiration. It is forced. Usually, after an hour passes, I stop.)

"Sometimes it lands in the trash. Minsan may mga kanta na dapat balikan mo. Yung mga nag-hit yun ang mga mabilis ko lang talagang ginawa. So ang advice ko sa mga songwriters, kapag inspired ka sa moment na yun, huwag mo ng pakawalan. 

(Sometimes, it lands in the trash. Sometimes, there are songs that you have to go back to. The hits were the ones that I made quickly. So my advice to songwriters is, don't let go when you're inspired in that moment.)

"There was even a time na nasa restaurant ako. I was having lunch with a friend, and then tinanong ko lang siya, 'Did you sleep well last night?' Sabi niya, "Yes, but with a heartache.' Alam mo sa table napkin nakasulat ako. You have to capture the moment," she said.

In some cases, Cecile treats herself or her best friends when her song becomes a hit or is featured in a movie or TV show.

"I treat my friends. Halimbawa may naghit akong kanta, or nafeature sa isang pelikula and then nabayaran ako, manlilibre ako or I treat them out.

"One time 'Ikaw Ang Lahat Sa Akin' was featured in a teleserye. Tamang-tama, from Seattle kaka-move lang namin sa California ng family ko. I remember I bought a grand piano. That's how I treated myself," she said.

Asked about the formula for longevity in showbiz, Cecile said: "Wala talagang nakaka-alam nyan eh. Ako rin hindi makapaniwala na tumagal ako ng 45 years. Ako I just wrote to express myself. Just be true to yourself. If it's meant to be, then it's meant to be. 

"Sa akin, yung mga naghit, tulad ng 'Lift Up Your Hands,' 10 minutes (ko lang ginawa). 'How Did You Know' 20 minutes. Matagal na yung 30 minutes or isang oras para gumawa ka ng kanta," she said.

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Making music for 45 years

Cecile said she was coming home to Manila on May 10. The last time she visited the country was in 2017. People thought her songs would only be featured in the concert, but she would be part of the tribute show. She revealed that she would perform new songs at the concert.

Kuh Ledesma, Janno Gibbs, Jam Morales, Fe de los Reyes, Jackie Lou Blanco, Mark Bautista, Timmy Pavino, and Isabella Gonzales will join Azarcon to perform her works in the concert.

Martin Nievera, Iwi Laurel, and Nicole Asensio will also participate in the celebration on May 24, and Ogie Alcasid, Zsa Zsa Padilla, and Katrina Velarde on May 25.

Among Azarcon’s other big hits are "Reaching Out" by Gary Valenciano and "Special Memory" by Iwi Laurel from the soundtrack of the movie Hotshots, "So It’s You" by Raymond Lauchengco from the Bagets soundtrack; "I Think I’m in Love," and "One More Try" by Kuh Ledesma; "How Did You Know?" by Chiqui Pineda and Valenciano; "Even If" by Jam Morales, "Sana ay Ikaw Na Nga" also by Valdez; "Ikaw ang Lahat sa Akin" by Martin Nievera and others.

Cecile revealed she would treat music fans to new songs at the concert.

"Meron pa akong mga songs na nakatago pa sa baul at ipaparinig ko sa inyo. I have a song na kakantahin ko for my mom. She passed away in November 2021. She was just a few weeks shy of her birthday. The year after December 2022, pagpasok ko sa bahay, derecho agad ako sa piano. Wala siyang lyrics. Talagang piano lang. It's called 'Memories of You.' I'm going to play that at the concert.

"Of course, the people will be looking forward to the hits. Pero para sa akin, I want to impart something. That night is about making memories. I am making memories with all of you. Na minsan magkasama tayo. Parang kanta ni Florante. I want to share yung mga kanta ko na hindi pa naririnig. As in wala pang nakakarinig," she added.