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Thursday, July 6, 2023

The Way We Were - Lucy Thomas - (Official Music Video)


The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand - Lucy Thomas Cover I hope you enjoy my recording of this beautiful Oscar winning song from the film "The Way We Were" starring the wonderful Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford❤️️ "The Way We Were" was written in 1973 by Marvin Hamlisch, Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman the film "The Way We Were" starring Barbra Streisand who also recorded the original version of the song. "The Way We Were" won the Oscar and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song as well as the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1974.

Jose Mari Chan, Pilita Corrales and the sounds from 50 years ago


SOUNDS FAMILIAR - Baby A. Gil - The Philippine Star 

July 7, 2023 | 12:00am


What a coincidence. As Can We Just Stop and Talk a While was playing on the car radio, I saw a huge Jose Mari Chan on the back of a bus hawking insurance, in front of me. It was a nice picture showing a man of a sunshiny personality. It is just what you would expect somebody who has become an enduring symbol of the Filipino-Christmas celebration to look like.


2023 is halfway over. It is now July. Soon JMC will be heard again singing his Christmas in Our Hearts, which has become so much a part of our lives. I like it that a Christmas pop song by a Filipino artist has won popular acceptance and now stands toe to toe with modern foreign carols.


I also like it that Can We Just Stop and Talk a While still gets radio airplay. Would you believe that the recording was released in 1973? That means that the song is now 50 years old.  Its message remains timely and its sparkling arrangement still sounds great.


After the success of his early recordings like Afterglow and Deep in My Heart in 1969, JMC took a break from his music career. It was only in 1973 that he was entice to record again.  The song he did was Can We Just Stop and Talk a While.


The lead cut in the album of the same title, which by the way, also had the beautiful Refrain, Can We Just Stop and Talk a While became a finalist at Tokyo’s Yamaha Popular Song Festival and one of the year’s biggest hits. It was also the beginning of a new phase in JMC’s singing career that would later include big sellers like Beautiful Girl and Constant Change.


I see 1973 as a year of transition for the local music industry. It was on the verge of a massive uprising. The few years before had the Nora Aunor phenomenon, the young combos like RJ and the Riots and the jukebox kings like Eddie Peregrina and Victor Wood.


The first game changers were the young showband The New Minstrels, which scored a big hit out of an old Tagalog song, Buhat. Then, the Spanish and Cebuano speaking mestiza Pilita Corrales followed suit with Kapantay ay Langit.


With such sounds in the air, music lovers became most receptive to the new sounds  themselves. In fact, they were eager to embrace the changes that were afoot in 1973.


A trio of rockers took it upon themselves to record something different, the bluesy ballad Himig Natin. With this song, Mike Hanopol, Wally Gonzales and Joey “Pepe” Smith as the Juan de la Cruz Band introduced Pinoy Rock.


A group of talented young musicians got together to form the Circus Band. Among them were soon to be big stars Basil Valdez, Hajji Alejandro, Pat Castillo, Pabs Dadivas, Tillie Moreno and instrumentalists Gerry Paraiso, Menchu Apostol, Atek Jacinto and Rudy Lozano.


The campus idols Apolinario Hiking Society staged a farewell concert in preparation to joining the corporate world. Some of them did. Three, however, stayed to join showbusiness and became the APO Hiking Society, Jim Paredes, Danny Javier and Boboy Garrovillo. It was the beginning of a hitmaking career that is still going great after 50 years.


Elsewhere, Dennis Garcia, frontman of a band that he named Hotdog, gave a young Assumptionista named Ella del Rosario a sweet ballad titled Pers Lab to record. That song would usher in a revolution that came to be known as the Manila Sound. It was the beginning of the golden age of Filipino pop music.


It feels unbelievable that all these great sounds happened 50 years ago and are still as popular as ever.


And I got to thinking. Which one among today’s hit songs will the people of 50 years in the future be listening to? Hopefully to many of them. What I am sure of though is they will still do their Christmas shopping to the tune of Christmas in our Hearts.

This Land Is Mine – André Rieu


Piano Professor Breaks Down 16 Legendary Pianists’ Techniques


Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Doctor Zhivago - Lara's Theme



"SING, SING, SING" BY BENNY GOODMAN



Josh Groban - You'll Never Walk Alone [AUDIO]


A. Dvořák: Slavonic Dances (standing ovations) - amazing performance!


op.46 and op.72: 1.) No. 8 in G minor (Furiant) op.46 2.) No. 5 in A major (Skočná) op.46 3.) No. 2 in E minor (Starodávný) op.72 4.) No. 7 in C major (Kolo) op.72 Concert was sold out in record time of two days (1500 seats, Gallus Hall, Cankarjev dom, Slovenia). Our kids played stunningly and set a new standard of playing and performing. This is first real film based Slavonic Dances. Conductor: maestro Nejc Bečan; concert master: Nejc Avbelj; sound design: Mitja Krže; head of production: Grega Jeraša; sound mastering: Iztok Zupan (Klopotec production); concert and film director: Primož Zevnik

Stairway to Heaven with Amazing Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra


Gimnazija Kranj Great Spring Concert 2012 in Gallus Hall, Cankarjev dom. 20.th concert anniversary. Music, Rhythm and Dance. 10 years of Gimnazija Kranj Symphony Orchestra. Also a celebration of 20th year of our lead sponsor: Hranilnica Lon bank. They performed legendary rock ballad: Stairway to Heaven. Arrangement: Marjan Peternel. Sold out concert and amazing performance

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

PPO Young People's Concert presents CCP music scholars

BY MANILA BULLETIN ENTERTAINMENT


AT A GLANCE

  • This will be the first time that the PPO will be performing at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. With the CCP Main Building undergoing rehabilitation, the leading arts institution partners with various performing arts venues around to continue to provide world-class shows and programs to both Filipino and international audiences.


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Adrian Ong

The Cultural Center of the Philippines, with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra, presents the PPO Young People’s Concert, featuring the CCP young music scholars namely flutist Mark Kenedy Rocas, violinist Adrian Nicolas Ong, and pianist Aidan Baracol, on July 7, 4 pm, at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater.

This will be the first time that the PPO will be performing at the Samsung Performing Arts Theater. With the CCP Main Building undergoing rehabilitation, the leading arts institution partners with various performing arts venues around to continue to provide world-class shows and programs to both Filipino and international audiences.

Performing under the baton of Maestro Herminigildo Ranera, the country’s leading orchestra with the young musicians will be performing Jacques Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld Overture, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 (First and Second Movement), Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2.

Born and raised in Cavite, Rocas started playing the flute at nine years old. He later joined the General Trias Band 89, under the baton of Frenvee Andra, and became a member of the Philippine Youth Symphonic Band from 2005 to 2012.

Rocas studied at the Philippine High School for the Arts and performed his first recital at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) in 2011. He has a music degree from the UP College of Music and trained under Prof. Enrique Barcelo, Prof. Antonio Maigue, and Francisco Candelaria. He has taken several masterclasses under renowned international artists such as Daniel Agi of the Handwerk Ensemble (Germany), Christoph Bosh of the Phoenix Ensemble (Basel), Michael Sitsky, Raphael Leone of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, and Ulrich Muller Doppler.

His accolades include first prize winner at the National Music Competition for Young Artists (NAMCYA) Woodwind Category C; a delegate to the 2019 ASEAN Music Festival in Haiphong, Vietnam, and at the 48th anniversary of the Philippines-UAE Diplomatic Relations in Louvre Abu Dhabi, 2022.

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Aidan Baracol

Rocas is currently the assistant principal flute of the UP Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Chino Toledo.

Meanwhile, Adrian Nicolas Ong received a scholarship from the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where he served as a concertmaster and later graduated with honors. He trained under mentors Mellissa Geronimo Esguerra, Gina Medina-Perez, Paul Sonner, Lewis Kaplan, and Yibin Li. Ong recently graduated with honors from Mannes School of Music in New York City and studied with renowned violinist Stefan Jackiw.

Ong made his professional debut at 17 with PPO under former music director and principal conductor Yoshikazu Fukumura and performed with the PPO at the 2018 Asia Region Suzuki Conference. He participated in the Curtis Summerfest Young Artist Program, where he held principal and concertmaster positions.

He was the first recipient of the NYC Recital Debut Award from the FilAm Music Foundation and performed his Carnegie Hall debut in May 2023, where he performed a solo recital at Weill Recital Hall with Victor Asuncion.

While studying abroad, Ong remains connected to the Philippines. Being part of the FilAM Music Foundation’s roster of young artists and a scholar of the Friends for Cultural Concerns of the Philippines (FCCP), he has spearheaded fundraising concerts for both groups at home and abroad.

He is slated to do touring concerts with the Asian Youth Orchestra in various parts of Asia and Europe in July 2023. Ong continues to give back by being a mentor to the Philippine Suzuki Youth Orchestra and many other young musicians.

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Mark Kenedy Rocas

Aidan Ezra Baracol started playing the piano at 10, initially expressing his musicality and fascination with rhythm through drums. He began his formal piano lessons under Prof. Godofredo Areza and did his first solo piano recital at the SEARCA Auditorium, University of the Philippines in 2017. He later trained under masters such as Prof. Josue Greg Zuniega and Prof. Anthony Say.

He also studied under Roberta Rust, Wael Farouk, Joanna MacGregor, Jovianney Emmanuel Cruz, Nelson de la Vign Fabri, Adam Kent, Chi Ying Hung, Anait Karpova, Joy Song, Chiarra Cipelli, Alexander Tchobanov, Elodie Vignon, Oliver Salonga, Stephen Joven Lee, Carmencita Sipin Aspiras, Inna Montesclaros, and Ross Salvosa.

In the last three years, Baracol has won in various local and international piano competitions, including first prize Junior Piano category, Best Interpretation of the Contest Piece at the NAMCYA 2020; first prize, 6th Steinway Youth Piano Competition (Advanced Class Category C) in 2022; first prize, 2022 Sonora Piano Competition Category B2; first prize, 2021 Beethoven & Beyond Piano Competition Category B1, Piano Teacher’s Guild of the Philippines Foundation, Inc. Manila; second prize, 2021 Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition (Philippine Leg); second prize in the 5th Steinway Youth Piano Competition (Advanced Class Category) in 2020; and second prize in the 2019 Kayserburg International Youth Piano Competition (Philippine Leg,  Junior Category).

He also earned distinctions in international online piano competitions such as the 2022 Singapore International Piano Competition, 2021 Great Masters International Piano Competition Vladimir Horowitz Edition, 2022 International Music Association Gloria Artis in Vienna Competition, 2nd International Piano Competition in 2020; 2021 International Clara Schumann Competition; 2021 World Classical Music Awards Online Competition; 1st International Piano Competition in 2021; and 2021 Sugree Charoensook International Music Competition of Thailand.

Baracol was one of the featured artists at the PPO 50th Anniversary Gala Concert held recently at the Manila Metropolitan Theater, performing alongside world-renowned pianist Raul Sunico and tenor Arthur Espiritu.

Catch the three young virtuoso musicians at the PPO Young People’s Concert this July 7. For more details, visit the CCP website (www.culturalcenter.gov.ph) or follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tiktok

Monday, July 3, 2023

Most Difficult FILIPINO Songs of All Time!!!


MGA KANTANG PINOY NA MAHIRAP KANTAHIN MOST DEFFICULT FILIPINO SONGS OF ALL TIME HARDEST FILIPINO SONGS OF ALL TIME SAYANG NA SAYANG BY AEGES SAYANG NA SAYANG BY AEGES LIVE HANGGANG NGAYON BY KYLA HANNGANG NGAYON BY KYLA LIVE AKIN KA NALANG BY MORISSETTE AMON AKIN KA NALANG BY MORISSETTE AMON LIVE WISH BUS KAHIT KAILAN BY SOUTHBORDER BRIX FERRARIS KAHIT KAILAN LIVE SOUTHBORDER LIVE BUKAS NALANG KITA MAMAHALIN BY LANI MISALUCHA BUKAS NALANG KITA MAMAHALIN BY LANI MISALUCHA LIVE WISH BUS Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.

VIA DOLOROSA - Lea Salonga



Mission Impossible


Storm - Vanessa Mae to 432 Hz



Sunday, July 2, 2023

Vanessa-Mae plays Toccata & Fugue