Music

On March 25, the renowned Filipino pianist, Raul M. Sunico, performed in an intimate concert at the Calcutta School of Music. Sunico, who earned his doctorate in music from Juilliard, has performed with a number of exceptional orchestras, including the Moscow Philharmonic. He has also released multiple recordings: they include his piano transcriptions of traditional Filipino love songs (known as kundimans) and folk tunes, concertos by Camille Saint-Saëns and Lucino Sacramento, solo classical pieces and original compositions. Sunico is also the only pianist in the world to have performed the four technically-challenging piano concertos of Sergei Rachmaninoff in one evening.

After a powerful address by the Filipino ambassador, Maria Teresita C. Daza, about the pervasive influence of music in the lives of the people of India and the Philippines, Sunico took the stage. He played sans sheet music, and held his audience captive. The first half of the programme included three Rachmaninoff preludes, Aragón by Longas, two études and a waltz by Chopin, and a waltz and an extended piece for solo piano - La Plus Que Lente and L'isle Joyeuse respectively - by Debussy. He created a warm, clear sound with his piano, and his ear and instincts both responded musically. It was during the playing of the Rachmaninoff preludes that he was at his surest. Sunico has a well-honed technique that supported him throughout the concert; however, not once did his playing seem mechanical. There was a sense of intimate involvement with the music.

The second half of the programme included three Gershwin preludes and Liszt's Liebestraum and Vallee d'Obermann, both of which are sets of three suites for solo piano. The segment also included pieces by Filipino composers, some of which were arranged by Sunico. There was the Nocturne in C-sharp minor by Abelardo, who was a prolific Filipino composer. There was also a song called "Bato sa Buhangin", composed by E. Cuenco and arranged by Sunico. The most enjoyable piece in the second segment was the medley of two Filipino ditties, " Bahay Kubo" and "Leron Leron Sinta". (It turned out that the soft-spoken musician has a sense of humour; he said that " Leron Leron Sinta" was difficult to translate into English, much like the French phrase, "Ooh la la!") When his fingers moved with lightning speed over the piano, it was evident that Sunico is not just a classical pianist; he is also an arranger, and his skill was evident even within the structural boundaries of the classical piano. The Filipino jazz artist, Tateng Katindig, has been known to adroitly play a grand piano and another keyboard at the same time; Sunico made one instrument sound like two. He started Liebestraum powerfully, then lulled his audience into a reverie, only to jerk them awake and take them on a ride. His gift as a pianist was evident.

Responding to entreaties for an encore, Sunico played a charming medley of the melodies from My Fair Lady. He was at his joyful best playing I Could Have Danced All Night and Wouldn't It Be Loverly?, as these fulfilled his love for grand-manner performances.