SIC February 22, 2018

Iqui Vinculado

Programme

I. Pasaje Abierto Edin Solis

i. Prelude
ii. Danza

II. Batang Laro Bayani Mendoza de Leon

i. Harangang Taga
ii. Buwan-Buwan
iii. Agawan sa Base

III. Kundiman ng Langit Augusto Espino

Arr. by Jose Valdez

IV. Dilaab (“Kindred Spirits”) Kim Nimrod Cruz

V. Sa Kabukiran Manuel Velez

Arr. Jose Valdez
 Program Notes

Pasaje Abierto Edin Solis (b.1963)

Suggestive of a journey into a broad, natural open space, Pasaje Abierto (Open Lane)
was originally written in 2000 by the group Ë ditus for their album Decadauno.
Based on forms and sounds from traditional Costa Rican music, the piece was
adapted in two movements for the guitar at the request of the organizers of the
National Guitar Competition of Costa Rica in 2005, so that it could be included in the
competition as a mandatory piece. (Berta Rojas Program Notes at the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam)

Batang Laro (Child Play) Bayani Mendoza de Leon

Batang Laro, a child play suite for solo guitar, was inspired by animated
scenes of children playing native Philippine games in the composer's imagination.
The rhythmic motifs were drawn essentially from Philippine folk dances ranging
from the tuppaya-patung of the Igorots (Northern Philippine tribe), the habanera,
polka, balitaw, jota, and moro-moro of rural folks in Central Luzon and the Visayas,
and the inagung and tinambul of Mindanao. The composer made liberal use of these
rhythms, incorporating them into his own original dance-like melodies. As such, the
various pieces in this suite can lend themselves to choreographic inventions that can
be performed with the music, along the lines of Philippine children's games
specified in each number. This work was commissioned by Angelito Agcaoili and
Manuel Soriano.

Kundiman ng Langit (Heaven’s Love Song) Augusto Espino (b. 1957)

Arranged for Iqui by Jose Valdez

Augusto “Agot” Espino earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from the
University of the Philippines as a scholar. He is a pianist, pedagogue, Christian
songwriter, choral conductor, arranger, and a composer.

In the Philippines, the term Kundiman comes from the Tagalog phrase “kung hindi
man” or “if it were not so”. Kundiman is a type of love song that had existed since
early 19th century but had developed to into art song in the early 20th century.
Lyrics of the song:

KUNDIMAN NG LANGIT

May isang kundimang naiiba,

Daloy ay kay haba, waring hindi magwawakas;
Nilikha buhat sa langit, ng Amang tapat umibig;
Awitin, kundiman ng langit.

Himig ay sinulat ng Kanyang dugo,

Titik ay hinugot sa pusong ‘di magtatampo,
Ang hatid ay kaligtasan, at ang ating kalayaan;
Dinggin, kundimang ito.

Kay hiwaga ng pag-ibig na dulot Mo,

Kasalanan ko’y nilimot nang totoo;
Sa kabila ng ginawa ko; ako’y mahal na mahal Mo,
May hihigit pa ba sa pag-ibig Mo?

Sana’y tugunan ang haranang ito

Na binuhay ng kamatayang pinangtubos,
Sugat ay paghihilumin. Dungis nati’y lilinisin;
Damhin, pagsuyong ito.

May hihigit pa ba sa kundimang ito?

Dilaab Kim Nimrod Cruz (b.1990)

Kindred Spirits ("Dilaab") toys with the idea of interconnectedness of unique

individuals in their own right. The composer, Kim Nimrod Cruz, wishes to embody
that humanistic sense of belongingness that is innate in every core of the idea of
being human. True to the meaning of the Cebuano term "Dilaab" which loosely
translates to "Blaze" in a language more foreign, it identifies to how individuals burn
more brightly when they are ignited as twin flames, a state of being "kindred".

The composer restrained from using recent idiomatic techniques in writing

for this particular piece to allow a more personal but disciplined approach on tone
and ironic individuality in terms of style. Cruz allowed himself to be as far removed
from the dogmatic control of what traditional notation would suggest, the composer
would like to think of the word "unbound" instead of using "open" as to the manner
of how it was written and performed. This work may undeniably be the most
personal or even the most intimate work that Cruz had written, it was conceived in
his native country Philippines, resumed in Singapore and concluded in Indonesia
within a 4 month period in 2017, or maybe longer. It is with great desire that Cruz
transports his listeners to a particular place with this work without letting them
leave from their current circumstances.
Sa Kabukiran (In the Farmlands) Manuel Velez
Arranged by Jose Valdez

Sa Kabukiran (In the Farmlands) was originally written for soprano and first
introduced in Cebu in 1928. Its gay and happy melodies reflect life in the farms
without sadness. (www.himig.com.ph)

Sa Kabukiran was a Spanish song that was translated to Cebuano. The

Tagalog lyrics was written by the National Artist for Music and Literature Levi
Celerio and was popularized in a recording by Sylvia La Torre in 1940s that it
became a movie in 1947.