Last July 28th, Wednesday evening, on the occasion of the 280th death anniversary of Antonio Vivaldi, world-renowned Filipino pianist, Raul Sunico, gave a lecture recital titled “The Music of Italy Through The Centuries.”
The main intent was for members of the Philippine Italian Association to experience the various musical sounds of the different periods as they unfold over time. The online audience via Zoom was subsequently treated to a musical travelogue of Italy through the country’s music history spanning 2000 years of stylistic development and compositional trends and how Italy’s music and musicians have become the most important exponents of world music.
Highlights of the presentation include:
- Italy has been the source of musical inventions, such as the musical notation, musical instruments including the violin and the piano as well as opera and theater.
- The history of Italian music started as early as the ancient times when Rome was still the center of civilization and to this day remains a part of the republic of Italy.
- In 386, St Ambrose composed sets of hymns which have survived the popularity of the later Gregorian chant.
- Opera has a prominent role in the development of Italian music as well as the form of opera itself and Italian opera reached its golden age during the Romantic period.
- Verdi, an intensely private person, did not associate himself with high society, concentrating instead on proper remuneration for his work. Yet upon his death in 1901, his popularity was clearly demonstrated when his funeral service was attended by 300,000 people, considered the largest public assembly in Italy’s history.
- Ennio Morricone, the man behind spaghetti western soundtracks, a composer, conductor and orchestrator, has produced more than 500 scores for cinema and TV and contributed music to more than 70 award-winning films.
In the end, Dr. Sunico said, “The width and breadth of Italy’s musical figures and development are so spread out that it is difficult and almost impossible to just classify them by genres. As we progress to the 21st century, Italian musicians are certainly keeping pace with the rest of the world, discovering and creating new trends while keeping their old traditions of beautiful, expressive and inspiring music.”
In an earlier online Q & A, Dr. Raul Sunico shared with Soundstrip what brought about his latest lecture-recital and how musicians like him are surviving the pandemic.
Aside from celebrating the 280th death anniversary of Vivaldi, are there any other reasons that sparked the idea for this lecture recital?
The lecture recital is a project of the Philippine Italian Association for the benefit of its members, and in this case open to non-members, to generate some activities during the pandemic. The topic of Music History of Italy was upon my suggestion both as a member of the PIA Board and as a musician. The lecture recital is a combination of talk and play, where the performances are interspersed with the topic being discussed. A regular concert is pure performance without any dialogue.
Is this your first lecture recital? In the first place, is there any chance this solo recital will be accessible later on music portals?
I have had a number of lecture recitals before both here and abroad, where topics include Philippine Music History, Proper Singing of the National Anthem, Music of the Philippine Revolution (1896-98), Various Classical Recital Programs. The PIA will be the one to decide later whether this lecture recital will be accessible on other portals since this is their project.
We understand even non-PIA members can be a part of the recital by simply registering online. Will there be an effort to make some of the pieces be appreciated by the more pop-oriented millennials and rock heads like us?
Non-PIA members can also register on a first come-first served basis. The lecture part will explain the pieces I will be playing. It is up to the millennials and other non-classically oriented listeners how well they can absorb the lecture. It is all a matter of attitude and open-mindedness.
A lot of musicians keep harping the lack of opportunities to play their music live. Briefly, how are you surviving the pandemic?
I conduct online classes and individual online piano lessons at home. Unfortunately, live performances are still not possible until further notice but I try to practice regularly for when the proper time comes, hopefully soon.
What is the SSI Group and their role in your latest musical event?
SSI stands for Stores Specialists, Inc. which is the main sponsor of the event.