Francisco Santiago - Souvenir de Filipinas (Lulay) - Enzo

[emill]

 

One of the most prominent Filipino composer was Dr. Francisco Santiago (1889-1947)
who was also a pianist.  The piece "Lulay" is a popular Filipino folk dance/song which
speaks about the difficulty of courtship from a male point of view.   Dr. Santiago
arranged the folk song for piano into the "Souvenir de Filipinas" where the influence
of Liszt becomes obvious.  Hope you like it ... Thank you for any comment.

For those interested, the traditional dance version is usually played by a rondalla
(https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-rondalla.htm):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxASz3jO998&NR=1

As can be seen, the moves in the dance and the costumes show a strong
Spanish influence, the Philippines having been a colony of Spain for almost 400 years.

I can secure a zip or rar copy of the piece and send it to anyone who
wants to take a look at it or better still tinker with it.  Just send me a
Private Message with your email.

[becky8898]

Hi Emil: the video is coming up as private. wont play

Cheers, Becky

[birba]

Yes, you have to change it from private to non-listed.

[emill]

THANKS ... the video is posting properly now!!

Sorry for that dumb mistake....

[ladypianist]

Hello Enzo. Let me say as always you do such a splendid presentation. Since I am not familiar with this piece , let me make a few general statements.  When you do a piece of this nature with so many notes, one must spend a great deal of energy to maintain the melody amongst all that is going on.  The continuity must be preserved, which in effect means not only being able to start impressive technical passages , but also to finish them. This can be no easy feat at times. Once the hands start moving quickly , bringing them to a halt gracefully can be a real challenge. 

Of course I would love to hear your own words on how you feel about this piece, what your vision of it is.

I will shortly be posting a new recording I had made of myself playing Lacampenella.  ( Yes this old women can still play a few notes ). It will probably say far better about what I mentioned above. I would be honored if you listened and cared to comment. 

As always Enzo you delight and enlighten.

Lady Pianist

[rachfan]

Hi Enzo and emill,

Wonderful playing, Enzo!  This souvenir has charm, poetry, energy, and bravura playing.  I admit it's the first time I'd heard it, but I believe you play it very well with much confidence too.  I marvel at how quickly you learn and master pieces all the while expanding your repertoire.  Great!

Lady Pianst raises an important point about your "vision" for the piece.  I can share with you that I always have a "program" for any piece I play--always.  The vision guides musical intent which in turn guides execution at the keyboard, thereby producing vivid images for the listener.  As you get older, Enzo, this aspect of vision in performing will become easier for you as you gain more life experiences, reflect on them, and then bring them into your interpretation and performances as needed.  It's of great importance in my opinion.

I always look forward to your videos.

David