Music, memories and machismo

It was an evening of music, of course, but also of convivial company, waves of emotions and memories, wine and cheeses from Davao, reflective silence, and a grand finale with the playing of a truly moving rendition of “Bayan Ko.”

Joaquin Maria “Chino” Gutierrez, a violinist who is well on his way to achieving mastery of his “voice,” gave a recital for friends, fans and benefactors on the last weekend of July. The occasion was partly to thank everyone who had, through the years, contributed to his education and training in Europe, and to raise funds for his participation in various violin competitions he is taking part in.

But it was also an evening for walking down memory lane, since this columnist, at least, had been following the trajectory of his musical career ever since, as a young student, he displayed his extraordinary talent in school assemblies. Even then, I was quite impressed with Chino’s artistic integrity and dignity. For even if he must have been aware that he was playing in front of an audience of his friends and classmates and their parents, he didn’t resort to pandering to our rather pedestrian tastes, but instead persisted in regaling us with classical pieces.

That night’s “intimate Musikabend” (a pleasant evening of music, in German) called “Sentimentos Two,” held at the Bayleaf Hotel overlooking the walls of Intramuros, was meant to entertain, with short romantic pieces, danzas and violin arrangements of a  kundiman  and a native ditty about life in rural areas. In a little over an hour, the guests were transported to Gypsy camps, meadows in Europe, romantic Spain, and the fields of our native land. Not a bad bargain for an evening’s trek through the traffic-littered streets of Manila!

But as I said earlier, the real highlight was an encore piece, Chino’s rendition of “Bayan Ko,” which I didn’t even know had its own classical and dramatic version for the violin. I could feel patriotic tears welling in my chest soon after!

I could hear murmurs of appreciation from other tables, and almost every number was followed by warm, enthusiastic applause. What a celebratory way to acknowledge not just a youthful talent, but also the wealth of talent among us, the wealth of a musical legacy that I hope Chino will share and pass on to generations to follow.

A word of acknowledgment, too, to Mary Anne Espina who accompanied Chino on the piano. She is acknowledged as one of the best collaborators today, teaming up with local and international artists in many major events and concerts. With impeccable timing, she enhanced Chino’s artistry, and shone with every solo passage of the piano. Mary Anne belongs to a family of artists and journalists from Bacolod, and we indeed are lucky to call her a friend.

Hated to besmirch this column on artistry and the joys of music with this, but I just had to join in to add my voice in protest of Senate President Tito Sotto’s remarks regarding women, men and sexual abuse.

In Sotto’s view, when a man fondles (hinihipuan) a woman, as long as no malice is involved, then he is not at fault. I wonder for what reason a man would paw a woman’s body, especially sensitive body parts, with no malice in mind.

Sotto’s “defense” actually enables sexual predators to violate the spaces—not to mention the bodies—of women they may not even know. So frequent and numerous have the complaints been aired by women passengers on the LRT/MRT, on public buses, jeepneys and even on the streets to believe men’s claim of innocence. Fondling, aka “chancing,” is too often a deliberate act—planned and executed with stealth, cunning and malice.

News reports say Sotto stood up from his seat in the Senate rostrum to step down and directly interpellate Sen. Risa Hontiveros on her bill seeking to expand the coverage of the antisexual harassment law. By doing so, he actively took the cudgels for all sexual predators—all the slimy, oily, smarmy men who think being male blesses them with the privilege of exploiting any and every woman they encounter. As one blogger put it: “I need a drink of Pepsi!”

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