“LIBERATION 80 Years of the Philippine Republic,” an orchestral performance was a perfect gift in the celebration of the Philippine-American Friendship Day last July 4, 2026 held at the Manila Metropolitan Theater.
Or as the context in the title of the show, it was a commemoration of the building of the Philippine republic right after the imperial rule of the Americans in Philippine islands during and even after the Commonwealth period.
The giver: The Manila Symphony Orchestra.
The receiver: The Filipino people represented that night by the audience of myriad persuasions.
It is interesting to note that July fourth was the first Independence Day the country had known and celebrated, two years, more or less, after the conclusion of World War II.
In 1961, though, the Independence Day was moved to June 12, an occasion that manifested the 1898 declaration of Philippine sovereignty from Spanish conquest.
First off, the past is revisited.
The MSO concert was a reminder of the historical significance of colonial Philippines under American control.
Coincidence or not, it is quite timely that one day after the show, Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) columnist Randy David wrote in his space intriguing and thought-provoking accounts on the July 4th being observed both by the Philippines and the United States of America.
The date was the birth of America as a nation.
Meanwhile, David said that on behalf of the Philippines, the granting of independence or republican state to it by the US is just in appearance or form but the substance is missing, namely genuine democracy for all (not only the elite), equality among humans in all aspects of life, among other expected outcomes.
Anyway, MSO traced back the eternal marriage between music and history in more than a two-hour concert that explored the possibilities of throwing back the past of the American hegemony in our national arts and culture.
Before the show proper, though, the emcee noted that MET as venue of the milestone is quite historical, to begin with, because during the opening of the theater in Lawton in 1930, the MSO was the symphony orchestra to lend the sound to the inauguration.
Still, another significant fact is the centenary of the music group which was founded in 1926, the height of American imperialism where, as David expounded, US institutions like education, government, law, commerce, mass media etc. were transplanted to the Philippines.
Noteworthily, it was mentioned in an annotation in the middle of the show that during the Japanese occupation, the foreign invaders had their kind of music presented to integrate Japan’s culture but during the liberation, jazz, an American and Western brand took the upper hand.
This was personified by an intermission number done beautifully and evocatively sensual by clarinetist Jason Marquez who interpreted the “Concerto for Clarinet,” an artistic creation in the 30s, 40s and 50s by Artie Shaw, a scion from Russian and Austrian parentage.
In the opening, MSO gave a tour de force performance of an interpretation of the 1946 classic “Youth,” composed by Col. Antonino Buenaventura, now National Artist for Music.
The piece, a homage to the Filipino youth, won First Prize at the National Music Composition Contest which tells about the perennial hope in the brightest future of the Motherland/Fatherland who were the shining and active participants in the catalytic pursuits of change after the devastation of the Pacific War.
“Youth,” billed as a “Symphonic Poem” was performed by the MSO conducted by Buenaventura himself, during the inauguration of the Philippine Republic on July 5, 1946.
A Special Prize was won by Buenaventura’s fellow NA musician Lucio San Pedro in the same competition titled “Hope and Ambition” which was played like a virtuoso played by MSO and Julliard School of Music scholar Jeanne Marquez who also gave a mesmerizing echo of the folk song “Sa Kabukiran” in between her masterful rendition of multiple notes in “Violin Concerto in D Minor Op. 51.”
A whole treat of George Gershwin’s opera opuses “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Porgy and Bess,” the latter, a tale of a black street beggar, Porgy, and his muse, Bess were masterpieces written in the 1920s that transcended and leveled up the jazz syndrome to classical mode of the composer that were perfectly showcased by MSO under the baton of guest conductor Jose Reyna, Jr.
Popular ditty “Summertime” and other classics were ensconced in the piece of a mighty opera.
Still, the mix of music and history defined them.