Carmen in Tagalog and the Soul of Kundiman
OPERA at KUNDIMAN the Legacy of Maestra Conching Rosal
Attending Opera at Kundiman: The Legacy of Maestra Conching Rosal at the FEU Auditorium was a breathtaking cultural experience. Before the music even began, exploring the campus was a treat in itself. We were fortunate to be guided around FEU Manila by Martin Lopez, Executive Director of the FEU Center for the Arts, as we took in the stunning, UNESCO-recognized Art Deco architecture that set such an elegant backdrop for the evening.
The concert felt like an intimate recap of Arthur Espiritu: Mga Awit ng Pag-Ibig at Kundiman at MiraNila last May 14. But this production took the music to a more spectacular level. Paired with the magnificent Manila Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Marlon Chen, the entire evening felt remarkably grand, vibrant, and spectacular. Discovering Bizet’s Carmen translated into Tagalog was a revelation, shedding new light on how seamlessly European opera connects with Filipino language and heritage.
The program was brilliantly structured into two rich halves. Part I showcased iconic Tagalog excerpts from Georges Bizet’s Carmen (translated by Manuel Carballo Santiago and Vicente Liwag).
Part II transitioned seamlessly into cherished classics of Kundiman and Filipino vocal works:
- Nicanor Abelardo’s Ang Aking Bayan
- Francisco Santiago’s Ano Kaya Ang Kapalaran?
- Manuel Velez’s Sa Kabukiran
- Francisco Santiago’s Pakiusap
- Francisco Santiago’s Madaling Araw
- Leopoldo Silos’s Lagi Kitang Naaalala
- Nicanor Abelardo’s Mutya ng Pasig
- Constancio de Guzman and Francisco Santiago’s Bayan Ko / Pilipinas Kong Mahal
Michelle Mariposa’s voice is sexy, with a touch of childishness, but never immature. It’s a hard balance, and she pulled it off. This unique mix works entirely in her favor, making her portrayal feel incredibly authentic, magnetic, and effortlessly charming. Her lower register had a warmth to it that made her scenes with Don Jose feel more dangerous than sweet, which is exactly the point of the character.
Rachelle Gerodias-Park’s voice is so sweet I could get diabetes from it. Every phrase came out smooth, never overdone. What stood out was her control — she could hold a soft, delicate line and still project it to the back of the hall without pushing. That came through clearly in her kundiman pieces in Part II, where the softness of her tone matched the longing in the lyrics almost too well.
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Arthur Espiritu’s voice is so rich in texture. Too much texture can affect the human voice (timbre-wise), but his stays controlled. It’s what makes him stand out. He also varies how he uses that texture—brighter and more open in the Carmen excerpts, then heavier and more reflective in "Lagi Kitang Naalala." That kind of shift isn’t easy to pull off in one sitting, and he made it sound effortless.
Byeong-In Park’s voice is powerful and commanding, yet disciplined. It has the same kind of authority as a parent telling their kids to wash the dishes, strict but meant well to discipline the child. That power was most obvious in "Pakiusap," where he still managed to bring out the vulnerability of the lyrics without losing any of that weight in his voice. It’s a hard thing to do — sound strong and pleading at the same time — but he made it work. I also appreciated how much I enjoyed a Korean artist singing a Tagalog translation of Bizet’s Carmen.
A few rough spots: Byeong-In Park mispronounced a few words — "Mahal" came out as "Mahul," "Pakiusap" as "Pa-ki-oh-sahp koh," "lamang" as "Luh-mang." Small things, understandable since Tagalog isn’t his first language.
If one area could use a touch of polish, it was the connection between the orchestra and the singers. At times, the orchestra and singers drifted slightly apart, particularly when navigating sudden, heavy rhythmic beats. Given the unique acoustics of the FEU Auditorium, it felt like a minor acoustic challenge rather than a lack of musicality.
One thing that I particularly enjoyed during the concert was having Dr. Jose S. Buenconsejo—former Dean of the University of the Philippines College of Music from 2011 to 2017—as my seatmate. As the performance unfolded, we shared a running dialogue, seamlessly exchanging immediate impressions and thoughts between pieces. I deeply appreciated hearing his real-time technical music critiques, which parsed the vocal navigation and structural nuances of the program, adding a profound layer of depth and insight to my entire experience
To conclude the concert, we were blessed with a poignant encore of Ernani Cuenco's Gaano Ko Ikaw Kamahal. It was the ultimate, heartfelt ending to an unforgettable evening that beautifully honored Maestra Conching Rosal’s legacy, proving just how deeply classical music can touch the soul when brought home to our own language.
