 |
| Rosalina Abejo conducting an orchestra |
Rosalina Abejo is one of the Philippines' more underrated composers, and her music is certainly slowly becoming one my favorites. I have already written my thoughts one of her works: the Guerrilla Symphony. I've written a short introduction of Abejo there as well.
Overture 1081 - a name that has intrigued me for so long. It was written in 1972 as commemoration to Proclamation no. 1081 - the proclamation that officially made Martial Law in effect. We all have our very divided opinions regarding Martial law, so I wondered: what would this overture sound like? A few days ago I finally listened to this piece for the first time after hunting for a copy of the LP for so long.
On Side B is another work, Ode to a Statesman. The composer described it as a sequel to Overture 1081. Although in my opinion this is less intriguing than its predecessor. Maybe I'll talk about this work in a future post.
---------------------------
Overture 1081, according to the cover notes, "was inspired by the restoration of peace to the nation, the manifest progress of the country's economy, the bubbling confidence that is warming the hearts of the Filipino people, and the silvery hopes that have spread as a protective mantle over the cities and villages of the Republic of the Philippines."
The composer is very much aware of the piece's similarity to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, as she quotes several motifs of it in this part. It is divided into two movements.
The 1st movement starts with a big cymbal crash and "an octet of horns and trumpets" based on motifs of the National Anthem (and Tchaikovsky.). The moving introduction builds up into this climax stating the first bars of the National Anthem, in a manner similar to those post-romantic fanfares in film music. It then follows a section where the strings sing a graceful melody. After a loud interruption from the brass, the theme is played by the winds while being accompanied by the horns (playing a motif from Tchaikovsky's 1812). The theme moves to the cellos before another Trumpet call is sounded. A new dark section appears. A theme in d minor is played by the strings, being occasionally interrupted by the Brass.
The 2nd movement, Andante Cantabile, is very gracious and peaceful. According to the composer, this represents the New Society: "Peace reigns. Discipline. Restoration of order. Firmness tempered with gracious benevolence. Magnanimous mercy, benignant clemency are plaintively painted by more cantabile melodies. An essay to express the pleasant surprise of bystanders and visitors on beholding the tranquil transition and peaceful emergence of the New Society may be discerned. A series of paeans, songs of gratitude are tenderly unfolded by more andante cantabile sequences." This movement is the New Society translated into music.
After a pause the mood suddenly shifted into the opposite direction. A new theme in A Minor arises, bringing a dark and turbulent feel to the section. The 'Film music' fanfare appears again before the dark theme is repeated, but this time strains of hope is heard as the section attempts to modulate into major. A more triumphant countermelody appears in the brasses and wind and it eventually covers the turbulence of the strings, signifying triumph from darkness.
 |
| Program notes of the piece. Click the image for full resolution |
Overture 1081 is the composer's idea of an ideal New Society: Peace, order, and triumphant. Depending on your point of view, it is either a successful or failed attempt at portraying the New Society imposed by Ferdinand Marcos.
On a pure musical perspective, the work is quite enjoyable. There are plentiful good melodies, coherent structure, and effective amount of drama. The themes in the first movement are quite cleverly used and developed. I would still recommend this work, despite the political affiliations. Although I still think the Guerrilla Symphony is my favorite work of hers, this is a close contender.
No comments:
Post a Comment