There's No Stopping ANG BAGONG HARANA; Show Returns 10/11-20
By: Oliver Oliveros Sep. 30, 2013
The harana or kundiman (traditional Filipino love songs) was a mainstream musical style popularized by singers Diomedes Maturan and Ruben Tagalog, among others during the '60s. Unfortunately, due to the intrusion of western culture, harana has been completely abandoned and forgotten.
That is the reason why POC has decided to stage the show for the nth time--its fourth, possibly fifth, return engagement at the Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium.
POC's mantra remains "Filipino audiences should be reminded who we are; where we have been; and who we are now."
"This is going to be a tough job because the commercial theater and concert scenes are full of imports. But we want to do the show because we need to be reminded how beautiful our music is and how much our soul can be enriched by hearing these songs sung again," said POC Artistic Director Karla Gutierrez in a statement.
She continued, "POC kept on getting inquiries about a repeat run that's why we're bringing back the show. It's difficult to do something truly Filipino nowadays. But after the warm responses from both the audiences and critics, we know that there's an audience that's hungry for this kind of entertainment."
From children's songs to tribal chants, from planting songs to courtship ditties, from stirring kundiman to songs popularized by the "Queen of Kundiman" Sylvia la Torre, "Ang BAGONG HARANA," directed by Floy Quintos, showcases the best from esteemed Filipino composers such as Nicanor Abelardo, Ryan Cayabyab, Willy Cruz, Francisco Santiago, Antonio Molina, Resti Umali, George Canseco, Ernani Cuenco, Levi Celerio, Jose Estrella, Constancio De Guzman and Felipe de Leon, whose finest opera work, "Noli Me Tangere," is about to debut in New York City this weekend.
"Beyond doubt, the richly talented singers in 'Ang BAGONG HARANA' sang their hearts out as they did the first time I listened to them in a program also conceptualized and directed by the authoritative and keenly perceptive Floy Quintos," lauded Rosalinda Orosa, music critic for The Philippine Star.
For this edition of "Ang BAGONG HARANA," Karla Gutierrez, Aizel Prietos, Cris Go, Janine Santos, KL Dizon, Lawrence Jatayna, Michael Odoemene, Nazer Salcedo, Al Gatmaitan, Jurgen Unterberg and the Ramon Obusan Folkloric Group take center stage.
For tickets, call (632) 822-9609, (63) 917-5272880 or TicketWorld at (63) 891-9999.
Follow POC on Facebook.
Photo by Jory Rivera
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