LIKE in previous years, the hills came alive with the sound of the best Spanish classical music.

We’re referring to the recently concluded Fiesta!, the Spanish Month celebration highlighted by Pelicula, or the Spanish film festival, which had about 45 titles shown that were well-patronized by the discriminating Filipino audience.

Not a mere soundtrack to the festivities, three of the finest contemporary Spanish musicians shared to Filipino audiences the best from the motherland.

First was Spanish flamenco guitarist Oscar Herrero, who gave an intimate free-to-the-public, two-set-one-night-only concert on October 19 at the Museum of Contemporary Arts and Designs of De La Salle University-College of St. Benilde.

Second was Duo Rivera, composed of sisters Raquel the violinist and Maria Luz the pianist, who performed on Tuesday night (October 27) at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino in the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

In their separate gigs, Herrero and the Duo paid tribute to Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909), a legendary Spanish composer and pianist known for his masterpieces described as “tone pictures of different geographical regions and musical idioms of Spain.” Albeniz’s more famous works are “Asturias,” “Cadiz,” “Cataluna” and “Sevilla,” among others. This year celebrates the centenary of his death.

Herrero, an internationally acclaimed and touring musician, performed Albeniz’s “Rumores de la Caleta,” “Cadiz” and the very moving “Asturias.”

With his cropped hairstyle and probably one-week-old beard, Herrero looked like the Spanish version of a sober Eric Clapton. At one point, while tuning, we imagined him playing the first few notes of “Layla.” 

At any rate, Herrero’s arrangements of the popular piece “El Vito” as well as Ramon Montoya’s (an earlier influence to Albeniz’s music) “Rondena” were slow and suave.

His fingers moved like a hyper tarantula from one fret to another when he did “Vaiven (Vals Flamenco),” “Carnaval (Tanguillo),” “Rumbule (Rumba-Buleria) and the finale, “Ambar de Primavera (Tangos).” 

Duo Rivera’s show was titled Homenaje a Albeniz (Homage to Albeniz). Known as masters of their craft in their motherland, the Rivera sisters presented a unique Spanish chamber music program for violin and piano focused on Albeniz’s discography and his contemporaries.

Instituto Cervantes Manila director Jose “Pepe” Rodriguez told the audience “maswerte kayo [you are all lucky]” to have the Duo Rivera even for only one night. Rodriguez and the Rivera sisters came from the same region of Galicia.

In a flaming red dress, Maria Luz gave a well-calculated but equally engaging performance, while younger sister Raquel the violinist was gorgeously elegant in black flowing dress as she fiddled and charmed the night away.

It was a jam-packed theater at the CCP when the Duo performed Albeniz’s “Malaguena,” “Cancion Catalana,” “Tango,” “Jota,” “Sous le palmier” and “Sevilla.” The Rivera sisters’ arrangement aptly suited Albeniz’s compositions, which were originally done in piano.

They also performed “Soneti de la Rosada Ave Maria” by Eduardo Toldra as the opening piece for the first half of the show, followed by “Scena Cantante” by Marcial del Adalid, “Playera opus 23” by Pablo de Sarasate and “Romanza” by Enrique Granados.

The second half included “Sonata Espanola op. 82” by Joaquin Turina (1882-1949) and popular Spanish suites by Manuel de Falla (1876-1946).

As they took their supposedly final bow, the audience—on their feet and applauding wildly—cheered for more and the Duo obliged with three encores.

For those who missed the shows and are intrigued by their music, a visit at the Instituto Cervantes library’s CD and DVD section, right at the IC Building on Kalaw Street, Manila, is highly recommended.