MANY in the literary, music and art circles are looking forward to a special one-night-only musical experience on May 30.
Acclaimed composer and musical director Jesse Lucas has created wonderful songs from the poems of the late Maningning Miclat and for a few months now, the young maestro has been collaborating with Maningning’s actress-singer sibling Banaue Miclat-Jansen for a show, billed as Ginugunita Kita, to be staged at the Aldaba Hall of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.
Jesse is a respected composer and his works for film, television, theater and dance have been recognized here and abroad. The late Maningning was born and raised in Beijing, China, and grew up to be an accomplished painter and a multilingual poet, and essayist. Both artists had memorable years as students at the UP Diliman campus grounds.
“I was inspired to create music for eight of the poems of Maningning which are all included in her trilingual book of poetry, Voice from the Underworld. As a composer, the process I had to go through is priceless, because I was in a different realm, something that words can’t describe. It was almost trance-like, on a different plane, very meditative, almost soulfully orgasmic,” Jesse said.
Maningning’s eight poems that Jesse chose to set to music include “Ginugunita Kita,” which was written in the mid-1990s when Maningning was doing research on the Philippine Revolution. Jesse said that he immediately thought that it would be beautiful if he followed the form of kundiman. “The song is nostalgic, the melody brings you back to a brief but beautiful experience.”
Maningning wrote “Tawag” during the Rio Alma poetry clinic she attended after many years of living in China. Jesse is utilizing both the piano and the cello to create a lullaby-like melody for this hauntingly beautiful piece. “Duet (Nina Rizal at Bracken)” was also written during Maningning’s research on the Philippine Revolution. Jesse explained that the song he created required two voices that sing lamentations of both affection and affliction. “The voices are representations of the struggles of two famous characters in history, Josephine Bracken and Jose Rizal, who shared so much feeling and intensity for each other.
For the poem “Kulay sa Bagyo”, Jesse is evoking calmness as a contrast to a heart that constantly throbs in love and excitement. “Ang Naliligaw” was written in 1996 while Maningning was vacationing in France. “I was inspired by the varying degree of emotions one feels when a person is lost in love,” Jesse said.
“A Stare” is an English translation of one of Maningning’s earliest poems which she originally wrote in Chinese. Jesse said that he aims to get from the audience on performance night an effect that is both hypnotic and hard-hitting.
“To Catch a Second and Turn It to Forever” is another translation of Maningning’s original poem in Chinese, a composition about loving and letting go, about fiery feelings and fleeting moments. According to Jesse, this is a sad song that speaks so much about our different interpretations of loving and letting go. “Verses #2” is an English translation of Maningning’s original Filipino poem, “Berso # 2”, and on this Jesse is fusing strong beats and pleasing tempos.
Joining Jesse and Banaue for this special show are respected performance artists Al Gatmaitan and Delphine Buencamino-Abesamis, and directing the show is Roeder Camañag, also a good friend of the Miclat family. Banaue could not contain her excitement for the show. “It is definitely a wonderful collaboration, and we hope to share this experience with as many of our friends as possible.”
Jesse concluded: “I am fortunate to have been able to create something like this. It is one of my most beautiful work experiences in recent years.”