SUBSCRIBEPundaquit Virtuosi at the Mall of Asia
It was a good thing that we decided to go to the Mall of Asia last night just to while away time as when we were inside, the Pundaquit Virtuosi, Zambales’ own musical ensemble of gifted children was performing at the atrium. Known Filipino violinist Coke Bolipata led the group as they played popular pieces especially select works of Antonio Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.
There were solos and duets by the child prodigies present and it was great to see people stopping to watch the performance. The music was just rousing as the familiar strains of the first movement of the Spring Concerto was filling the hall as well as Pachelbel’s Kanon beautifully rendered. And for me, other than the violin solos, I was listening more to the deep and resonant notes of the cello in the background.
The cello is the instrument that I would have wanted to learn. During highschool, I wanted to study this this one but at that time, it was not available in Cebu thus I was forced to take the violin. When I transferred to Manila for college, I was recommended by my instructor to the violinst Esmilla (sorry, forgot his name) at the UP College of Music but with no proper place to practice, I was forced to give it up. As I was listening to this group playing last night, I just remembered all of this and thought of “what if” scenarios. But that is history.
I wish these bright kids luck especially that some got scholarships to study music abroad. There is indeed hope for Philippine classical music artists.
The TriNoma (Triangle North of Manila), another of the Ayala’s mall ventures, the newest mall in Metro Manila was a curiosity to me that’s why last Sunday, we intentionally went there to check it out for ourselves. Located just beside the MRT North Edsa station and just across the street from SM North Edsa, the behemoth of a building from the outside proved to be a disappointment inside. Once you go in, you immediately feel the tight spaces within the mall. The floor height is just too low that I just felt claustrophobic. It lacks the airiness of the the other Ayala malls like that in Glorietta or the Ayala Center in Cebu. The activity center seems just too small, dwarfed by those massive columns that dominate the center. Some sections are just dimly lit. Even if these areas still has to be filled out with stores, the way the lights are fixed along the hallways are just not bright enough.
