THOSE who watch a classical music performance may think that it is all about never-ending practice, calculated moves, and absolute perfection. For Cecile Licad — a piano prodigy who had her first concert at the age of seven and was one of the youngest recipients of the Leventritt Gold Medal in 1981 at the age of 20 — it is the unexpected that pushes her music to its very best.
In a group interview with various media outlets last week, Ms. Licad told BusinessWorld about the importance of adversity in coaxing the best performances out of a musician.
“When something unexpected happens, when my hands become painful or stiff, during adversity, those are the times when my playing, my music… comes out the best,” she said.
This openness to surprises has allowed her to continue doing concerts with the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) and going on country-wide tours in venues of varying sizes. Her upcoming concert in Manila will be held on Sept. 24 and will be followed by an outreach tour.
The PPO concert, titled The Pianist’s Pianist, is presented by Rustan’s and will be conducted by Grzegorz Nowak at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila. It will have Ms. Licad perform Chopin’s Concerto No. 2, which earned her the prestigious Grand Prix du Disque from the Chopin Society of Warsaw, and Saint-Saëns’ Concerto No. 2.
Ms. Licad said that she chose those pieces because of their relevance to her career. “These are the first two concertos I ever recorded with André Previn and the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
“The Chopin concerto I played when I was 11 years old in the Philippines. That’s when I first left the country!”
While she remains a perfectionist who practices every day, her biggest motivation is clarity, she said. “I practice because I want to make a passage clearer to listeners, but first of all, to me.”
For the prodigy, caring too much about others’ opinions can ruin a performance. Dressed in elegant black-and-white, peering at her interviewers through her large, white-framed glasses, and making sweeping hand gestures with a Cartier ring on her prized fingers, Ms. Licad gives the impression of someone who knows what she’s worth and no longer fusses about what others think.
Tension and uncertainty do not seem to faze her. “It’s that difficulty, adversity, that makes the music unique. My own, you know?”
FROM BLACKOUTS TO BANAUEOne of the best examples of Ms. Licad’s music prevailing in the face of adversity took place in 2002.
“It’s kinda good sometimes to look back. I still don’t like listening to myself, but there was a very memorable performance of mine in a blackout,” she said, describing a concert at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
She recalled playing Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and the lights going out three minutes into it. “I was almost about to stop, but the music was saying to me, it’s going to a real height.” Then her voice grew more excited as she recounted the incident. “There were difficult passages where I had to put my hand towards the top and, without any light, it was hard — but I still hit it. And I became like an orchestra because the orchestra had to stop. It was such a magical moment because everybody was so quiet.
“Then, finally, the lights came on and the conductor, Rodel Colmenar, was able to tell the orchestra which part, and they came in at the perfect time. I remember it felt like the heaven key, it was in D-flat major, the key that sounded like the heavens opened up.”
As for the future, Ms. Licad talked about how she dreams of someday playing atop the Banaue Rice Terraces. “Imagine there’s a piano, big speakers, nice weather…” she said.
Anton T. Huang, president and CEO of Rustan’s and SSI Group and the chairman of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra Society, Inc., was taken aback to hear this request. Though intent on continuing the legacy of his arts patron mother, the late Rustan’s matriarch Zenaida “Nedy” Tantoco, the logistics of such a performance was the question.
“Is it doable?” he said at the group interview. “I’m trying to figure out what hotel we will stay in!”
For Ms. Licad, whose precious hands aren’t even insured, getting caught up in the nitty-gritty doesn’t matter. “It would be wonderful,” she boldly insisted.
Cecile Licad’s The Pianist’s Pianist with the PPO will take place at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila on Sept. 24, 6:30 p.m., with tickets available via TicketMelon:https://www.ticketmelon.com/rustans/cecile-licad-concert/.
She will then play at the Baguio Country Club, Baguio City, on Sept. 27; at the Pinto Art Museum, Antipolo City, on Sept. 28; at the Miranila Heritage House, Quezon City, on Oct. 1; the Sta. Ana Parish on Oct. 6 and UPV Museum on Oct. 7, both in Iloilo City; and the ECrown Hotel in Virac, Catanduanes, on Oct. 11. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
