PIANISTS from the Conservatory of Music took a break from their usual classical repertoire and played jazz and pop Christmas carols in “Christmas at the Piano,” a duet recital last Dec. 2.
Duos of 10 pianists rendered American pianist Bruce Greer’s arrangement of Christmas carols that narrated the Nativity story, starting from the Annunciation to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
“It is very rare for classical pianists to perform Christmas Carols and that made this concert special,” Piano Department coordinator Anthony Yu Say told the Varsitarian.
The Singing Pianists, the official chorale of Conservatory’s Piano Department, opened the concert with “Somewhere in my Memory,” by British composer John Williams. It was a tribute to Apolonia Guilang, a professor who passed away last month.
The series of piano duet performances began with “Good Christian Men, Rejoice,” an old Latin Christmas song about people’s reaction when they found out that the son of God will be born.
Playful melody followed as the pianists performed “Go, and Tell it on the Mountain,” a staccato piece about the reactions of the villagers when they heard that Jesus is born.
The pianists played their arrangement of “What Child is this?” and “Away in Manger” by Bob Krogstad beaming with rinforzando, a sudden increase in tempo, treating the audience with a narration of the wise men’s adventure as they find Jesus’ manger in Bethlehem.
Baroque composer George Handel’s famous “Joy to the World” capped the concert.
For Nikki Sardilla, president of Piano Department, the Handel song was the concert’s highlight.
Elisanta Cortez, an alumna of College of Conservatory Music, enchanted the crowd with her performances of National Artist for Music Felipe de Leon’s “Mapayapang Daigdig” and Robert Wells and Mel Tormé’s “The Christmas Song.”
Students of Bachelor of Music (BM) Piano Performance and BM Music Education with Emphasis on Piano participated in the concer
