Believing mirrors are believers, first of all, in the basic good of life. Setting aside chic skepticism, they are upbeat and encouraging. They believe in the college try. What’s more, they believe in trying again. They are realists. They expect good things, they know good things take work. They assume you will do the work because your dreams are good and worthy. They will help you if they can. What they cannot know is exactly how much help they already are giving us simply by existing.
Julia Cameron, Finding Water: The Art of Perseverance, 2006
Bravos. Claps. Enduring. When the 100-member Amor Symphonic Orchestra and Choir accompanied Matthew John Ignacio, on his trusted, handmade reeds’ accordion, drama was created halfway into the Suite from “Cinema Paradiso,” on Feb. 13.
Matthew John walked from the side to the center stage, on his trusted accordion, once a toy to him, now creating magic alchemy, transformative artistry, a quality of soul-memorable experience. The mesmerized crowd stood up for an enduring standing ovation.
Anticipating the artist to come out, Andrea Morricone passionately moves his baton. Matthew John makes it to center stage, with his hands on the accordion’s treble keyboard, efficaciously, effortlessly, and with such ease, activates the bass and bellows, that at the end of the standing ovation, both Andrea and Matthew shook hands and after, an exchange of encouraging words.
The Maestro was delighted, so was Matthew. The drama was a convergence of unintented circumstances: a side door that would not open, yet, the Generous Universe provided, as the pianist signaled Matthew to play on cue, and the dramatic thug at our collective souls, happened. “I thought you would never come out,” said Andrea. “Me too, “ Matthew responded. Together, they shook hands in contentment.
“Andrea’s music is something else. You just add yourself to it as his music has its own soul and history,” said Matthew.
“It was magnificent, said Dr. Marilou Dichoso, “I gained new respect for the accordion as part of the instrumentation and Matthew did an appropriate accompaniment.”
“It was a great, amazing experience, “ said Stefan Sookdeo, a Certified Nurse Assistant, “I like it when he walked from the back to the front, the drama worked well.”
“It was excellent. Playing sounded so natural. There are a lot of emotions besides playing the instruments,” Arnold Ferrer, an LVN, observed.
“You hear these familiar film scores. Then, you wander, wait, what is going on? You then realize, yes, these are familiar tunes, but he deconstructed it, then, he puts it back, with a twist of his own, “ said Dr. Enrique de la Cruz, a fan of Ennio Morricone.
Ennio is Andrea’s father. Valeriano Viale, journalist of Little Americano, the Italian newspaper that serves the approximately 100,000 Italian Americans in Los Angeles, shared that Ennio is elegance and how difficult it must be to be Ennio’s son. Yet, Andrea, the maestro of magnificence, has clearly demarcated his space in the Universe.
The Maestro and Masterful Artists with Perseverance.
“Andrea Morricone has composed 25 film scores for Italian and international films including Capturing the Friedmans by Andrew Jarecki, nominated (2004) for Best Documentary. He has received multiple awards for G. Montaldo’s film L’Industrialein 2012. His recent composition was selected as the official theme for EXPO MILANO 2015, with lyrics by Andrea Bocelli. His remarkable “Hymn to Faith,” the official anthem of Foundation Pro-Music, and Sacred Arts in Rome Italy, is now available for download on his website.”
He is a professor and a musical genius who is in constant search for that elusive sound, perhaps a level of excellence, where the impossible is made possible. Make no mistake, as the genius creates, he is warm, magnanimous and consistently encourages.
19 new arrangements and compositions were completed on Monday, by Wednesday, the musicians had two days to learn them, prior to performance on Friday.
To the logical minds, he may seem disorganized, with sheets of music on the floor of the mainstage. But, can anyone plan for the creative winds to come? For the musical breezes to be felt? For the spring of imaginations to bloom, much like wildflowers? Do we not see the beauty of magnificence unexpected, and for its own virtuosity to unfold, just like Amor Orchestra?
Amor Symphonic Orchestra is “an ensemble of LA’s finest musicians, who have worked with distinguished conductors and international composers.”
Matthew John Ignacio was 14yo when I first watched him, as a cellist onstage. He persevered in his craft and at a tender age of 17yo, he arranged Piazzolla for his Colburn School Orchestra bandmates and organized a fundraiser to benefit Typhoon Ondoy’s displaced families. Trained by Priscilla Martinez, he won first place in the American Federation for National Accordionists Competition in 2012. His evolving perseverance at creating, arranging, and performing classical music and Philippine Music has made him an extraordinary artist as others, on stage.
Matthew John won 1st place in the National Competition of the American Federation for National Accordionists in 2012.
“Matthew John was great. He is passionate and comfortable doing it [accordion]. He’s so much into it,” exclaimed Sharisse Manabat, a medical assistant.
Immaculate Heart of Mary School’s Choir, who had won 2 silver medals at the World Choir Games (2012), also joined these extraordinary artists. They placed 1stin the A Capella Scholarship Festival (2014). At Andrea Morricone’s Christmas Concert in 2014, they sang with their musical director Christopher “Pete” Avendaño, and in Dec. 2015, they will sing for Pope Francis.
The crowd favorites, gauged from their applauses, were The Good, The Bad and the Ugly, Tango Forte, You- “Love Theme” from Cinema Paradiso with Soprano Amanda Squitieri (Lyrics by Paola Lorenzi), The Pink Panther, The Godfather, Schindler’s List, and the Sheltering Sky.
Color and textures of the orchestra were evident, as sounds from the piano, strings, trumpets, the drums and the electronics could be distinguished. The flute was as significant as the enduring, lasting bass at the end was flawless. It created such a tension that any false note can change the aura, but the orchestra held its own with such a distinction.
Although the soprano sang too fast, to be fully appreciated, and even though the Maestro failed to bring the accordionist back with the soprano and introduce him to audience’s acclaim, the audience was visibly satisfied. In the audience were the Italian Consul General Antonio Green, the Chair of the Italian Cultural Institute’s Valerio Rumori, Little Americano’s journalist, Valeriano Viale and a predominantly Caucasian audience with a group of Filipino American classical music aficionados who all gave standing ovations.
There is never a completed piece of art. A masterpiece is always a work in progress. Even as the rehearsals unfolded, the Maestro made subtle changes to tweak perfection in place. He is constantly arranging, composing, looking for that elusive sound, a sense of perfection as one might say, or a soul in search for that enchanting connection to one’s Higher Creator, a language of one’s heart that bonds him to his audience, a signature distinctly Morricone’s.
Andrea Morricone’s musical creations took the audience from one end of the spectrum of emotions to the other, from down below of feeling sad, to an exhilirating high of passionate intensity. Amanda Squitieri, soprano, sang You, “Love Theme” of Cinema Paradiso, not just once, but twice as the encore. A member of the LA Grand Ensemble, Amanda is known for the role of Beatrice Russo in Daniel Catan’s Il Postino at the LA Opera and world premiere performances.
Cinematic Visions grabbed the soul’s pathos, dumped the melancholy somewhere, and opened up many hearts to make room for peace, drama, ecstacy, joy, lightness of energy, and the intensity of passions of creativity and musicality to be felt. We all felt one with Andrea Morricone’s music, ever innovating but also, respectful of traditions of what were once created.
You simply want to say Magnifico! Believing mirrors indeed reflect the good of life!