The album's opening track, a cover of the classic Filipino love song "Dahil Sa Iyo," begins with some gentle, pretty work on harp. There is a hint of melancholy, evoking the sort of memory or image that can lead to smiles or tears. Sometimes we just look at that person who has our heart and feel we could burst into tears for the sheer wonder of it all, and the pain of it. Matthew Muñeses' work seems to describe, or capture, the moment perfectly, and maybe says what, at times, we are unable to. The way love can open up something within us, and seemingly outside of us too, showing us the entire world in a better light. Put this album on and hold your loved one close. It is so sad to think it will end one day, that death will separate us forever. There is a delicate beauty to "Nahan" as well, and a warmth, as it begins. It feels like a love that is spoken softly, for that special person is right there. And even if the world around is dark, dismal, disjointed, there is a safe spot here in a lover's arms. Love is what it's all about, after all. Most of the rest is nonsense, to be endured, or ignored if possible. The music seems to suggest, or urge us to relax and let go of the world, at least for a time.
"Kundiman Ni Rizal" is one of the pieces that Matthew Muñeses included on Noli Me Tángere. There is a more somber aspect to this one. There is beauty here, of course, but also a sense of obligation and, perhaps because of that obligation, of loss. There is something familiar about the theme. And though there is an intimacy at play, there is something larger at work here, something outside of any couple, forces that affect them. I hear goodbyes within the framework, hoping they are not permanent separations. That is followed by "Minamahal Kita." In this gorgeous expression of love, there is joy, contentment. It is a magical land where love is both of the moment and eternal. May we all live within its realm, a place where fairy tale and reality combine, and be lifted up and embraced by it. Then there is a wonderfully romantic air to "Maalaala Mo Kaya," created mainly by the saxophone early in the track. This is a slow dance that becomes the entire world. How can anything exist outside of such a moment? Though there is always some element of an uncertain future that wants to sneak in and remind us that all of this is fleeting, that it is all so brief. And perhaps that is why music like this speaks to us so strongly. We can play the song over and over, and in doing so extend that moment, and keep the world at bay.
There is something somber in "Nasaan Ka, Irog," a darkness that hovers over us, threatens to consume the beauty, the passion. Yet, partway through, the joy rises up to gently confront this threat, this menace, and we get the feeling that perhaps love will triumph after all. That's followed by "Canto De Maria Clara," the other piece that Matthew Muñeses included on the earlier album and revisits here. There is something perhaps uncertain as this one begins. We are unsure of our path, unsure of the outcome, but something from within guides us, and we trust it, our steps steady. The individual voice, here presented by the saxophone, has power, has beauty, has determination. And the harp encourages magic, makes us believe. What is more magical, more transformative than love? There is a slight pause approximately five and a half minutes in, as if we might have reached the conclusion, but the harp then firmly takes us into that magical realm, makes it real. The album concludes with "Sampaguita," which has a relaxed, tender and pretty sound. It offers both solace and encouragement. It is a beautiful world, after all, the music reminds us. Even within its brevity is beauty.
CD Track List
- Dahil Sa Iyo
- Nahan
- Kundiman Ni Rizal
- Minamahal Kita
- Maalaala Mo Kaya
- Nasaan Ka, Irog?
- Canto De Maria Clara
- Sampaguita