For two enchanting nights, the planets halted their orbits, and the stars gleamed brighter—captivated by the harmonies of parallel realities. United by the universal language of sound, the Lasallian Youth Orchestra’s (LYO) annual recital of Forte ‘26: Multiverse of Music last June 4 and 5 at the Teresa Yuchengco Auditorium, rediscovered the pieces that sculpted the musical landscape.
Blurring the boundaries of time and space, LYO transported the audience across different sound dimensions woven together on one stage. From melancholic melodies to roaring crescendos, each performance unraveled cosmic narratives to reveal timeless pursuits of sentimentality.
Stardust-filled harmonies
All eyes gravitated toward the center stage as the second day of Forte ‘26 commenced with colorful solo performances. Accompanied by John Gabriel Uy on the piano, concert master Joaquin Nicholas De Guzman captured the audience with a slow and serene performance of Violin Concerto, Op. 64: II. Andante by Felix Mendelssohn, enveloping the auditorium in a warm, passionate ambiance. Ending on a tender note, Hannah Ramos and Rocco Nicolas Naranjo kept everyone’s toes tapping to the beat with a laidback yet groovy rendition of Bobby Caldwell’s What You Won’t Do for Love.
The recital then took a haunting turn as performances morphed into darker motifs. Mark Luis Adriano delivered a thunderous play of Prelude in G Minor, Op. 23 No. 5 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, while madness descended onto the stage for Jan Paolo San Juan’s spinning violin performance of La Folia. With a spellbinding adaptation of Aram Khachaturian’s Spartacus Suite No. 2: I. Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia, the cosmic journey drifted back into the ancient past as Juan Jaime Javier Arceo captured the sorrowful yearning between the titular pair. Building on this was Uy’s Ballade No.1 in G Minor, Op. 23 by Frédéric Chopin, guiding listeners through spiraling tempos.
Heads bopped in enjoyment as the Rhythms Section head, Zach Nathan Guevarra, awakened the auditorium for his electrifying rock solo of Jump Start by Greg Howe. While he performed with a band, Guevarra shone as the highlight of the performance. Meanwhile, Diego Luis Palanca and the orchestra decorated the atmosphere with his festive arrangement of Penoy Jazz Medley featuring classic Filipino folk songs like Magtanim Ay ‘Di Biro. Then, with quick, pizzicato strings, Lim & Co. transformed a masterful comedy of Leroy Anderson’s Plink, Plank, Plunk!, utilizing every part of their instrument to craft sonic narratives.
After a playful turn of events, the audience embarked on a rollercoaster of emotions as the orchestra pivoted between Mendelssohn’s somber Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80: III. Adagio performed by De Guzman, Juan Jaime Javier Arceo, Marielle Lara Joson, and Ezeqiel Moisree Garcia, and the high-powered rock explosion of Larnell Lewis’ Change Your Mind by Declaro & Co. Lost in the rhythmic beats, the drummer of the second act stunned the crowd as he threw his drumsticks down in the heat of the passion.
Dancing gracefully in a ballroom, the LYO Strings Section tugged at the hearts of the audience with its tender and expressive melodies in Edward Elgar’s Serenade for String Orchestra, Op. 20. The first act of the show then concluded with a nostalgic reinvention of classic video games through Brains and Grains: A Plants vs. Zombies Medley. Arranged by Jesus Roman Angelo Poblete, the swaying performance returned listeners to childhood as members of the orchestra enacted the familiar brawl between sunflowers and zombies.
Constellations of melodies
Following a brief intermission, LYO resumed the cosmic exploration with an interstellar leap to full orchestral pieces.
The audience was transported to the southernmost part of the Philippines with Mindanao Sketches, edited by Gerard Salonga. A revered orchestral tone poem by National Artist for Music Antonio Buenaventura, the piece masterfully braided indigenous themes native to the island with technical composition. Punctuated by ethnic percussion such as clapping, gongs, and an emphatic ensemble yell, the piece compelled the audience back to a ceremonious moment in time.
Warping across the seas, the performance transitioned to a heartwarming medley titled Love in the Streets of Saigon, comprising songs from the Miss Saigon soundtrack. Arranged by student conductor Angelo Jovencio T. Gañag, LYO dove straight into the bustling streets of 1970s Saigon with Overture / Backstage Dreamland, waltzed into the heart-wrenching ballad Sun and Moon, and ended on the bittersweet optimism of Last Night of the World. The romantic arrangement swept the audience into the whirlwind drama and emotion of the original musical, perfectly capturing all its soaring highs and depressing lows.
With a familiar “Yahoo!”, Guevarra—donning a Mario hat and white gloves—returned as a student conductor to take the audience on a pixelated adventure through a Super Mario Medley. Mastered now with time and harmony, the medley relived classic soundtracks from the beloved 8-bit franchise, such as Dolphin Shoal from Mario Kart. The Winds Section reveled in their spotlight as the arrangement leaned heavily into classic Japanese jazz and city pop tones popularized in the ‘80s.
Straight from the rainbow road, LYO continued down memory lane and performed a smooth trilogy of The Best of Earth, Wind & Fire. The band’s signature vivacious opening sequences were wonderfully captured by the orchestra, beginning with In the Stone. Tasteful croons from the saxophone, bassoon, and guitar during The Way of the World encapsulated the nostalgia of disco days past, while serenading those still young at heart today. With a new orchestral arrangement, the original full-bodied melodies were enriched by the lush tapestry of symphonic textures. Of course, no Earth, Wind & Fire tribute would be complete without September, a truly timeless celebratory tune to cap off the main set list.
For lifetimes and light-years to come
The LYO granted the audience’s clamors for more as they roused two performances in the encore. First, a baleful excerpt from Hindi Kita Malimot by Josefino Cenizal, as arranged by National Artist for Music Ryan Cayabyab. Ending on a high note, they electrified the audience with an impassioned replay of September, giving it their all one last time for the stars.
After recognizing those who made Forte ‘26: Multiverse of Music possible—even paying homage to their former trainer, German De Ramos Jr., who was in attendance—the LYO coalesced to thank its audience for the continued support throughout the years. The night sky bore witness to countless symphonies, and musicians endeavoring to breathe life into them once more. More than a constellation of musical bright spots, Forte ‘26 was a message of gratitude to those who laid down the rhythms that still resonate today.
With the curtains now closed on this year’s recital, there are no better words to capture how far LYO has come, and how far they will go, than their heartwarming gratitude: “Thank you for witnessing our melody transcend generations.”
