[TF] The island paradise of El Nido is probably one of the few remaining untouched wonders within the Philippine archipelago. The perpendicular charcoal coloured cliffs were formed by submarine volcanic eruptions of unspeakable magnitude at the brim of the South China Sea. Lime sediments had been twisted from their original horizontal formations to bizarre vertical structures, blackened by inclusions of lava, bearing silent witness of unimaginable tectonic convulsions long before our time.

I thought myself very fortunate having Ena Maria Aldecoa (Professor Piano at UP, Quezon City) accompany me on this singular journey of terrestrial discoveries, also because she was a competent guide through the menu card of traditional Filipino food.

The trip to El Nido is not quite easy. After taking the airline to Puerto Princesa the capital of Palawan, it takes another six hours on a road that is at times riddled by potholes challenging even the most seasoned driver.

El Nido welcomes its visitors with beaches of fine grained white sand and a sea that allows vision down to a depth of thirty meters, but it also impresses with its wonderful corals and tropical fish. We managed to book a stand-alone cottage right on the beach under some towering coconut trees only at a stone's throw distance from where high tide can reach.

Apart from the jabbering of birds excitedly watching their young, the mating call of a lonely Tuko (engl. Geco), or the trampling of a wild pig drawing circles around our cottage, there is no noise, no bawling of drunken tourists nor alien intrusion by disco music. The failing electricity also helps in this respect, where the romanticism of a rising and setting sun instantly makes forget everyday life.

The morning starts early with the first rays of light way before the sun appears on the horizon. This is when the sand on the beach still holds enough moisture to provide a playing ground for ever inquisitive mini crabs. This is also the best time for swimming before the heat of the day sets in.

If one is lucky to get a seat on a small German built turboprop plane seating just 18 passengers, it is possible to reach Manila in only 80 minutes flying time. The airfield is maintained by an organization which provides two luxury hotels on the islands with rather solvent guests mainly from Europe. Before boarding the plane a folklore group in brightly coloured dresses sings us a hearty farewell.

Only minutes later a last glimpse of the white crest of the beach waves whisking by just below our wings. Soon as we gain altitude the uncountable islands of the Busuanga group present themselves before we cross over the sea towards Mindoro. Finally lake Laguna appears. We are on the final to Ninoy Acquino International Airport in Manila.

The next day started with Amador Tamayo picking me up from the Imperial Palace Suites in Quezon City serving as my temporary residence. Amador is the first luthier in the country. He finished his studies with Schnorr in Hamburg attending supplementary studies in Mittenwald, which next to Cremona is regarded as cradle of the art of violin building. After over 25 years he still purchases his wood in Bavaria and the first violins and cellos he built are still as good as ever.

The trip to his home in Batangas takes about one and a half hours. We reach a spacious and bright bungalow on top of a slight rise within his naturally kept property. He explains to me that he needs quietude to be able to perform. Before I had time to look around he seated himself in his workshop and started to play on one of his cellos. It belongs to the same batch as the instrument that accompanied Victor Coo when touring Taiwan in 2008 (video see our website under “Tamayo’s Fine Instruments”). What a forgiving warm sound! I told him that I would also be interested in this instrument for our ICG collection. Then he opened an old violin case and pulled out a new instrument, the “ICG violin”. Gina Medina (Professor violin at Santa Scholastica) had evaluated it before my arrival.

Amador’s wife Miriam had prepared some delicious lunch for all of us including his three co-workers. Then he showed me his workshop, his wood storage area, the dehumidifying unit without which it was almost impossible to get the varnish dried, and last not least one of his pets, a 6-foot boa constrictor. The animal had been harassing a neighbouring poultry farm before Amador bought it from its captors thereby saving it from certain death. Miriam suggested this is the reason why she does not go for a walk all by herself. I tried to pacify her by remarking that she is too large for the snake to swallow.

In the evening Amador invited me to a concert with the Manila Symphony Orchestra (MSO) at Santa Scholastica. The MSO played with a convincingly homogeneous sound a program consisting of American composers of the twentieth century. Their conductor violinist Arturo Molina demonstrated the orchestra’s capability to perform even challenging rhythms with Gina Medina leading the strings. Joseph Esmilla, who had already made it to Juilliard at the tender age of 14, was also attending as guest and so was Justin Texon, presently with the Nuernberg Philharmonic Orchestra. Justin’s wife Jareen Inacay impressed in the violin concerto. Finally we ran into Renato Lukas (Professor Cello at UST). How wonderful to meet all these people at a single occasion.

After some picture taking Amador drove me back to the Cultural Center of the Philippines where Ena had been rehearsing with the Madrigal Singers ahead of their concert tour to Korea. She is also planning to accompany them on their European Tour (June, July) and later in the year to South America (September, October).

We found her already waiting at the entrance of the CCP and on we went for a Japanese midnight dinner in Quezon City. The ensuing sleep turned out very brief indeed. Ena had to work in the morning and I had to leave for the airport already at 4:00 to make my plane back to Europe.

It had been a remarkable trip filled with innumerable wonderful surprises.

Photo Galery: Philippines 2009 Trip

Editorial by: Isis Concert Group