Music and Diplomacy

As the visit of the famed Suk Chamber Orchestra wonderfully coincided with the celebration of the Czech National Day, it inevitably performed for Ambassador and Mrs. Stanislav Slavicky and their guests at the embassy residence for the special occasion.

After rendering a symphonic movement, the musicians assisted the young Fil-Spanish virtuoso pianist Felipe Ramirez, Jr. for the last movement of Mozart’s Concerto No. 11.

The considerable din that had been going on throughout the previous orchestral rendition threatened to become even louder; consequently, Mr. Ramirez, usually mild-mannered and soft-spoken, approached the microphone and resolutely pleaded with the guests thus: "If you can’t be quiet, please step outside and continue talking there. We are professional musicians and as such, deserve your attention."

Long before then, the ambassador and their ladies had already gathered in front of the living room, respectfully silent and eager to listen. (I noticed Spanish Ambassdor Tomas Rodriguez-Pantoja standing still beside me), and they lustily applauded the pianist’s earnest request. As it turned out, many of the politicians and the businessmen at the rear were the ones causing the din! No wonder, the celebrated Chinese violinist Jue Yao, the ensemble’s soloist, could hardly be heard as she delivered a few remarks.

Earlier, VP and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona, Jr. and Ambassador Slavicky exchanged meaningful toasts as Russian Ambassador Anatoli Khmelnitski, acting dean of the diplomatic corps, stood nearby. Mr. Slavicky alluded to the Philippine visit some years ago of playwright Vaclav Havel–now President of the Czech Republic–to watch peta’s staging of his theater piece in its Pilipino translation. Mr. Guingona, for his part, harked back to his recent visit to Prague for the fifth Global Forum on Human Rights.

Forthwith, I caught a glimpse of the ambassador’s serious-looking young son Mark, in an elegant barong, standing at attention for the ensuing anthems.

Hopefully, the performance of the Suk Chamber Orchestra will start a trend to combine music with diplomacy. By then, let’s hope the politicians and businessmen will have turned into instant music aficionados!

Erratum: A very pretty guest was inadvertently identified as Mrs. Jun Magsaysay (nee Marie Louise Khan) in a group photo which appeared in this column on Oct. 21. Mrs. Magsaysay, likewise very pretty, happens to bear a striking resemblance to the aforementioned guest; thus, the error seemed logical–and inevitable. Nevertheless, my sincerest apologies.