Classical pianist Nick Nangit to tackle history in repeat show

Music artist Nick Nangit will reprise his “Timeless” piano concert “Timeless 2” on June 29, 2024 at the Bulwagang Gat Antonio J. Villegas of the Manila City Hall.

Here’s our exclusive interview with Nick:

Boy Villasanta (BV): How would you differentiate your “Timeless 1” with “Timeless 2”?

Nick Nangit (NN): “While the first ‘Timeless’ was a happy blend of heavy classical and light Filipino music for my comeback to the concert stage, with an added orchestral treat, ‘Timeless 2’ would be a more relevant showcase of how our music started and evolved. With the various influences from different cultures mixing with the innate musical sensibilities of our forefathers, anyone can hear the richness of our culture. To cap it all, there will be live paintings done by the resident artists of the Manila Clock Tower Museum, except that we will now move to a bigger venue.

I would say that the musical eye-opener would be the penchant of the Filipino audience to always loving our own, at the same time welcoming the new and avant-garde. It’s like an experimentation that reveals our resilience to changes. An example would be the surprise finale where I will be joined by world-class artists to hopefully inspire everyone and still see the beauty of life.

(BV): What are the striking arts and culture practices in the Philippines that you are presenting to embody your music?

(NN): It is quite revealing that our composers in the early 1900s—the likes of Santiago and Abelardo—patterned their works after their Spanish and American counterparts. They are quite predictable. But there are a few who ventured into the unknown by mimicking the sound of our gongs and other ethnic instruments, as well as nature itself, and combining diatonic scales and clusters with the art forms and time signatures of the West. In a way, it is a strikingly mad but beautiful fusion that is novel to the ears.