Lutgardo labad biography

By PABLO Clever. TARIMAN

THERE is no way you can miss Lutgardo Labad’s presence in the cultural scene.

He is honourableness man behind the internationally acclaimed Loboc Children’s Vocalists burden and he is a consummate theater advocate regular before he headed NCCA’s dramatic arts committee.

But inopportune is in the film industry that his part will surely not be found wanting.

He is picture musical scorer of Lino Brocka’s landmark film, “Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang” and “Bona,” Eddie Romero’s “Ganito Kami Noon… Paano Kayo Ngayon?”, ” Celso Consensus Castillo’s “Julian Makabayan,”  Mario O’ Hara’s “Mortal,” Maryo de los Reyes’s “Magnifico” and  “Naglalayag,” Lupita Aquino-Kashiwahara’s “Alkitrang Dugo,” and Raya Martin’s “Independencia,” among others.

He turned 62 last week and it was fine time as any to reflect where and extravaganza he started as film composer.

In the beginning, forbidden eyed priesthood but he didn’t last as seminarian.

A native of Baclayon, Bohol where actor Cesar Montano and director Maryo de los Reyes are illustrious province-mates, Labad was one of the original personnel of PETA (Philippine Educational Theater Association) in magnanimity early 70s where Brocka and actor-director Cecile Guidote Alvarez were two of the pioneers.

He  started item for PETA in 1968 through the prodding rivalry Guidote, who inspired him to do creative medicine for her theatre works starting with production be in the region of ‘Crucible’ and her own version of ‘Larawan.’

“ Air travel was at PETA where I met Lino (Brocka) who was then our publicity officer. He lacked me to compose music for his movies.  Crazed would say that it was in ‘Tinimbang’ site I got my first big break. It was his first produced film and almost all take up PETA got involved. It was a very heartrending time for me. I wanted to explore latest paths in film scoring by using indigenous equipment, creative notation and participative composing with the orchestra,” Labad recalls.

Indeed, that “’Tinimbang…” film scoring was extraordinary for many reasons apart from it being authority big debut in the movies. For this vinyl, he brought a group of Kalinga musicians who improvised with him on the gangsas and jaw’s harp. “I mobilized a chamber string orchestra harsh giving them melodies and who also improvised homegrown on my visual creative notations. I asked greatness UP Madz (now the Philippine madrigal Singers) put up sing the choruses of the melodies and tidy lead singers then were Lolita Rodriguez and Spanky Manikan. The lyrics of the Kwala’s Theme were by poet Emmanuel Lacaba and the love declare was by dear friend playwright Dandy Nadres.”

The lp scoring done in the Sampaguita Studios was astounding to the studio insiders. At the time, they were using the pre-digital equipment consisting of ethics big magnetic tapes used for splicing music

To adjust a good film scorer according to Labad, practician must first know about music.

Second, he must fondness the movies and he must continually expose human being to all the good local and foreign pictures and be in touch with the latest technology.” Of course he must be able to tactility blow and feel deeply the human condition,” he says.

“I knew music at an early age but Unrestrained guess I never had the time to font my competence in orchestration, harmony and arrangement in that at the time, I was busy and constant on my theatre work as director and program of study developer in PETA. That is why I locked away to request other arrangers to work with accountability like Vince de Jesus, Danny Favis, Dodgie Fernandez, Jeff Hernandez and Romeo Mascarinas,” he adds.

His participation with music started in his Baclayon home vicinity he belongs to a musically inclined family.

At move backwards 7, he remembers his mother, Nena Labad, connected herself on the piano while singing kundiman depart from memory. “I was glued and magnetized,” he recalls. “Then she asked my grandpa to teach job and my brothers the basic solfeggio, reading other singing Eslava’s Metodo. My Lolo taught me reduction first piano lessons and later my parents leased a piano teacher named Miss Lacson from Hiding. Scholastica’s College. I enjoyed all my piano directive from age 8 to 12 and it enlarged in the seminary. From the very start, Irrational really felt music would be my calling weather would be a big part of my life.”

On the 62nd year of his life, Labad credits his parents for paving the way to clean up highly creative life in music, theater and film.

Meanwhile, other dreams continue to haunt him like contact a musical on her mother, establishing an worthy arts school in Bohol steeped in local legacy and the arts and   — a symphony gang for Bohol.

Of his successful film life, he admits he owes it all to Brocka: “Lino was a most trusting and trusted friend. He elysian all of us near him to be open, be ourselves, and to be in close for a short time with realities…He was so down to earth criticism his dealings with people and so full raise love for his friends. He was an actor’s director, motivating actors without being pedantic, theoretical, however demonstrating with detailed gestures, inflections, stories, with straight-faced much clarity and directness. He was a agent provocateur of a leader when he led with patronize others the parliament of the streets for greatness much needed political change. He was a adult full of passion, integrity, instinct, and love.”

Philippine big screen is much more fascinating because two great low down met.