Art 2 Art pays tribute this August to Filipino icons

Bayan Ko, a poem originally written by Jose Corazon de Jesus in 1929, and which would become the unofficial anthem of protest rallies in the 1980s, was set to music by Constancio de Guzman. Who again? Learn more about de Guzman in Art 2 Art, hosted by prima ballerina Lisa Macuja, aired nationwide every Sunday, 3:30 to 4 p.m., on DZRH (666 khz on the AM band).

Art 2 Art pays tribute this month to Filipino icons whose names and works have become bywords in Philippine culture. Macuja who leads the discussion about these personalities notes: “We also want to highlight in our program artists whose masterpieces we are so familiar with, but perhaps don't know that much about as persons.”

Art 2 Art can be viewed simultaneously on Cablelink cable television’s Channel 9 and accessed on the Internet through the website http://dzrh.tripod.com.

Produced by the Manila Broadcasting Company, Art 2 Art features the following episodes in its cultural icons series:

August 14 – Juan Luna. Prof. Michael Charleston Chua, vice president of the Philippine Historical Association and a Juan Luna enthusiast, relates anecdotes about the hero, including: his best known work, the Spoliarium; Luna's “other” life as a seafarer; and his friendship with national hero Jose Rizal whom he included in several of his paintings. Chua also shares the story behind the controversial purchase of Luna's painting, “The Parisian Life,” and the interesting interpretations that have been attached to it.

August 21 – Constancio de Guzman. Music critic and professor Antonio Hila discusses the man who rendered music to Bayan Ko, a poem originally written by Jose Corazon de Jesus in 1929 and which would become the unofficial anthem of protest rallies in the 1980s. Beyond that trademark hymn, say Hila, De Guzman produced many compositions, among them Ang Tangi Kong Pag-Ibig and Maala-ala Mo Kaya, that led him to be called the “Dean of Filipino Movie Composers and Musical Directors.”

August 28 – Art 2 Art caps the month with a tribute to a National Artist, a monthly feature of the program since it began airing in 2007.

For inquiries, please e-mail art2artdzrh@yahoo.com.ph. On Facebook, check out the account Ballerina ng Bayan for updates on Art 2 Art episodes and Ballet Manila performances.