MAGNIFICENT, indeed, were the renditions of the newest piano duo-team, Nena del Rosario-Villanueva and Reynaldo Reyes.

They were an attractivelooking team, were grayhaired Reynaldo and the petite, pretty and still-younglooking Nena - looking like a father and daughter twosome - and most

Nena, of course, is our first acknowledged prodigy, performing at the age of five. And making her orchestral debut at the age of ten. She then studied at Curtis Institute of Music under well-known tutors, including Vladimir Horowitz. Further, she has played with the New York Philharmonic, the Little Symphony of New York, the CBS Symphony, the New Haven Symphony, the NHK Orchestra, the Japan Philharmonic, the Orchestra de Madrid, and all the major Philippine orchestras.

A widow, mother, and grandmother, Nena continues to concertise endlessly, and she was the soloist in the concerts of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra in its recent European Tour, where she garnered much praise.

The modest Reynaldo Reyes, born in Alitagtag, Batangas is at present a resident of Maryland, USA, where he is a professor in piano at Towson University. He graduated from high school at the University of Santo Tomas.

At age 17, he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Music at the University of Santo Tomas in 1950.

He enjoyed a scholarship grant at the Conservatoire Nacional Superior de Musique de Paris, where he obtained the coveted Premier Prix in Piano and Music de Chambre, he premiere Medaille in solfege and sight-reading and subsequently, he received a Philippine Government Scholarship to study at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore under Leon Fleisher.

Reynaldo Reyes is one of the most awarded pianist of the Philippines having been named one of the ten outstanding men of the Philippines by the Jaycees in 1966; one of the ten outstanding Filipino overseas in 1972; one of the twenty outstanding Filipinos in Canada and the US by Fil-American Image Magazine in Washington, DC in 1995; Dangal ng Batangas given by his province of Batangas and the Golden Cross Award given by the University of Santo Tomas, the highest award that the university bestows on its alumni; he is the only musician of the Philippines ever awarded 3-time musician of the year by the University of the Philippines. Among other prizes he garnered are: the Second Prize at the International Busoni Competition in Italy, Fourth prize in the Marguerite Long Competition in Paris; and Seventh Prize in Rio de Janeiro International Competition, lastly a First Prize in Chamber Music for Radio Stuttgart in Germany.

Mr. Reyes has one of the widest repertoire among pianist all over the world which include the entire Prelude and Fugus by Bach, the Prelude of Debussy, the 24 Preludes of Chopin, the 24 Etudes of Chopin, the Iberia Suite of Albeniz, the Paganini-Liszt Etudes, the Goldberg's Variation of Bach, the Gaspard de la Nuit of Ravel and a collection of repertoire of different nationalities the latest is an all Poulenc program which he has been playing since Poulenc's 100th birth anniversary. At present is editing Philippine piano classical music in collaboration with the Piano Teachers' Guild of the Philippines.

Understandably, there was an air of high and eager expectancy this evening at St. Cecilia's Hall.

The gracious Carmen (Menchu) Dayrit Padilla, president of the St. Scholastica's Music Alumni Association made a few welcoming remarks, it was she, too, along with the dynamic Rev. Sr. Mary Placid, O.S.B., who had greeted the guests at the door.

And, indeed, this duo-concert by two role models in the Philippine musical scene proved a rare and delightful treat - as they rendered with aplomb, polish and perfect synchronization the two numbers of the evening - presumably being performed in the Philippines for the first time.

Leonard Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story for Two Pianos" arranged by John Musto: Prologue (Allegro moderato), Somewhere (Adadgio), Scherzo (Vivace e leggiero), Mambo (Meno Presto), Cha-Cha (andantino con grazia), Meeting Scene (Meno mosso), Cool Fugue (Allegretto), Rumble (Molto allegro), Finale (Adagio); and Astor Piazzolla's "Three Tangos" - Libertango, Adios Nonino, Le Grand Tango.

In the selections from Bernstein's "West Side Story," which literally opened with a bang, one relished familiar strains from "Maria, Maria," "Somewhere," "Rumble" and so forth - especially the responses of one piano to the other - in particular, those in pianissimo and going still diminuendo to the end of a long passage.

Full of verve as well as tenderness was Bernstein's theatrical leap forward - a fusion of elements from the European and American musical stage tradition into "an original art form that is neither opera nor musical comedy."

In Bernstein's "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story for Two Pianos" we also were alerted to the counts of "held" notes by the smart snapping of Reyes' fingers.

Astor Piazzolla's "Three Tangos" too, was a novelty - three tangos in various moods the second being the most novel - a tango composed after Piazolla's father's death - and therefore, clearly tinged with sorrow and longing.

Nena was at the first piano this time - and again, the two virtuoso played as one - in perfect unison in spirit, in timing, and in style. The acclamation at program's end was overwhelming, and the duo played as an encore the lovely and lilting "Triana" by Albeniz.

Summing up, this has been a season of excellent piano playing - and our rising stars to watch are the gifted Mariel Ilusorio (recently presented by the MCO Foundation chaired by Antonio Samson and with Armando Baltazar as its executive director), Jonathan Arevalo Coo and Greg Zu?a.

How rich is the cultural life of the Filipino - or shall we say, of our Metro Manilans!