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MABUHAY MAGAZINE | MAY 2016

 By JOANNE VILLANUEVA

Tales from the Silk Road  

“IDID NOT TELL HALF OF

WHAT I SAW, FOR I KNEW

I WOULD NOT BE BELIEVED.” 

Tese were among the last few words

Marco Polo had to exhale on his

deathbed, in response to the few who

found his travelogue fallacious.

Tere’s a lot to tell about a 24-year-

chronicle in the East, which the West

was probably not ready to hear then; or

it might just be the prose of romantic

author Rustichello, to whom Marco

Polo dictated his stories. Fiction or

otherwise, Te ravels of Marco Polo

has been regarded as an important

account in history, the encounter of

the West and the East, and has since

influenced a whole new generation

of explorers, including Christopher

Columbus.

Marco Polo has since been a phrase,

becoming a namesake for a pool game

of tag, a 2014 television series, and

one of Asia’s leading companies in

the hospitality business: Marco Polo

Hotels.

Before becoming a hotel, it was

originally a restaurant frequented

by travelers. Alluding to its market,

Marco Polo Hotels seeks to embody

the ethos of discovery that its

namesake represents, and create

unique experiences for each of its

 visiting guests.

As they celebrate their second

anniversary, Marco Polo Hotels

relieved the famous traveler’s cultural

 journey down the Silk Road, retold

through a night of fashion, food, and

music in “Silken Voices, Silken Roads:

An Open Gala Dinner,” held last April

18 at the hotel’s Grand Ballroom.

General Manager Frank Reichenbach

announced in a media preview last

March 30 that they plan to make the

celebration an annual affair.

FASHION. “Fusion” has always been a

key element for fashion designer Renee

Salud, whose pop meets classic

style, which he calls “culturally

hip,” perfectly presented the

meeting of East

and the West.

His fondness for

indigenous Filipino

décor also shows

in his choice of

fabrics and rich

accessorizing. Te

runway served

stage to diverse

looks that somehow

managed to feel

like a sophisticated

collection. Tese

include a whimsical

set of mid-thigh

dresses, layered

with a Western

stylization of East

Asia’s traditional

loose, long sleeves;

a line of mermaid

dresses; and black dresses accentuated

by patterns in gold.

MUSIC. If silk had a voice, it would

sound like the song acts for the

night—grand, frictionless, and lustrous.

Te cast included Asia’s Got alent

Runner-up Gerphil Flores,

Philippine Opera Company

(directed by Floy Quintos),

and renowned tenor

Francisco Aseniero. A few

pieces that heard revival

were the Bell Song from the

opera Lakmé  and ‘O Sole

 Mio.

FOOD. No celebration is

without feast. Featuring

culinary creations by

Executive Chef Luis

Pesarrodona and Chinese

Chef Ken Leung, the

dinner started with dishes from Italy,

Middle East, to China, recalling the

path Marco Polo wandered in. Each of

the dishes had a song—a feast for all

senses. n

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND EVENTS

The media preview opened strong with

the opera gala’s front acts. Renee Salud’s

works then glamm ed up the runway.

Gerphil Flores made an appearance and

offered a song. Samples of the dishes

were served buffet-style before the

show. The artists pose with Marco Polo

General Manager Frank Reichenbach.

Photos by Mariah Nerona.

 

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