MANILA — Basil Valdez’s concert at the Theater of Solaire Resort and Casino on Friday was more than just a trip down memory lane for the well-heeled titas and titos of Manila.

A repeat of Valdez’s successful show last April 29 at the same venue, Friday’s sold-out concert was truly a celebration of the golden age of OPM.

Now in his 60s, Valdez’s voice still has that pleasing and comforting tone although he can no longer hit those high notes as effortlessly and he has difficulty sustaining them. He has also remained soft-spoken and humble as he described his all-OPM repertoire as “simple yet special,” arranged especially for him by master composer Ryan Cayabyab, who also played the grand piano and conducted the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra.

That description is certainly an understatement. Long regarded as the country’s top male balladeer, Valdez had the privilege of recording many of OPM classics by the country’s most celebrated composers, notably Cayabyab and the late George Canseco, who penned Valdez’s breakout hit “Ngayon at Kailanman,” among many others.

It says a lot about the richness of Filipino music at the time that the B-side of the single of “Ngayon at Kailanman” was not a minus-one but another OPM classic by Canseco — “Hanggang Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan.”

In his spiel, Valdez said he feels “so blessed” to have been asked by Canseco to interpret 25 of his songs. So close were the two artists that Canseco phoned him one night to dictate to him the lyrics of a song that he just thought of. “Ikaw” was a big hit for Regine Velasquez but Valdez also came up with his own version of this love song.

These three songs were among several Canseco compositions performed by Valdez last Friday. More than bringing back fond memories, they reminded the audience of the quality of the songs during that era from the latter part of the ‘70s to the mid-‘80s both in terms of melody and lyrics.

(As an aside, notice how many of these songs were actually written for the movie themes. The mash-up of “Paano Ba ang Mangarap” and “Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan” showcased the intricacy of Canseco’s melodies and the poetic lyrics, and it certainly takes a genius to create a masterpiece like Cayabyab’s “Paraisong Parisukat,” which took its inspiration from the old bodegeros in shoe stores in Avenida.)

Canseco’s “Salamin ng Buhay” certainly pushed the envelope for pop songs with its neo-classical stylings. Cayabyab emphasized this quality by starting off the song with a haunting cello solo and highlighting the stark interplay of voice and strings for much of the piece.

Special guest Sharon Cuneta, in excellent vocal form and 65 pounds lighter after an extended stay abroad, casually boasted that she and Valdez were part of the greatest generation of OPM singers.

It’s hard to disagree with her. In the audience that night were many local singers, including Kuh Ledesma, Pops Fernandez, Noel Cabangon, Erik Santos, Roselle Nava and Mitch Valdes, who heartily gave their approval.

Yet amid the celebration of OPM, Valdez chose to end his show on a more spiritual note. Artists usually reserve their biggest hit for the finale or encore. With “Ngayon at Kailanman” slotted early on in the show, Valdez chose to end the concert with the inspirational “Lead Me Lord,” “Lift Up Your Hands” and the eternal “Hindi Kita Malilimutan.” His encores were “Maria” and “Gabing Kulimlim.”

Then again, this Atenean, who graduated with a degree in Philosophy, has never been the typical pop star. He is beyond that.

As Cuneta noted, Valdez is a national treasure.