Camelia : event

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15/01/2008

Opera Cinta Seniman Bohemian

Camelia Pasandaran

“Betapa dinginnya tangan mungil ini, biarkan aku menghangatkannya. Apa yang kau cari, gadis? Dalam gelap kita tak kan menemukannya. Tetapi beruntung ini malam bulan purnama, dan di sini bulan itu dekat kita”

Rodolfo (Charles Nasution), sang penyair, menyanyikan lagu ini untuk Mimi (Christine T. Lubis), seorang penjahit yang tinggal di kota Paris pada malam Natal tahun 1830.

Lagu yang mengawali kisah cinta mereka menjadi salah satu lagu terkenal dari opera karya Giacomo Puccini yang berjudul La Boheme yang dipentaskan oleh Susvara Opera Company diiringi Twilight Youth Orchestra di Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, 4-5 Desember lalu.

Opera yang terkenal dengan kompleksitas dan keindahan lagunya ini mengisahkan mengenai percintaan Mimi dan Rodolfo. Kehidupan mereka dihangatkan oleh pertemanan akrab dengan Colline (filsuf), Schaunard (musisi), Marcello (pelukis) dan pacarnya Musetta.

Babak pertama mengisahkan kehidupan mereka sebagai rakyat jelata. Namun mereka selalu bisa mengakali kesulitan hidup seperti membuat pemilik apartemen mabuk sehingga lupa menagih uang sewa. Begitu sang pemilik apartemen pergi, mereka pun merayakan Natal bersama dengan minum-minum di Cafe Momus. Di sinilah Rodolfo dan Mimi menyanyikan duet mereka yang terkenal O Soave Fanciulla (wahai gadis cantik).

Di Cafe Momus, justru cerita lebih banyak berfokus pada kehidupan cinta Musetta dan Marcello. Musetta berupaya memancing kecemburuan Marcello mantan pacarnya dengan datang bersama Alcindoro, seorang kaya raya. Di sini Musetta (Anastasya P. Suryaningtyas) membawakan aria waltz-nya yang berjudul Quando m’en vo’ per la via (Disaat aku sedang berjalan seorang diri) yang mengisahkan betapa banyak orang mengagumi Musetta. Mereka pun saling melempar sindiran satu sama lain. Adedan ini berakhir dengan mereka berdua kembali bersama dan pelayan cafe yang memberikan tagihan minuman. Musetta dengan santainya mengatakan pada pelayan bahwa Alcindoro yang akan membayar. Alcindoro pingsan ketika tahu dia telah diperalat.

Keindahan cinta yang diwarnai dengan aria-aria panjang, duet, trio dan kuartet yang indah tidak berakhir lama. Mimi yang selama ini berupaya keras menyembunyikan sakitnya akhirnya tak lagi kuasa menahan sakitnya.

Mengawali babak ketiga, Mimi datang ke penginapan Marcello untuk menceritakan penderitaannya itu. Pada saat yang bersamaan, Rodolfo datang dan Mimi segera bersembunyi. Mimi mencuri dengar Rodolfo yang menyatakan kekuatirannya bila Mimi masih tinggal di loteng Rodolfo yang dingin dan lembab hanya akan membuat dia semakin sakit. Batuk Mimi menyadarkan Rodolfo bahwa Mimi bersembunyi di situ. Mimi keluar dan menyanyikan Donde lieta usci (tempat dimana kebahagiaan muncul). Mereka berpisah dengan menyanyikan Addio dolce svegliare (selamat tinggal, saat bangun tidur yang indah) dengan harapan bahwa pada musim semi mendatang mereka akan bersama lagi.

Babak penutup mengisahkan akhir hidup dari Mimi di loteng apartemen. Ditemani sahabat dan kekasihnya, dia menyanyikan aria Vecchia zimarra (wahai jubah tua) untuk jubahnya yang selama ini telah menemani dia dalam kesendiriannya. Setelah teman-temannya meninggalkan dia berdua saja dengan Rodolfo, Mimi menyampaikan perasaannya untuk terakhir kalinya: ”come il mare profonda ed infinita, sei il mio amor e tutta la mia vita” (seperti laut yang dalam dan abadi, kamu cintaku dan sepanjang hidupku).

Rangkaian musik melodrama ini diadaptasi dari novel karya Henry Murger yang berjudul Scene de la vie de boheme. Puccini menggubahnya menjadi opera dan dipentaskan pertama kali di Turin tahun 1869. Opera ini membuat Puccini dikenal sebagai komposer opera karena kelengkapan operanya yang terdiri dari empat babak, sejalan dengan empat bagian dari sebuah simfoni yang penuh dengan semua karya terbaik Puccini.

Catharina W. Leimena, pengarah artistik untuk pertunjukan ini memilih La Boheme karena keindahan karya ini. ”La Boheme merupakan salah satu karya yang luar biasa. Musiknya dibuat khusus untuk musik pertunjukkan. Saya tertantang untuk mencoba meski kesulitannya banyak. Opera ini terdiri jalinan dari melodi yang berat dan kompleks.”

Susvara Opera Company di bawah bimbingannya, mempersiapkan opera ini sejak April 2007. Ini adalah pementasan opera mereka yang digarap secara matang setelah sempat berkesperimen dengan menyanyikan penggalan opera karya Mozart dalam Cactch a Glimpse of Mozart’s Opera dan pada awal tahun ini mementaskan opera Fidelio karya Beethoven yang ceritanya telah dipersingkat.

Ivonne Atmojo, praktisi pendidikan musik, yang menonton pertunjukkan tersebut mengaku gembira menyaksikan pertunjukan karya Susvara ini.
“Seluruh pertunjukan sangat menyatu, mulai dari tata cahaya, panggung, pemain dan orkestranya. Untuk ukuran Indonesia , pertunjukan mereka sempurna,” kata Ivonne.

Ia juga menilai Twilight Youth Orchestra yang mengiringi pertunjukan di bawah pimpinan Eric Awuy telah memberikan musik yang prima. Meski Ivonne masih beberapa kali mendengar kesalahan dalam permainan musik, namun untuk sebuah orkestra yang belum lama berkembang orkestra ini sudah cukup baik penampilannya.

Christine Lubis, juga terlihat sangat baik memerankan tokoh Mimi meski dia sendiri mengaku cukup sulit memainkan opera ini. “Ada banyak hal yang harus diperhatikan di sini. Bukan sekedar menyanyi saja, tapi juga acting, (stage) blocking dan mendengarkan orkestra. Ini semua memerlukan konsentrasi yang tinggi.”

Charles, sang pemeran Rodolfo justru melihat tantangan opera ini ada pada lagu-lagunya. “Puccini itu merupakan komposer era klasik akhir, jadi karya diperuntukan untuk penyanyi-penyanyi yang mempunyai teknik vocal tertentu. Saya agak gugup takut nada-nada tingginya tidak sampai. Ini adalah opera Puccini yang paling sulit di antara opera yang lain dengan teknik musik yang tinggi.”

Sebagai penyanyi berpengalaman, secara vokal tentunya mereka tidak menemukan masalah besar dalam membawakan karya Puccini. Yang justru menjadi hambatan adalah faktor bahasa dimana libretto yang dinyanyikan semuanya dalam bahasa Italia. Masalah yang sama ketika Susvara membawakan opera Fidelio dalam bahasa Jerman.

“Mereka masih terdengar beraksen (Indonesia ). Greget Italia belum keluar. Yang sulit ketika bernyanyi bukan sekedar teknik vokal, tapi pelafalan kata. Meski tidak mempelajari bahasa setidaknya pemain harus bisa belajar membawakannya dengan pelafalan yang benar,” kata Ivonne mengomentari teknik mereka.

Opera dalam bahasa Italia ini juga menjadi kesulitan tersendiri bagi penonton yang tak menguasai bahasa daratan Eropa itu. Untungnya Susvara sudah mengantisipasi dengan menghadirkan seniman dan aktris kawakan, Jajang C. Noer, yang membawakan narasi pertunjukan di tiap awal adegan.

Penonton pun sangat antusias merespon opera ini. Beberapa hari menjelang pertunjukan, tiket untuk dua hari pertunjukan sudah terjual habis. Tradisi opera yang belum banyak berkembang di Indonesia memang membuatLa Boheme daya tarik yang luar biasa.

Paling tidak, warga Jakarta yang minim pertunjukan opera klasik yang berkualitas bisa menikmatinya di dua malam itu dan hanyut dalam rangkaian musik yang menarasikan indahnya cinta dan penderitaan, seperti yang dituturkan Puccini: “If only I could find my subject, a subject full of passion and pain.”

07:51 Posted in Event Review | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email this

NSO : The Messiah

Camelia Pasandaran

Investor Daily

”Ayo bernyanyi bersama. Jangan kuatir dengan tempo, karena saya akan memimpin kalian.”
Gábor Hollerung, dirigen konser bertajuk Christmas Celebration mengajak seluruh penonton untuk bernyanyi bersama dengan paduan suara diiringi Nusantara Symphony Orchestra.

“Pertama-tama, saya ingin kalian mencoba Silent Night,” ujarnya. Lalu dia mulai menggerakan tongkatnya dan memimpin penonton bernyanyi bersama. Lagu belum berakhir ketika dia memberhentikan penonton dan mengatakan “inilah bedanya penyanyi profesional dan amatir,” sambil menunjuk penonton dan paduan suara bergantian dengan tongkat dirigennya. Penonton pun tertawa.

Hollerung tidak menyerah. Dia lalu mengajak penonton menyanyikan Auld Lang Syne dengan iringan NSO yang bergaya jazz. Lagi-lagi dia menghentikannya dan mengatakan ”Ini tidak cocok. Kalian harus bisa menyanyikannya dengan ritme jazz.” Ketika diulang kembali, penonton mulai bisa mengikutinya dan Hollerung menyatakan ”good rythmic!”

Tidak sampai di situ, dia kembali melatih penonton menyanyikan lagu negro spiritual Mary Had a Baby. Kali ini, dia mengajak penonton memainkan peran yang berbeda. “Imagine a black fat girl singing this song.” Dia pun mencontohkannya dengan menyanyi bak penyanyi dari daratan Afrika dengan suara berat dan keras.

Penonton pun mulai hanyut dalam latihan untuk bernyanyi bersama dalam konser. Seperti pertunjukan musik pop, penonton pun ikut terbawa suasana dan menyanyikan lagu tersebut dengan gaya negro spiritual.

Konser seperti ini mungkin jauh dari bayangan para penonton ketika pertama kali menghadiri konser Nusantara Symphony Orchestra hari Senin lalu di Grand Ballroom Hotel Mulia. Di spanduk dan buku acara tertera nama sebuah oratorio terkenal karya komponis Italia G.F. Handel, The Messiah dan International Christmas Carol.

Ketika konser mulai di awal dengan lagu-lagu oratorio The Messiah, tidak ada tanda-tanda bahwa konser akan berubah suasana dengan drastis. Suasana kemegahan dari oratorio Handel membangun suasana yang sangat khidmat.

The Messiah, karya yang meski sangat terkenal dan sudah ribuan kali di mainkan di berbagai panggung dunia, bukanlah suatu oratorio yang mudah. Meski diciptakan hanya dalam waktu 24 hari oleh Handel, oratorio spiritual ini memerlukan teknik yang memadai dari para pemain orchestra dan paduan suara yang terlatih untuk bisa membawakannya dengan baik.

”Semua tuntutan teknik untuk orkestra harus mendukung. Ini tidak mudah, walau diulang beberapa kali. Meski mementaskan The Messiah adalah seperti bertemu dengan teman lama, ada beberapa hal yang harus dilatih kembali,” papar Edward Van Nes, dirigen tetap dari NSO.

Penampilan mereka memang membuktikan hasil kerja keras. Yang sungguh layak untuk dipuji adalah komposisi suara yang menyatu dengan sangat baik. Tidak ada instrumen yang terlalu dominan.

Tiga paduan suara Nusantara Choir, Twilight Chorus dan Indonesia Youth-Cordana Choir terlihat sempurna membawakan lagu-lagu naratif dalam oratorio yang megah ini. Keindahan oratorio dilengkapi dengan kehadiran empat orang solois, soprano Binu D. Sukaman, Mezzo Soprano Anna Koor Chooi Choo, penyanyi tenor Ndaru Darsono dan penyanyi bas Harland P. Hutabarat.

Ketika lagu terkenal dalam oratorio ini Halleluyah-chorus dibawakan sebagai penutup bagian pertama, seorang penonton sempat berkomentar ”seperti mendengar paduan suara malaikat dari surga.” Tidak berlebihan memang komentarnya, karena memang penampilan mereka sangat prima. Handel pasti sangat bangga melihat bagaimana karyanya dipentaskan dengan begitu megahnya.

Lepas dari bagian pertama, penonton diberikan kejutan. Lagu-lagu magnificat karya Bach dibawakan dengan aransemen ulang gaya jazz. Tidak ada masalah dengan gaya lagunya, kecuali bahwa drum yang begitu mendominasi sehingga menenggelamkan nyanyian paduan suaranya.

Bagian dengan musik yang keras ini tidak berlangsung lama. Tiga saja lagu Bach yang dibawakan dan kemudian berganti bagian International Christmas Carol. Di awal bagian inilah Hollerung melatih penonton untuk menyanyi bersama.

Belasan lagu Natal tradisional yang terkenal dibawakan di sini. Suasana menjadi sangat meriah ketika di beberapa bagian dirigen membalikkan punggungnya dan menyanyikan tiga lagu-lagu yang sudah dilatih di awal.

Bagian ini dikemas dengan kreatif. Musik yang dibawakan pun sangat dinamis. Bunyi-bunyian perkusif seperti bunyi bel memberikan efek yang baik pada beberapa lagu seperti Silent Night, What Child is This dan Deck the Hall. Iringan alat musik gesek yang mengalun panjang mengiring O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree). Sebuah lagu Advent Veni Veni Emmanuel dilantunkan dengan gaya klasik. Pada lagu Auld Lang Syne malah dibuat kanon antara paduan suara di panggung dengan penonton.

Di berbagai lagu tersebut para solois juga ikut mengisi, seperti pada lagu Ala Huella, Alla Huella, Mary Had a Baby dan What Child is This.

Bagian terakhir ini ditutup dengan empat lagu berturut-turut Venite Adoremus, Nowell, Nowell, We Wish You A Merry Christmas dan Joy to the World.

”Encore! Encore!” seruan penonton yang meminta lagu tambahan disambut dengan Halleluyah-chorus yang dinyanyikan dengan aransemen yang lebih ringan.

Keterlibatan aktif penonton dalam konser ini memang membuat penonton terlihat sangat menikmati konser. Menurut Van Nes, bagian sing along ini tidak dipersiapkan.

”Itu spontanitas. Kira-kira lima menit sebelum pertunjukkan, Miranda (Goeltom) datang pada saya dan mengusulkan bagaimana kalau sing along? Kami memilih tiga lagu.”

Tapi ide sing along ini menurut dirigen tamu Gábor Hollerung adalah positif sebagai bagian dari edukasi dan menarik penonton konser.

”Saya percaya bahwa penonton memiliki mental yang berbeda jika mereka menjadi bagian dari konser. Jangan dilupakan bahwa konser sebagai sebuah institusi tidaklah terlalu tua. Sebelumnya, orang bernyanyi bersama-sama. Baru sekitar 700 tahun yang lalu tradisi konser berjalan. Ada komposer, ada yang menginterpretasikan, ada penonton yang membeli tiket dan mendengarkan musik,” tutur Hollerung.

Lebih lanjut dia mengatakan bahwa hal ini tidak alamiah. ”Penonton bisa menjadi bagian dari konser dan memahami konser yang sedang berlangsung. Mungkin awalnya terlihat seperti sebuah lelucon tapi ini menarik.”

Penampilan mereka yang dikemas dengan acara bernyanyi bersama dan masuknya lagu-lagu dengan aransemen kontemporer setelah pertunjukan klasik tidaklah tanpa tujuan. Hollerung mengatakan ini bertujuan untuk menarik minat penonton.

”Saya berpendapat bahwa saat ini kehidupan musik klasik di negara ini tidak kuat. Karenanya, penyelenggara tidak memaksakan musik klasik di keseluruhan pertunjukan sehingga mereka bisa menikmati dan berminat untuk terus hadir dalam konser,” kata Hollerung.

Pendapat ini tidak sepenuhnya benar. Meski gerakan tidak terlalu kentara, tapi perkembangan musik klasik di Indonesia tidak bisa dipandang sebelah mata. Belakangan ini, di beberapa konser klasik dalam bentuk opera dan konser musik, ruangan dipadati penonton. Konser NSO ini salah satu buktinya.

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09/11/2007

Italian quintet lends romance to Independence

The Jakarta Post
Features - August 23, 2007
Camelia Pasandaran, Contributor, Jakarta

When it comes to a country's independence celebration, the most common sentiments would be heroism and patriotism. But what about romance?
It might sound uncommon, but that was the mood presented by Quintetto Amaranto in their concert, Omaggio Italiano all'Indonesia, or A Tribute From Italy to Indonesia. The concert was part of the Indonesia Independent Art Festival I 2007, held at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta (GKJ) on Aug. 15, ahead of the country's Aug. 17 Independence Day.
Quintetto Amaranto is a chamber music group consisting of a pianist and four string players, established in May 2007 with the aim to perform in Indonesia. The five musicians in the quintet are: Maria Teresa Piccoli (piano), Maria Valentina Montuori (violin), Alina Gilardi (violin), Chiara Ciancone (viola) and Vera Cammelli (cello).
They opened the concert with a long work by renowned Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli, Concerto Grosso op. 6 n. 8, which has nine movements with tempos ranging from adagio to vivace.
The different atmosphere of each movement created various moods for the listeners, with ascending and descending dynamics and alternating lead instruments. Corelli's music is distinct in that it is believed to have been liberated from all strict rules of counterpoint.
The beautiful flow of Corelli's composition provided a perfect opening that also determined the romantic soul of the entire concert.
After the Baroque opening piece, the quintet played four compositions by Arie Napoletane consecutively.
If the romance was subtle in the Corelli piece, these traditional songs originating in Naples were, without a doubt, romantic pieces and easily recognized as such from their titles: Voce `e notte (Voice of night), Era de Maggio (It was in May), Te vojo bene assaje (I love you), and I' te vurria vas (I want to kiss you).
These are all serenades about the complicated but sweet affair of love.
Quintetto Amaranto closed the first half of the concert with Nino Rota's famous composition for film, 8 e 1/2, which unfortunately did not work as well as the other pieces, as they seemed to be racing each other, leaving a disharmonic impression.
In this first half, acclaim should be presented to violinist Alina Gilardi, as her playing produced intriguing sounds that wonderfully brought out the soul and the mood of the compositions.
The programs for classical music concerts are often arranged according to unwritten rules under which the first half is usually filled with serious classical works, and the second with modern or light pieces. Placing such an upbeat and modern composition such as Rota's in the first half clearly showed that the quintet did not wish to follow such a "code of conduct".
Most concerts place rather short works from the modern era to keep the audience from falling asleep sleeping in the second half as the hour grows late. But Quintetto Amaranto took the unconventional path, opening the second half with a work of around 20 minutes: Concerto in Re magg. per pianoforte e orchestra and Ersione cameristica by Franz Joseph Haydn.
It was a bold decision to challenge the spectators, but the unusual selection revealed the care they took in setting up the program.
Although this is a long Haydn work, it is a dynamic one, and the quintet succeeded in presenting the playful character of the composer. Just like a conversation, the piano solo and the strings took turns in playing and created a contrast by playing in different octaves.
The key role of this piece was carried by the pianist, Piccoli, who played the long phrases amazingly, decorated with many beautiful trills.
After this long opening to the second half, the quintet performed renowned Italian songs such as Gabriel's Oboe (Ennio Morricone) and Amarcord (Nino Rota). They also played the famous theme song of the award-winning movie, La Vitabella/Life is Beautiful, composed by Nicola Piovani.
In these pieces, the arrangement was different from the previous ones; the piano mostly took the lead by playing the main melody, while the others provided the accompaniment. The string musicians used the pizzicato (plucking the strings) technique and produced a wonderful harmony, a perfect blend of cello, violin and viola.
To close the concert, Quintetto Amaranto played Rinaldo Di Capua's O sole mio, a highly popular love song -- one so famous that some members of the audience hummed its melody or even sang the lyrics softly.
Even though the concert repertoire were of medium difficulty, with only two months to prepare and considering that this was the quintet's first performance in a theater, the sweet arrangement and their flawless performance deserve salutations.
As a new chamber group, their performance was wonderful, playing with good harmony and in a perfect musical blend.
"Playing in accord is a must in chamber. We did that with high concentration, kept looking and listening at each other and did it together in certain way," said pianist Piccoli.
Conscious that they were playing in a festival to mark Indonesian independence, Quintetto Amaranto intended to prepare the Indonesian national anthem, Indonesia Pusaka, as their encore.
"We wanted to prepare an Indonesian song, but we didn't have time, we received the sheet music too late. It's a pity, we'd (have liked) to play an Indonesian song for the festival," said Piccoli.
Instead, they played Rota's Amarcord again in response to a prolonged applause from the audience.
If they had played Indonesia Pusaka, they would likely have sent the audience home with a feeling of heroism. But when they finally ended with a dreamlike piece, they strengthened the atmosphere of romance that might seep into the audience's dreams that night with beautiful images.
Quintetto Amaranto performed with their own sense of music and in doing so, they fulfilled a responsibility to stage the best musical arrangements for the audience, reflecting the independence theme: freedom in life and a sense of responsibility to make the best of it.
It was a truly fine performance and a perfect night for both listeners and performers -- but one that was marred by a post-concert disappointment: the musicians' mobile phones, wallets and passports were stolen from the GKJ makeup room during the second half of the concert.
Even so, the performers could still smile as they left the concert venue as if nothing had happened.
Those in the parking area were left torn between deep regret for their misfortune and gratitude for the beautiful music they had given.

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08/11/2007

From Bali to Brahms: A lively musical rendezvous

The Jakarta Post

Features - September 08, 2007

Camelia Pasandaran, Contributor, Jakarta

Jangeran -- a fusion of East and West music traditions composed by Chris Watson -- opened the Nusantara Symphony Orchestra's (NSO) concert last Saturday at Balai Sarbini.

The concert began with Balinese music played by a small gamelan ensemble. The intensity of the music, called kakotekan in Bali , and the transposition of the main theme in Janger style, produced a rich sound. The hall had been decorated like a temple and a male Balinese dancer flitted in and out between the members of the orchestra.

Then the orchestra started to play. It sounded like a response to the Balinese music, much like the conversation between the male and female players in the Janger tradition (dance, music and drama for young people in Bali ). A trumpet solo perfectly captured the ethnic sound.

After a long conversation between the gamelan and the orchestra, they found a meeting point. On any other occasion a union between these "worlds apart" musical instruments might have caused raised eyebrows but, under the direction of NSO guest conductor Hikotaro Yazaki, the disharmony that was immediately perceivable gave way to a unique musical synthesis.

To close the complex work, the NSO offered some more Balinese arrangements. Resident conductor Edward C. Van Ness said the additional closing music and the dancer were intended to bring the audience back to the lively and vital Balinese tradition.

"Jangeran is a meeting of two different traditions. But each retains their identity and strength. If we combined Asian noodles with Italian spaghetti, the taste would be awful. So we find a way to merge the two," Van Ness said.

Following Jangeran, the orchestra played Johannes Brahms' Concerto for Violin and Cello, Op. 102 in A Minor, welcoming to the stage two Japanese soloists: violinist Atsuko Watanabe and cellist Yasuro Chomei.

Though from the romantic era, Brahms is known for his unique style, which was revolutionary in music development. This peculiarity is often ignored by musicians who play Brahms' work in the romantic style of Chopin. But the NSO stayed true to the fundamental character of Brahms' music.

In the first Allegro movement, the musicians' ability to play at a fast tempo with several shifts in melody was challenged. Restless notes chased one another; no single note lasting for long, like water streaming down a hill.

Them came the andante movement and the heroic music lightened a shade. At first, it sounded like a rest after a long climb, but this was not yet the finale.

The pace quickened for a Hungarian-style rondo that was inspired by the gypsy street music of Vienna in Brahms' time. After a journey through the rich music of Brahms, the first part of the concert was over.

As the players returned to the stage after the break and the audience quitened down, the conductor slowly raised his hands for a downbeat. Suddenly, the hall was flooded with the deep sounds of the bassoon and strings, playing Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6, Op. 74 in B Minor.

This work has a brooding tone and a slow tempo. A short trombone chorale is heard, based on an Orthodox hymn.

The second movement takes the form of an energetic dance with its unusual 5/4 time signature indicating the start of the Allegro con Grazia.

The guest conductor demonstrated great skill in invoking a range of emotional responses. No wonder that he was awarded the "Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" from the French Government in 2001.

Tchaikovsky again changed the mood with its radical leap from the second part to the Allegro molto vivace. The brass section and the strings produced brash sounds like a storm, accented by the cymbals. This would have been a fantastic finish but Tchaikovsky does not usually end predictably.

The Adagio lamentoso movement was in fact the finale of this dynamic work. The music slowed and softened, as if bringing the listener to the point of aching despair.

What a journey! From Bali , the audience was taken to the romantic era with Brahms' unique inimitable harmony and Tchaikovsky's dynamic works.

It really was a great concert. The ebbing away of the closing music left the audience silent. Then, the applause started and several "bravos" were heard as well.

Let us wait and see what the orchestra has in store for its November and December concerts.

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'Il Gattopardo': Italian institute to celebrate Tomasi

The Jakarta Post

Features - July 21, 2007

Camelia Pasandaran, Contributor, Jakarta

"We were the Leopards, the Lions, those who'll take our place will be little jackals, hyenas; and the whole lot of us, the Leopards, jackals and sheep, we'll all go on thinking ourselves the salt of the earth."

This is said by Don Fabrizio Corbera, the main character of Il Gattopardo, who must stand in the face of the Italian unification movement that will forever change his life and that of his dying artistocratic family.

Il Gattopardo, or The Leopard, is probably one of the most significant films to come from Italy , adapted from the famous novel of the same title by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa. The film version -- which won the 1963 Palme d'Or at Cannes -- was directed by Luchino Visconti and features an international cast that includes Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale.

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Giuseppe Tomasi's death, The Italian Institute of Culture will be screening the film at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, July 23. Jakarta .

The film revolves around the family of Don Fabrizio (Burt Lancaster), also known as Prince Salina, who live in Sicily at the end of the 19th century. He is a benevolent man who barely adapts to the changes occurring between the static, aristocratic world and the emerging modern one.

Fabrizio faces another problem in the fate of his daughter, Concetta (Lucilla Morlacchi), who was to marry her cousin, Trancedi Falconeri (Alain Delon).

But this plan crumbled after Trancedi meets Angelica Sedara (Claudia Cardinale), a 17-year-old girl who has just returned from Florence and the daughter of the wealthy Don Calogero Sedara, who has made his fortune as a merchant.

Trancedi with his handsome looks, ambition and vitality is the epitome of the rising modern generation and society; his opportunistic marriage to Angelica is a symbol of the era's historical development in which the aristocracy is left behind.

How Prince Salina adapts to this unfavorable situation illustrates the moral of the film. While his family continues in their aristocratic ways, Fabrizio must face the truth in something Trancedi said: "If we want things to stay as they are, things will have to change."

Those who have already seen the movie laud the cinematography of Giuseppe Rotunno that wonderfully portrays the landscape and architecture of Sicily, especially the Salina palace and its rooms. Admirable, too, is the amazing, realistic costume design. For example, the costumes become dusty when worn on a journey, just like real clothes worn by real people.

The ballroom dance scene and soundtrack also deserve mention. The latter was created by the Italian movie soundtrack composer, Nino Rota.

It is not surprising that The Leopard this movie won top awards for cinematography, costume design and production design from the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists. It also received an Oscar nomination for Best Color Costume Design.

Director Visconti won the best director award at Cannes and from the Italian film journalists' syndicate.

The Italian Institue of Culture will screen the original 2.5-hour version of Il Gattopardo/The Leopard -- generally seen only at film festivals -- in Italian with English subtitles.

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German choir delivers authentic show of sacred music

The Jakarta Post

Features - June 23, 2007

Camelia Pasandaran,

Contributor, Jakarta

Twenty-seven men and women took to the stage at the Goethe-Institut Jakarta's concert hall on June 14, divided into three groups of eight to 10 and standing in a small semi-circle facing one another.

It was hard to imagine what the Konzertchor Darmstadt (the Germany-based Darmstadt Concert Choir) was going to do with their bizarre blocking. While choirs can be arranged in various creative ways in a performance, standing in a semi-circle was a rarity.

The choir, under the helm of Wolfgang Seeliger, had also made a unique entrance, coming in from the doors to the concert hall, singing as they walked up the aisles on the left and right, flanking the audience.

The audience waited to see how Seeliger would instruct his choir -- perhaps a hand signal for them to slowly open the semi-circle into a line, as is typical of choral performances?

But the puzzle remained as Seeliger exited the stage and the choir started to sing Cantate Domino.

This creative, yet unusual method of performance was not without meaning. Seeliger explained that they were demonstrating the way sacred music was sung in Germany around 1640.

"At that time, people sang in a circle without the presence of a conductor," he said.

Konzertchor Darmstadt had come to the capital as part of its Indonesian concert tour, which included a concert in Bandung, West Java, and in Manado, North Sulawesi . In Bandung , the choir also participated from June 10-13 in the 3rd Symposium on Church Choral Music.

"We want to introduce German sacred music, from works composed in the 16th century to scores composed in the modern era," said Seeliger.

The Jakarta concert was divided into two parts, the first filled with 16th century songs and one song from the Romantic era, the second with repertoire from the Romantic and Classical eras to modern pieces.

Of those songs sung in the first half, two that sounded most interesting were the very long Jesu, Meine Freude (Jesus, My Joy) and Ruf zu Maria (Prayer to Mary). Compared to others that sounded monotonous, Jesu, Meine Freude was imbued with frequent dynamics in tempo and volume change.

As for Ruf zu Maria, aside from its beautiful arrangement, the sopranos sang their part with high angelic voices, contrasting with the bass that carried a distinctive solemn atmosphere. The audience gave the choir a hearty applause following these pieces.

Through the first half of the concert, the Konzertchor Darmstadt showed how its 25 years of existence had perfected their skills. Their singing technique was impeccable, producing vigorous voices without yelling and maintaining precise tonality at both high and low pitch.

For each song, the choir members shifted positions to produce the best tonal quality.

For example, in singing F. Mendelssohn's Denn er hat Seinen Engein, they divided into two groups: women and male sopranos to stage right and tenor, baritone and bass to stage left. They sang with alternating techniques to match the lyrics, which tells of a group chanting a prayer of benediction to another group that was departing. Not many choirs can overcome the weak acoustics of Goethe's concert hall, but Konzertchor Darmstadt did so successfully.

Unfortunately, their technique was not accompanied by vivid expressions, and the repertoire of the first half was mostly the same and plain, thus leaving a dull impression. Sacred music can set the mood of the people in a service, but in a concert, a choir must go beyond the written music and good musicality.

Germany is home to many great classical music composers, and in attending the performance of a German choir, the audience might likely wish to hear a true interpretation of their compositions. But this remained unheard throughout the first hour of the concert, as the choir members were stuck with sheet music in their hands, preventing them from expressing freely.

The dreary atmosphere that clouded the concert suddenly lifted the Darmstadt choir sang Franz Liszt's Ave Verum, warming the audience's spirit in closing with a long and very soft "Amen".

Following this, they sung Anton Bruckner's Ave Maria, from the Romantic period. The male registers produced a poignant, soft voice that suddenly turned fortissimo (loud), which transformed the song from a mellow to a glorious one. When they ended the song with a majestic voice, the crowd applauded enthusiastically.

An important song in the second half that touched the audience's heart was one of only two English-language songs performed: Lead Me Lord, a modern song created by Darmstadt composer Arnell de Pano. The men led the cantus firmus (main melody) and the other registers blended into a harmony with more dynamics. The closing high note from the sopranos and Seeliger's simultaneous jump awed concertgoers, who responded with a standing ovation.

That would have been the perfect song to end the concert, but Seeliger continued with the well-known Ave Verum Corpus by W.A. Mozart and transcribed by Liszt. It seemed Seeliger still had a trick or two up his sleeve, and it is no wonder he is dubbed a creative and innovative conductor.

At times, however, this could be confusing, and the concert program was slightly unclear -- for example, the songs on the program were not sung in order. Moreover, additional songs that were not listed were also sung.

Still another surprise was in store for the audience after the solemn Ave Verum Corpus, when the choir members all placed their music sheet on the floor and rushed backstage -- and returned holding an angklung, a West Javanese bamboo instrument.

"It is a new instrument for us, but we feel that we can play it," said Seeliger by way of introduction. The Konzertchor then played a traditional lullaby, Guten Abend, Gute Nacht, and the audience started to sing along in Indonesian as requested by the conductor.

Seeliger had actually rehearsed another song with angklung: Indonesian composer Christian Tamaela's Toki Gong. Because no Indonesian choir was available to sing with the German choir, the piece was canceled.

After the angklung music, the choir sung two closing tunes. This time, their hands free of sheet music, they sang Am Brunnen vor dem Tore (The Linden Tree), a traditional German tune.

On leaving the stage, they waved and sang Goodbye My Sweetheart acappella with the men taking on the part of musical instruments.

Seeliger's performance must be lauded, as he really showed what a conductor should be. He led the choir effectively and attempted to draw out the emotions of the choir to create the mood of the concert and finally, closed it with a memorable finale.

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Brothers Grigoryan deliver dazzling show

The Jakarta Post

Features - July 28, 2007

Camelia Pasandaran, Contributor, Jakarta

This is the story of Kolobok, a loaf of bread that comes to life one Sunday morning: After grandma finished baking a loaf of bread, she put it near the window; by magic, the bread came to life and rolled out the window into the forest.

Kolobok meets animals in the woods -- it waltzed with the wolf, tangoed with the fox, and finally met the bear, which ate poor Kolobok.

Kolobok is a Russian fable narrated by Slava and Leonard Grigoryan. They are not master storytellers, and instead told the story with the music they produced from their guitars. Kolobok was composed by violinist Eduard Grigoryan and specially arranged for his two guitarist sons.

After a short introduction on the piece, the brothers started in a slow tempo, drawing the audience into the serenity of an ordinary Sunday morning. A sudden rise in tempo and switch to high fairy-tale tunes marked the miracle of the bread coming to life.

They continued playing then Slava exclaimed, "It's the bear!" The following low tunes -- and the guitarists' serious expressions -- made concertgoers feel the intensity of the approaching big, bad bear.

Leonard slashed a finger across his neck to mark the death of Kolobok, and the story closed in a descendo, met by enthusiastic applause.

Kolobok was part of Slava and Leonard Grigoryan's July 23 performance at Erasmus Huis, South Jakarta , and the fifth in The Guitar Maestros 2 Concert Series.

The concert opened with a work originally composed for piano, Suite Bergamasque by Claude Debussy, and followed by three pieces by Federico Mompou, all arranged for two guitars by Eduard Grigoryan.

The first half closed with Manuel de Falla's Pieces Espagnoles, in which the Grigoryan brothers complemented each other and produced a rich musical palette together. When Slava played the melody, Leonard played the harmony, and vice-versa, a perfect blend that filled the hall with a Spanish atmosphere with their imaginative and dream-like music.

The two brothers, who were born in Kazakhstan and raised in Australia , have been playing guitar together since Leonard was 4 years old and Slava, 13. They play duet naturally, as though they can understand each other without saying a word -- but with a glance or raised eyebrow to begin a piece or to enter a transition.

Their coordination and timing are impeccable, as seen when they plucked their instruments in tandem. Their collaboration has already produced award-winning classical albums.

Although the duo has no formal music education, the Grigoryans' mastery of the guitar is such that their playing looks effortless as they produce beautiful melodies to structured, complex rhythms, and from intricate, subtle harmonies to brash, astringent chords.

Even though stands with sheet music were in front of them onstage, they were not bound by it, playing expressively and successfully to illustrate the character and atmosphere of the songs. When they played works by Spaniards Mompou and de Falla, they transported the Jakartan audience to the streets of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville .

At times the harmony sounded unfamiliar, a result of the guitar rearrangements, which merge world music, jazz as well as classical elements. At other times, they played repeated sections using different dynamics, brilliantly producing an ambience that reached the soul, allowing the audience to flow with the music.

Aside from their musicality, the Grigoryans' experience on the international stage was seen in their communication with the audience, guiding them toward an understanding of their music.

While the first half of the concert was amusing, it was the second half that truly showed the resourcefulness and creativity of the two performers, who are open to a variety of genre aside from the classical.

"We play everything, classical, jazz, rock and roll. We even have electric guitar," said Leonard.

Their mastery of several genres was evident when they played modern compositions for guitar. After Kolobok, the opening song of the second half, they performed Nigel Westlake's Songs from the Forest and Evening Dance by Andrew York. The brothers ended the concert with Beneath an Evening Sky, a work by their favorite composer and hero, Ralph Towner.

Responding to the audience's cheering their performance, the guitarists gave an encore of improvisation that slowly led into the Brazilian tune Jongo, by Paolo Bellinati.

While other guitar concerts are usually considered a string concert, the Grigoryans' performance could truly be called a guitar concert -- they did not produce music just with their guitar strings, but with all parts of the instrument.

For example, they hit the guitars' wooden body and transformed it into a percussion instrument, impersonating the sound of a conga.

"Well, it's a good percussion instrument," said Slava, laughing.

He added that the brothers wished to introduce new things and new music styles through their concerts. They believed that music is like lifelong learning -- to absorb novel things and learning new music.

Perhaps this philosophy comes from their musical family: their mother, Irena Grigoryan, is a viola player, and their father a violinist and professional jazz drummer. Slava said Eduard Grigoryan always had a hunger for listening to new genres and sounds.

In selecting the program, Slava said he and Leonard tried not to play familiar songs: "We really enjoy playing music that we know that the audience never heard of before. That's really fundamental for us," said Slava, who was named 1998 Young Australian of the Year for the Arts.

The Grigoryan brothers' concert was arranged by well-known Indonesian guitarist Sudirman Leman, in cooperation with the Australian government. Through the 2005-2008 Guitar Maestros concert series, he intends to present Jakartans with a different kind of entertainment.

Sudirman had observed that most residents of the capital sought entertainment at movie theaters, cafes, lounges and concerts that he felt was lacking in quality.

"I want to present high-quality entertainment that also consists of educational and cultural aspects," said Sudirman, adding that he was pleased with the Grigoryan brothers' performance and repertoire of difficult compositions.

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