Diplomacy Through Beauty (my original, unedited article at the Jakarta Post, April 17th 2016)

Piano Concert of Giovanni Allevi : Diplomacy through Beauty ............................................................................................................................................. by Ananda Sukarlan, pianist & composer ............................................................................................................................................. Do we have to understand the music to love it? And by understanding, what do we mean? Is there really an "education for the ear" to appreciate --let alone love-- "good music" (which means sometimes complex, long and "heavy")? Do we need to know the genre of the music we are listening to? And is it important for any music to fit nicely into a "genre" box? ............................................................................................................................................. The Istituto Italiano di Cultura (IIC) of Jakarta under its visionary and hyperactive director Michela Magri has invited the hugely popular pianist and contemporary (classical) composer Giovanni Allevi to perform at the Usmar Ismail Hall last Friday the 8th of April. It was meant to strengthen the ties between Indonesia and Italy, and also happened to be the first event of Italy's new Ambassador for Indonesia, Vittorio Sandalli. Allevi performed exclusively his own compositions, with the happy exception of giving a surprise to the Indonesian audience, by performing an excerpt of my own Rapsodia Nusantara no. 10. I realized it when we met for the first time at the Ambassador's residence for the welcoming dinner on Thursday the 7th. He broke the secret that he asked the IIC my music score to be sent, so I asked for a music score of his as well. Since the IIC asked me to co-host his concert, I then not only opened it with a (very) short speech, but I play his music, "Secret Love". ............................................................................................................................................. It seemed like a simple and fun game between two musical (new) friends: exchanging musical scores. But it was much more than that. Allevi didn't just "arrive, perform, go home". He took the time and effort to browse and investigate on the Indonesian classical contemporary music, which then brought him to the knowledge of our traditional music, since my Rapsodia is based on Balinese scales and rhythmic structure. Music goes deeper to a cross-cultural understanding, and therefore what occured in his concert was already an act of Cultural Diplomacy. An extra happy coincidence is that Allevi came with his charming wife whose name is Nada, a musical name for us Indonesians since it means "musical note" in our language. We all wish that Allevi would incorporate some Indonesian musical elements in his future music, just like what other Western composers had done who visited Java in the past, such as Michael Tippett or Benjamin Britten. ............................................................................................................................................. Allevi's own music is usually 4-6 minutes long, with characteristic exquisite melodies abound. Notable among the 10 works he played are "Playroom" with its childlike simplicity, the romantic-without-being-too-sweet "Sacred Love" and the humorous "It Doesn't Work". ............................................................................................................................................. Cultural diplomacy is not (only) about entertaining people. It is about relationship building between two countries: its PEOPLE and not only a segment of its society (politicians, economist or even artists) – the most long term strategy used and is potentially the most significant. The relationship building programs stretches over years and is aimed at giving deep insight to the people and how they think, express and live. It is also about "nation branding", and the best way to know --and love-- a country is certainly through its culture and the arts. Opening up to another culture and other views certainly would invaluably enrich anybody's life. ............................................................................................................................................. The increasing globalization has also created a sharper competition between countries as it has become increasingly difficult to stand out from the others and governments have therefore sought ways to increase their own relative competitive edge in relation with other states. Nation branding has been a great way to do this, but first, what is going to be presented by the artist(s) to the other country should have a clear and solid national identity. The artist should be able to show the nations’ possibilities of representing their own artistic utterances to the world, while being capable of understanding what others have to express about themselves. Only then this two-way communication could be established --and sustained. ............................................................................................................................................. This does not necessarily have to have anything to do with its function and the quality does not necessarily have to be better or worse than the arts and culture of the other country. People’s perception of the artistic product is what counts and its expressive and emotional value will make it stand out from the rest as it has its own story to tell the people, since it will make us realize that in whichever part of the world we were born and raised, we all have the same passions, conscience ... and love for everything beautiful; it's just the way we express them is different. Shortly speaking, through the arts we speak the same language. ............................................................................................................................................. The state of easy digital access to a near-endless supply of music that we now have has placed a special burden on music making. What else does the public need? There are those who say that "everything in music has been written". "Everything" includes all the music and genres that are not close to our hearts. ............................................................................................................................................. Why should we listen --and therefore pay-- to the music that doesn't strike a chord in our heart? I do not use the term "understand the music" since music is, unlike words, not to be understood. Do we "understand" Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture"? It does not even have lyrics with it, yet why is it so universally excepted as the triumph of glory? And do we need to know the German text of Beethoven's 9th to realize that it is about brotherhood of men? ............................................................................................................................................. Fortunately, Allevi's fully-packed concert was not only attended by Indonesian audience. There were some expats too, as well as some foreign diplomats. I personally saw the Ambassadors of Armenia, of Great Britain, of Spain and at least of 5 other countries. Together we show the audience that "classical music" does not mean "music written by dead composers"; it is very much alive. It has now even acquired a new term --unfortunately in need of a better one--, "classical contemporary music". The concept of beauty remains the same and there are so many different points of artistic views that are yet to be discovered. ............................................................................................................................................. "We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open." (Jawaharlal Nehru). Substitute "eyes" to "ears" and you will be much more enriched with any new music around you without being judgemental, since when one judges, one will not be able to love.

"Keindahan alam, keindahan musik kamar, keindahan berbagi" (article for Kompas Klass)

Last May, another article of mine was also published by KOMPAS. It was cut and heavily edited to fit the profile of the KOMPAS readers. The title of the published article was changed into 'Turisme, Ketika Musik Jadi "Panglima" ' . So, here I post my original article (pretty different in style than the published one!). ............................................................................................................................................. "Keindahan Alam, Keindahan Musik Kamar, Keindahan Berbagi" ............................................................................................................................................. oleh Ananda Sukarlan, pianis & komponis ............................................................................................................................................. Ketika penulis meramalkan booming-nya musik sastra terutama di dunia piano di Indonesia, penulis tidak menyangka bahwa hal ini terjadi sangat cepat. Setahun terakhir ini, entah ada hubungannya dengan Masyarakat Ekonomi Asean (MEA) atau tidak, ditandai dengan membludaknya musikus asing di Indonesia untuk mengajar dan berkonser, bukan hanya dari ASEAN tapi dari Eropa dan Amerika. ............................................................................................................................................. MEA tidak hanya membuka arus perdagangan barang dan jasa, tetapi juga pasar tenaga kerja profesional, termasuk karya seni. Apakah seniman dan karya kita sudah mampu bersaing dengan negara-negara ASEAN lainnya? Banyak dari kita yang belum menyadari bahwa kompetisi semakin ketat, dan teamwork sangat dibutuhkan bukan hanya dari satu bidang, tapi antar bidang. ............................................................................................................................................. Arnuero adalah kota kecil bagian dari Taman Nasional Trasmiera, di tepi pantai utara Spanyol dengan penduduk sekitar 2000 orang. Keindahannya terletak terutama dari sungai Soane yang bermuara ke laut Atlantik. Di sana diadakan kompetisi musik yang selama 10 tahun berskala nasional, dan berkembang ke internasional 4 tahun terakhir. Kompetisi diadakan di dua tempat : konser pembukaannya di Gereja Asuncion dimana patung dan ukiran altarnya dianggap salah satu yang terbaik di Spanyol dari zaman Renaissance, serta di Casa de las Mareas (terjemahan harafiahnya: Gedung di atas ombak), sebuah gedung unik berkapasitas hanya sekitar 100 kursi yang berlantai --dan juga berdinding-- dari kaca di atas sungai Soano sehingga kita bisa melihat ikan-ikan di sungai di bawah telapak kaki ketika kita berada di dalam gedung itu. ............................................................................................................................................. Kenapa desa yang notabene tidak memiliki gedung konser yang cukup memadai ini menyelenggarakan sebuah kompetisi musik internasional? Tujuannya tidak lain adalah untuk memposisikannya di peta musik sastra seperti yang sejak 14 tahun yang lalu diinginkan Walikota (tepatnya Wali Desa) Arnuero. Fokus itu lebih spesifik lagi, yaitu format musik kamar (chamber music): grup musik terdiri dari 2-5 musikus. Diharapkan para penonton datang ke sana untuk menikmati musik DAN keindahan alamnya. Dengan kata lain: turisme melalui musik, sama halnya seperti Salzburg yang membuat kita ingat kepada kota kelahiran Mozart --dan setelah tahun 1965 melalui film The Sound of Music. Dan musik kamar tidak lagi berarti piano dan biola saja, tapi kombinasi "aneh" seperti trio flute, kwartet saxofon atau formasi peserta Indonesia (bahkan Asia) pertama yang mengikutinya, Duo Schoko yang terdiri dari gitaris Theduardo Prasetyo dan pemain biola Giovani Biga. ............................................................................................................................................. Dan Duo Schoko ini lah yang telah menggores sejarah di kompetisi yang kini paling terkemuka untuk musik kamar di Spanyol ini: mereka berhasil masuk babak Grand Final. Sayang sekali nilai yang mereka capai masih sedikit dibawah juara II, dan tidak ada predikat juara III di kompetisi ini. Meskipun demikian, Giovani Biga meraih penghargaan sebagai Instrumentalis Terbaik. Perlu dicatat, juara I dan II dimenangkan oleh formasi yang sangat "klasik" yaitu Trio Piano - Biola - Cello, dua-duanya dari Spanyol. Jika kita hanya membaca buku acara, Duo Schoko "kalah pamor" dengan formasi biola - gitarnya yang masih langka, "aneh" dan tentu saja kekayaan repertoire-nya yang masih sangat sedikit. Apalagi usia mereka yang masih sangat muda: masing-masing 20 tahun, dan masih tahun kedua di Konservatorium (setingkat Universitas) di Detmold, Jerman dan berawal sebagai sesama siswa Indonesia yang saling curhat soal kangen mie instan dan nasi Padang. Jadi, sebetulnya formasi mereka adalah "terpaksa" karena tidak ada siswa Indonesia lainnya. Tapi, mereka membuktikan bahwa "keterpaksaan" itu membuahkan orisinalitas -- dan akhirnya kualitas, bukan hanya "asal beda". ............................................................................................................................................. Musik kamar adalah alternatif lain dari bermusik, apalagi saat kompetisi piano di Indonesia semakin menjamur ke berbagai arah, baik negatif maupun positif. Indonesia mungkin negara dengan jumlah kompetisi piano terbanyak di dunia saat ini: setiap bulan, bahkan kadang setiap 2 minggu ada kompetisi sehingga jika seorang pianis muda (atau orangtuanya) tiba-tiba melihat jadwal kosong, ia bisa saja ikut sebuah kompetisi secara acak. Memang ini adalah situasi yang kelihatannya mengagumkan, beda dengan keadaan di Eropa misalnya, yang cuma ada 2-3 kompetisi setahun di tiap negara. Tapi, kompetisi di Indonesia itu masing-masing memiliki aturan sendiri yang sering tanpa berdasarkan nilai artistik dan/atau edukatif, dengan kriteria penilaian yang seringkali cukup "unik". Dengan banyaknya pianis "juara" dari berbagai kompetisi ini, apakah para juara ini masih punya nilai tambah untuk menarik penonton di dunia musik sastra? Alternatif yang tepat sekarang adalah grup musik kamar. ............................................................................................................................................. Selain itu, kenapa kompetisi di Indonesia hanya dilakukan di kota-kota besar? Dengan banyaknya lokasi yang indah di luar kota, kenapa itu tidak dimanfaatkan untuk menarik para peserta dari luar negeri juga? Selain berkompetisi, mereka juga menikmati keindahan alam Indonesia. ............................................................................................................................................. Dalam dunia seni pertunjukan, konsumen itu bukan raja. Konsumen itu teman, mitra atau rekan -- ingat, orang-orang yang minta-minta tiket gratis atau korting itu tidak termasuk kategori teman. Konsumen dan produsen adalah sederajat dan saling mengisi. Keinginan konsumen belum tentu harus dipenuhi untuk menjaga kualitas karya seni itu sendiri. Tapi, apakah ada cukup konsumen untuk menonton pianis yang notabene main Sonata-nya Beethoven yang itu-itu lagi, Ballades-nya Chopin yang itu-itu lagi? Dan jika sudah ada ribuan -- atau dalam kasus seperti di Cina, jutaan-- pianis yang dapat memainkannya dengan teknik dan presisi yang rapih, jika standar kelulusan perguruan tinggi musik bahkan memenangkan kompetisi sudah melewati titik kejenuhan, bagaimana sang konsumen memilih pemain ¨favorit¨nya? ............................................................................................................................................. Kita sekarang memiliki ribuan pianis, tapi berapa pemain flute? Cello? Apalagi yang lebih langka, seperti Horn? Dan apakah seorang pianis itu bisa berkarir secara eksklusif bermain solo? Jika kita "kalah" dengan para pemain dari luar, kita tidak bisa menyalahkan mereka. Banyak aspek dalam musik yang kita abaikan. Jurusan piano, biola dan vokal adalah "favorit" saat ini, tapi kenapa instrumen lain tidak? Dan setelah bisa bermain instrumen, kenapa kita tidak main bersama instrumentalis lain untuk menghasilkan musik yang indah dan berbeda? ............................................................................................................................................. Giovani Biga dan Theduardo Prasetyo tidak sendirian dalam mengukir prestasi dalam bidang musik kamar di luar negeri. Bahkan salah satu pianis muda terbaik kita, Edith Widayani pemenang Ananda Sukarlan Award 2010 yang terkenal dengan virtuositas permainan solonya ternyata juga berprestasi dengan trio-nya. Sejak kuliah S1 di Texas Christian University ia memang telah meraih penghargaan Judith Solomon Award untuk Chamber Music dan TCU Faculty & Friends Chamber Music Award. Kini Edith kini menjalani program Doktor Musik (S3) dan bersama teman-temannya di Auden Trio (Beiliang Zhu - cello dari Shanghai yang pemenang Bach competition di Leipzig dan Ji-yeon Lee - biola) sering mengadakan konser. ............................................................................................................................................. Kalau kita mengambil prestasi seorang non-pianis, mungkin pemain cello Christy Oscar yang saat ini kuliah di West Virginia University dapat merepresentasikannya. Bersama 3 teman kuliahnya yang juga pemain alat gesek mereka mendirikan Midas String Quartet; mereka telah memenangkan kompetisi regional MTNA (Music Teachers National Association) dan April nanti mengikuti babak final tingkat nasional yang diikuti semua juara regional di Amerika. Padahal Christy adalah pemain cello utama (principal) orkes universitasnya, yang menandakan bahwa ia juga gemilang sebagai pemain cello solois. ............................................................................................................................................. Kompetisi piano Ananda Sukarlan Award memang akan diadakan lagi bulan Juli ini. Walaupun telah melahirkan banyak pianis yang sekarang memulai karir internasional, tujuannya bukanlah menemukan SOLOIS terbaik, melainkan MUSIKUS terbaik. Jika seorang pianis memenangkan ASA, ia belumlah sempurna sebagai seorang musikus. Itu sebabnya penyelenggara sedang mempertimbangkan 1 babak tersendiri untuk bermain musik kamar di edisi tahun berikut, karena sampai sekarang belum ada kompetisi untuk musik kamar yang memang belum populer di Indonesia. Bermain solo membutuhkan teknik dan musikalitas yang tinggi, tapi bermain bersama instrumentalis / vokalis lain itu membutuhkan 2 hal tadi PLUS hal-hal lain, seperti ketajaman pendengaran untuk bersinkronisasi dengan pemain lainnya. Sebaik apapun seorang pemain, musikalitasnya tidak lengkap kalau dia tidak bisa bekerjasama di panggung, bermusik dalam satu nafas dengan keseimbangan dinamik dan ekspresi. Dibutuhkan tanggung jawab, disiplin, komunikasi serta respek terhadap pemain lain yang akhirnya membentuk karakter dan perilaku sang musikus, baik di dunia klasik maupun jazz, dimana setiap pemain punya andil yang kira-kira sama tanpa seseorang berhak "steal the show". ............................................................................................................................................. Bermain musik kamar adalah bersama membagi kebahagiaan bermusik. Jika kita membagi uang, kita akan kehilangan uang itu. Tapi jika kita berbagi musik, itu sama seperti berbagi kebahagiaan: bukannya jadi berkurang, tapi kita akan langsung mendapatkannya lagi berlipat ganda.

The birth of an Orchestra : my article at Jakarta Post

This is my article published at the Jakarta Post on May 4th, 2016. As usual, I post my original one, although the one appearing at The Jakarta Post was basically un-edited. Again, Bravo IYCO ! ............................................................................................................................................. THE BIRTH OF AN ORCHESTRA ............................................................................................................................................. by Ananda Sukarlan , composer & pianist ............................................................................................................................................. It was fun, funky and it was also urgently necessary. The Indonesia Youth Concert Orchestra (IYCO) performed their very first concert last Saturday, April the 23rd at Balai Sarbini under the baton of Addie MS. It was a performance long overdue, and the Jakarta traffic jam didn't hinder the audience who already craved for a high quality, both entertaining and inspiring, meticulously prepared yet enjoyable and groovy performance of an orchestra by (very) young musicians, the youngest member being 8 years old. IYCO met our expectations; in their young hands, the music sounded attractive, relaxed and even sexy. The audience in Jakarta have grown in quantity and quality, and that is why the capital city needs an orchestra like this. Young Indonesian musicians who play classical music instruments are also being produced in record numbers and their skills are incomparably higher than those (even some more senior ones) in the past, so they need a meeting point and a hub to develop their artistry and creativity. ............................................................................................................................................. IYCO is a project by the @ID_Camp and its founder & director Dewi Atmodjo, originally called "Inspired by The Master". They invited the writer of this article last year who is supposed to inspire dozens of pianists, and this year the "Master" goes to Indonesia's reputable conductor, Addie MS; since a conductor can do nothing without an orchestra, therefore IYCO was formed. IYCO opened auditions for all young instrumentalists a few months ago, and the respond was overwhelming, not only coming from Jakarta but from other cities --even islands. ............................................................................................................................................. If someone really understands the nuts and bolts of an Indonesian orchestra and its musicians, he is Addie MS. Addie is not a graduate from a foreign conservatory, which reminds me of our common idol Leonard Bernstein, a "local product" which became a national pride (Bernstein was the first American conductor whose musical education was exclusively formed in the USA). He had established successfully his own Twilite Orchestra since 1991. He didn't try -- and he didn't need either -- to implement Western methods of forming, rehearsing and managing an orchestra here. Indonesian issues need to be handled through Indonesian means, and he understands it. Those issues go both ways: the producer of the music (the producers, promotors and musicians) and the consumer (the audience). ............................................................................................................................................. As the orchestra's name indicates, this is a real Indonesian orchestra. Classical music, by nature, stems from a western culture, but it doesn't mean that it should remain western all the time. In fact, we can all see that its development is shifting to Asia, not only proven by the achievements of Asian musicians worldwide in quality and quantity, but also in the migration of many Western musicians to Asia looking for jobs. And here starts the main issue in Indonesia. If there were two concerts at the same time by two unknown musicians, a local one and another a foreign, most people would still choose the latter. The same thing works with the program: it usually consists more than 50% (sometimes even 100%) of Bachs, Mozarts and other (dead for centuries) Europeans, as if classical music is caught in the grip of obsolete structures and practices. The late great poet Wiji Thukul stated once: "This is our own country, here we are not tourists", but many classical music musicians have not shared this statement yet. We must do more than being reproductions of an artificially selective fragment from the Western traditions, imitating with a limited repertoire of the great performers of the past. Imitating great people does not automatically generate greatness. ............................................................................................................................................. IYCO performed classics such as music from The Pirates of the Caribbean, works by Johann Strauss and those clever orchestral scores of Leroy Anderson (The Waltzing Cat, Plink Plank Plunk and The Syncopated Clock), but a big chunk of the program consists of Addie MS's orchestrations of some Indonesian folk tunes that are now widely known due to their existence at every Garuda Indonesia flights. This is the exciting part of it, since most other orchestras in Indonesia mainly focus on the outdated routine recycling of repertoire consisting of the same composers again and again. Listening to IYCO is like bringing us back to the late 19th and early 20th century, when 80 percent of the repertoire played at concerts were fresh and new music. An additional value is that they are not stuck in just one genre of music. ............................................................................................................................................. Special mentions should be made for the soloists in the orchestra: flutist Ryan Limanto and cellist Fransisca Eleonora who excelled in their difficult solo parts. ............................................................................................................................................. An ideal scene in the future would be integrating performance and music making into the life of the primary and secondary schools, not as boring academic stuff but through sustained teaching of performance, improvisation and composition, connecting our musical heritage to early life education. Classical music offers a way of life that provides an enriching and satisfying alternative to the standardization of commercial entertainment, enjoyable as they may be. The sooner our musicians and orchestras grasp this essential concept, the quicker they will see the wonderful opportunities of making a better society around them. And this concept will be solidly integrated to the society when it is introduced as early as possible to the young people. IYCO plans to play in different formations, in different and even adventurous venues, and perhaps at different times, mixing genres and ensemble size in a single concert. Hopefully this will reconnect our musical practices to one of its primary sources of inspiration: childhood wonders of everything around us. ............................................................................................................................................. The road for IYCO is still very far, and it's not going to be easy. No matter what lies ahead, we wish them all the best in channeling their dreams, energy and endeavors to put Indonesian classical music on the pedestal it deserves.