Yup, that's what one usually say to a performing artist about to go on stage. In Spanish it's even worse, they say "mucha mierda!" which means "loads of shit!". If it were told to a politician who's about to give his campaign talk it would be more appropriate. I don't know the origins of those sayings (am pretty sure lots of google entries can explain it to you), but in any case those well-wishes phrases stem from the superstition that giving good wishes is considered bad luck. And yes, we artists ARE highly superstitious due to our insecurity towards the high level of unpredictability of our end products.
But I did get my bad luck a few days ago, and it wasn't on stage. It was an act as simple as going down the livingroom steps at my house, just those 2 steps that I've known for 13 years that I lived here. Maybe that's the bad luck key: I fell on Friday the 13th, after 13 years living here. And it wasn't as bad as breaking a leg, I just broke a bone in my left foot (if I had fallen at 13.00 p.m it might be worse). The most outer bone, that most vulnerable one. After I fell down, I didn't go immediately to the hospital but tried to live a "normal" life for a few days instead, until yesterday my wife insisted that we go visit the hospital since the pain didn't go away. And so we went, and they X-rayed my feet. And my fate for the next month is sealed: I will need 2 walking sticks to help me walk.
Needless to say, I will have lots of time this week, since I mainly lie down in bed with my laptop. Even today, I've read all those mailing lists which I normally don't read, checked all messages on facebook ... and tweeted of course. But I also have talked to my managers and we have decided that my next public appearances will not be cancelled. I have only a broken foot, which is so light compared to a broken heart or broken spirit! Even only 1 day has passed, I could already understand how life is for disabled people, and I'm sure it will inspire me for something. As you might know, I have written music for disabled people, and now by experiencing first hand how it is, I am more keen to do it. As I would be too lazy to bend one of my legs to live and feel how life is with 1 leg if I hadn't got this accident, so I feel lucky to have experienced this. So, next week I will still teach at Rotterdam as a guest professor and even keep my small concert & talk there on Tuesday evening for the students (mostly piano and composition), and the week after I will go to Jakarta where I will perform Tschaikovsky's Piano Concerto and that famous variation of Rachmaninov's Paganini Rhapsody with a new arrangement: accompanied by an ensemble of angklung! The concert will take place on May 5th at Teater Jakarta (TIM). This will be a very special experience for me. Other guest stars will be one of the winners of the National Vocal Competition "Tembang Puitik Ananda Sukarlan" Adi "Didut" Nugroho (yup, he's the tenor who asked for wealth to the shaman in my opera "Mendadak Kaya") and famous Indonesian pop singer Kikan Namara. Hopefully things will go well, since it's more difficult to travel with one leg. Wish me luck, friends, but this time I dunno how, since I have fulfilled your good wish by breaking a leg. Literally.
martes, 17 de abril de 2012
miércoles, 4 de abril de 2012
Half empty or half full, I just drink it!
A few days ago I got a message from India's leading inspirer / motivational speaker / personal brand expert Dr. Amit Nagpal expressing his interest in interviewing me for his highly popular blog "The Joys of Teaching" and it's been published here: http://www.dramitnagpal.co.in/2012/04/ananda-sukarlan-interview-with-piano.html . Now I am sure he expected a positive attitude from me and all other things that would encourage the readers to achieve success with hard work.
I am of course deeply honoured to be interviewed by him, but interviewing an artist or musician for positive motivational purposes is a bit against our nature of being since artists are more (hyper-)sensitive and therefore usually are pessimistic beings. Just remember Gustav Mahler who was obsessed with death (that includes the death of beauty, death of music as we know it, and of course his own physical death). Therefore when a dictator is rising in a country, the first people he gets rid of are scientists and artists: scientists because they know too much, and artists because we sense too much. But anyway, we did the interview and I did quite well (hopefully Dr. Nagpal agrees.. ?) as my first ever interview for this purpose. I expressed my honest opinions about life and music. I might not be the most optimistic person he interviewed, but I didn't predict the end of the world either :)
A big chunk of a work of art is a product of our subconscious mind. It has tremendous treasure in it, of course, but it is also there where phobias, paranoias, pain and other scary things (why do they always start with the letter p?) are hidden. Composing means letting ourselves delve deep into it, which means bringing all our darkest elements to the surface too. As any artist can tell you, when we are stuck with a huge block in our brain at some point while working on a piece, the best solution is try to forget it for a few days, and one day the block disappears by itself. I dunno why, I dunno how, and honestly I don't wanna know. The only problem is the approaching deadline of course, but that's why I try to work on pieces long before their deadlines are due (and I do finish many of them far before the deadline too, although there are some others which were finished, ehm, much after the deadlines were over) so we allow our subconscious minds to solve our mental blocks.
But it is due to our pessimism that we artists continue working. It is a catharsis to our negative feelings inside, even a cure, so that we become more human outside. By putting those dark thoughts on paper we reduce their existence in our subconscious mind. Yup, lots of darkness between those notes, guys! Gustav Mahler was so obsessed with his irregular heartbeat that he could only feel relieved after he wrote it down in his 9th symphony. Of course composing for him was also the cure to the great pain caused by the death of his daughter in 1907 (Mahler himself died in 1911). Mahler's music could sound like that thanks to all the pain he's suffered in his life. In other words, we now enjoy great works of art thanks to the sufferings of the artist. Thanks to Mozart's dad who abused him to overworking, we now have all those great masterpieces!
Talking about being a pessimist or optimist, what is clear to me is that I am not (anymore) a person who wants to change the world. I now realize only politicians can change the world -- to worse. It's due to their similarity to baby diapers: they're always full of sh*t and therefore they should be changed more frequently. If you want to make things better, the first thing is to make yourself better. That's why I never vote during elections, although they always say "vote me to make things better" ; no, no, we vote only to determine who are gonna take our money away. For unknown reasons. During campaign of course there are many promises in the air, but there's much air in the promises too.
I don't even know the secret of success. I am an artist, and an artist is very different than an entertainer. The difference is that an entertainer's job is trying to make everybody happy, while an artist should give his audience his honest expression and the highest possible quality of artistic product, which many times is not what is considered "nice". Just listen to Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem" based on that very explicitly politically incorrect poem by Wilfred Owen, and tell me that's it's nice and entertaining! To make listeners happy one should make a piece of music which is easy listening (which means singable and repeated melody and not too many changes of chords), simple text of words (usually about love) and of course a short duration, while an "artistic" piece of music can be anything from a short piece for a piercing piccolo solo to a (more than) hour long symphony for big orchestra and even choir.
When we are feeling low, listening to great music can help us heal the pain. Imagine life without music, and nowadays without your CD players, radio or iPod. So, don't underestimate composers & musicians, eh? One can't realize what one has until one loses it. In this matter, composers have a great advantage: we listen to music all the time in our head. Of course the disadvantage is that we can't turn it on and off whenever we want to. Now you understand why we musicians hate those shopping malls with music blaring from every shop, right?
I am of course deeply honoured to be interviewed by him, but interviewing an artist or musician for positive motivational purposes is a bit against our nature of being since artists are more (hyper-)sensitive and therefore usually are pessimistic beings. Just remember Gustav Mahler who was obsessed with death (that includes the death of beauty, death of music as we know it, and of course his own physical death). Therefore when a dictator is rising in a country, the first people he gets rid of are scientists and artists: scientists because they know too much, and artists because we sense too much. But anyway, we did the interview and I did quite well (hopefully Dr. Nagpal agrees.. ?) as my first ever interview for this purpose. I expressed my honest opinions about life and music. I might not be the most optimistic person he interviewed, but I didn't predict the end of the world either :)
A big chunk of a work of art is a product of our subconscious mind. It has tremendous treasure in it, of course, but it is also there where phobias, paranoias, pain and other scary things (why do they always start with the letter p?) are hidden. Composing means letting ourselves delve deep into it, which means bringing all our darkest elements to the surface too. As any artist can tell you, when we are stuck with a huge block in our brain at some point while working on a piece, the best solution is try to forget it for a few days, and one day the block disappears by itself. I dunno why, I dunno how, and honestly I don't wanna know. The only problem is the approaching deadline of course, but that's why I try to work on pieces long before their deadlines are due (and I do finish many of them far before the deadline too, although there are some others which were finished, ehm, much after the deadlines were over) so we allow our subconscious minds to solve our mental blocks.
But it is due to our pessimism that we artists continue working. It is a catharsis to our negative feelings inside, even a cure, so that we become more human outside. By putting those dark thoughts on paper we reduce their existence in our subconscious mind. Yup, lots of darkness between those notes, guys! Gustav Mahler was so obsessed with his irregular heartbeat that he could only feel relieved after he wrote it down in his 9th symphony. Of course composing for him was also the cure to the great pain caused by the death of his daughter in 1907 (Mahler himself died in 1911). Mahler's music could sound like that thanks to all the pain he's suffered in his life. In other words, we now enjoy great works of art thanks to the sufferings of the artist. Thanks to Mozart's dad who abused him to overworking, we now have all those great masterpieces!
Talking about being a pessimist or optimist, what is clear to me is that I am not (anymore) a person who wants to change the world. I now realize only politicians can change the world -- to worse. It's due to their similarity to baby diapers: they're always full of sh*t and therefore they should be changed more frequently. If you want to make things better, the first thing is to make yourself better. That's why I never vote during elections, although they always say "vote me to make things better" ; no, no, we vote only to determine who are gonna take our money away. For unknown reasons. During campaign of course there are many promises in the air, but there's much air in the promises too.
I don't even know the secret of success. I am an artist, and an artist is very different than an entertainer. The difference is that an entertainer's job is trying to make everybody happy, while an artist should give his audience his honest expression and the highest possible quality of artistic product, which many times is not what is considered "nice". Just listen to Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem" based on that very explicitly politically incorrect poem by Wilfred Owen, and tell me that's it's nice and entertaining! To make listeners happy one should make a piece of music which is easy listening (which means singable and repeated melody and not too many changes of chords), simple text of words (usually about love) and of course a short duration, while an "artistic" piece of music can be anything from a short piece for a piercing piccolo solo to a (more than) hour long symphony for big orchestra and even choir.
When we are feeling low, listening to great music can help us heal the pain. Imagine life without music, and nowadays without your CD players, radio or iPod. So, don't underestimate composers & musicians, eh? One can't realize what one has until one loses it. In this matter, composers have a great advantage: we listen to music all the time in our head. Of course the disadvantage is that we can't turn it on and off whenever we want to. Now you understand why we musicians hate those shopping malls with music blaring from every shop, right?
sábado, 17 de marzo de 2012
On revising music ... and life
What are the most painful moments of a composer? I would answer: every time we hear a performance of our music for the first time. A few days ago I woke up receiving a link to youtube from a young clarinettist who performed an old piece of mine, Lust's Passion, for clarinet & piano. That piece I "discovered" among my files in Sibelius last year, and after a few revisions I sent it to Paco Gil Ortiz, the clarinettist who then gave a poignant performance with pianist Elias Romero. This is the video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxOTd_sgRcM
As it is a piece from about 5 years ago there were some things in it which I wasn't satisfied with. But I decided I'd release it and let it have "its own life" anyway as I believe that every musical piece is a piece of the composer at a determined date or period of his life. But then, listening to the performance I realized that the last section is unproportionally too short. I really don't know why I made it that way, perhaps I had to write a "real" piece afterwards (what I mean "real" is a commissioned piece, you know, my real work, not a piece like this which I do "for fun").
I do have lots of short pieces like this, usually I do it when I am stuck in writing big pieces. Those pieces just appeared out of the blue in my head, and I write them down anyway, having the faith that they won't be in vain (and until now some of them even became the most performed pieces of mine, perhaps due to their practicalities, small instrumental formations and short durations).
But with Lust's Passion both Paco and me have decided that it really needs a revision in its last section. So I've been spending this weekend doing it, and I must say I don't really fancy doing it too often. It's like watching a video recording of myself 5 years ago and see how silly I was and trying to correct it. I never revise those small pieces until now. They were born spontaneously and they should remain as it is: spontaneous, as a record my state of mind, temporal madness and even stupidity at that particular moment. It's like suddenly I had access to that mysterious spot in my brain, and I let it go beserk for a few minutes or hours needed to let me write the music down, but then it should be tamed down and brought back to its hidden place. Big pieces, yes I do although they are more "corrections" than revisions, like my opera "The Mother whose son was kidnapped", but I limit it to the piano part since I play it myself. We are performing it again next May and each performance since the premiere in 2009 enjoyed (or suffered?) a revision, however small in the piano part. I can say it with my other opera "Laki-Laki Sejati" too, and I have revised some things in "Mendadak Kaya" which will be performed in Bandung next July as the opening of ASA-BIMA International Piano Competition. In fact, we have corrected and improved some things (mainly some impossible falsetti!) with the singers Adi "Didut" Nugroho and Pharel Silaban during its premiere last January, and those are the things which I wrote down in the score. Those 3 operas have their definite scores which can be performed by other people now.
The last few months I also wrote some occasional pieces for piano solo, such as "Unexpected Turns" for my childhood friend and now a prominent Indonesian writer Laksmi Pamuntjak for her (second) wedding gift, and "A Little Light Music" for the (belated) birthday of Edith Widayani, winner of Ananda Sukarlan Award 2010. Both will be included in Alicia's Third Piano Book which God knows when it will be published. In fact I've got several pieces for it although now Alicia officially declares that she's not going to pursue her studies in music. She still plays once in a while though. Oh, and the overture to the opera MENDADAK KAYA has now become my 6th Etude, I didn't extend it as I thought I would. I promised to write it for Japanese pianist Kazuha Nakahara who has performed several of my other etudes, and I was aware when I wrote that overture that it would be an independent (and very virtuosic) short piano piece. It lasts for a bit more than 1,5 minutes, and it bears the title "Ritual Dance" as an etude. The title reminds me of Sir Michael Tippett's Ritual Dances from his opera "The Midsummer Marriage"; in his case it's quite a big and impressive orchestral piece.
Just for my personal diary: I just finished my piece for flute & orchestra for the great flutist Andrea Griminelli. It's a noisy 8-minute piece called "The Wrath of Pan" (hehe .. yup, I stole the title from the Star Trek movie "The Wrath of Khan"). Andrea would like more movements, so the whole thing in the future would be a symphony about the Gods of flute. He's going to examine the music next week once he gets back from the US. When I said "just finished" it wasn't really true: I have 3 alternative endings for it, and haven't decided which one to pick! I hope the conversation with Andrea next week would help me make my mind. In any case, the piece will end "with a bang" as we always say.
Aaaand ... I already have the libretto for my next chamber opera ....
P.S : Wanna say hello to the cute baby of Nico & Meri, whose name "Emilio" was given by me. I wrote a short lullaby for him (also will be included in Alicia's 3rd piano book) during our coffee chat at the Surabaya Airport. I gave the manuscript to his happy parents which then was sent to me back scanned in an email, and when I copied it neatly in my appartment in Jakarta last December, ehm .. I made some revisions, so the final work is rather different than the manuscript which they possess now. What a fuss for a 1-minute piece, eh? Oh well, as Walt Whitman said, "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."
As it is a piece from about 5 years ago there were some things in it which I wasn't satisfied with. But I decided I'd release it and let it have "its own life" anyway as I believe that every musical piece is a piece of the composer at a determined date or period of his life. But then, listening to the performance I realized that the last section is unproportionally too short. I really don't know why I made it that way, perhaps I had to write a "real" piece afterwards (what I mean "real" is a commissioned piece, you know, my real work, not a piece like this which I do "for fun").
I do have lots of short pieces like this, usually I do it when I am stuck in writing big pieces. Those pieces just appeared out of the blue in my head, and I write them down anyway, having the faith that they won't be in vain (and until now some of them even became the most performed pieces of mine, perhaps due to their practicalities, small instrumental formations and short durations).
But with Lust's Passion both Paco and me have decided that it really needs a revision in its last section. So I've been spending this weekend doing it, and I must say I don't really fancy doing it too often. It's like watching a video recording of myself 5 years ago and see how silly I was and trying to correct it. I never revise those small pieces until now. They were born spontaneously and they should remain as it is: spontaneous, as a record my state of mind, temporal madness and even stupidity at that particular moment. It's like suddenly I had access to that mysterious spot in my brain, and I let it go beserk for a few minutes or hours needed to let me write the music down, but then it should be tamed down and brought back to its hidden place. Big pieces, yes I do although they are more "corrections" than revisions, like my opera "The Mother whose son was kidnapped", but I limit it to the piano part since I play it myself. We are performing it again next May and each performance since the premiere in 2009 enjoyed (or suffered?) a revision, however small in the piano part. I can say it with my other opera "Laki-Laki Sejati" too, and I have revised some things in "Mendadak Kaya" which will be performed in Bandung next July as the opening of ASA-BIMA International Piano Competition. In fact, we have corrected and improved some things (mainly some impossible falsetti!) with the singers Adi "Didut" Nugroho and Pharel Silaban during its premiere last January, and those are the things which I wrote down in the score. Those 3 operas have their definite scores which can be performed by other people now.
The last few months I also wrote some occasional pieces for piano solo, such as "Unexpected Turns" for my childhood friend and now a prominent Indonesian writer Laksmi Pamuntjak for her (second) wedding gift, and "A Little Light Music" for the (belated) birthday of Edith Widayani, winner of Ananda Sukarlan Award 2010. Both will be included in Alicia's Third Piano Book which God knows when it will be published. In fact I've got several pieces for it although now Alicia officially declares that she's not going to pursue her studies in music. She still plays once in a while though. Oh, and the overture to the opera MENDADAK KAYA has now become my 6th Etude, I didn't extend it as I thought I would. I promised to write it for Japanese pianist Kazuha Nakahara who has performed several of my other etudes, and I was aware when I wrote that overture that it would be an independent (and very virtuosic) short piano piece. It lasts for a bit more than 1,5 minutes, and it bears the title "Ritual Dance" as an etude. The title reminds me of Sir Michael Tippett's Ritual Dances from his opera "The Midsummer Marriage"; in his case it's quite a big and impressive orchestral piece.
Just for my personal diary: I just finished my piece for flute & orchestra for the great flutist Andrea Griminelli. It's a noisy 8-minute piece called "The Wrath of Pan" (hehe .. yup, I stole the title from the Star Trek movie "The Wrath of Khan"). Andrea would like more movements, so the whole thing in the future would be a symphony about the Gods of flute. He's going to examine the music next week once he gets back from the US. When I said "just finished" it wasn't really true: I have 3 alternative endings for it, and haven't decided which one to pick! I hope the conversation with Andrea next week would help me make my mind. In any case, the piece will end "with a bang" as we always say.
Aaaand ... I already have the libretto for my next chamber opera ....
P.S : Wanna say hello to the cute baby of Nico & Meri, whose name "Emilio" was given by me. I wrote a short lullaby for him (also will be included in Alicia's 3rd piano book) during our coffee chat at the Surabaya Airport. I gave the manuscript to his happy parents which then was sent to me back scanned in an email, and when I copied it neatly in my appartment in Jakarta last December, ehm .. I made some revisions, so the final work is rather different than the manuscript which they possess now. What a fuss for a 1-minute piece, eh? Oh well, as Walt Whitman said, "Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes."
jueves, 9 de febrero de 2012
Original interview with Indonesia Tatler, Jan. 2012
Now that one of Indonesia's most prestigious lifestyle magazine Indonesia Tatler has published the February edition, I can post here the original (meaning the one that I sent them) interview which was then edited, cut and published in their January edition. Due to the limited space, the one published was just around half of the original interview, so enjoy this one.
1. New year concerts are common happening in Europe & America. Did the annual happenings intrigue you to create one in Indonesia? Why? Please elaborate.
Yes, I "stole" those ideas, but only the idea, not the content. We have to adapt it to Indonesia's situation, tradition and culture, therefore it's not done every 1st of January, but every first Sunday since our second edition in 2006. This year, since Jan. 1st falls on a Sunday, we do it on the 8th in Jakarta since people are still having holiday out of town during the first week. Also we want to make the program content as Indonesian as possible, as London does it as English possible and Vienna as Austrian possible. It would make no sense to make a new year concert with a Western content, as foreign people came to our concert to "feel" Indonesian as those who do to Vienna, Amsterdam etc. It has now become a landmark in Jakarta, and starting this year we do it in Surabaya (13th) and Bandung (15th) too, therefore the "J" in JNYC is changed from Jakarta to Java.
2. What are the pieces to be presented at the concert?
This is a groundbreaking program in Indonesia, never been done even in our 6 JNYC's before: two operas in one show: A Real Man and Suddenly Rich. We are taking a big risk here, since operas are still considered both "extremely high brow" and "boring" (too long? in a foreign language?) to Indonesian audience. The reasons we dare to do this are: 1. both operas are short (half an hour each) and in Indonesian, so the audience would understand. 2. Both are taken from two popular short stories by Indonesia's "father of short stories" Putu Wijaya, and the plots are quite simple, light but profound (both discussing single themes: the first about "what is a real man" and the second "if you have to choose, which one do you prefer: money or happiness?"). 3. Both are presented as comedies with twists in the end, so I hope this will bring joy and not a heavy burden for the audience. Imagine starting the new year watching a horror or thriller opera! Hopefully this will not only attract music lovers, but also literature fans as well as dance fans (Chendra Panatan, my favorite choreographer graduate from England is doing the stage direction and choregraphy).
The singers are considered the best young vocalists of today in Indonesia, since they have brilliantly won prizes at the "Ananda Sukarlan National Vocal Competition" 2011. They are still unknown, but they are THE Indonesian classical singers of the near future. Remember these names: Evelyn Merrelita (soprano coloratura), Eriyani Tenga Lunga (mezzosoprano) and two tenors Adi "Didut" Nugroho and Pharel Silaban. And let's not forget one thing: the Bank Indonesia Auditorium is not often open for public concerts, but in fact it is definitely the best hall, acoustically speaking as well as its luxurious design, for chamber music and chamber opera in Indonesia. It's amazingly good.
3. Any particular reason for the choice? Please elaborate.
Answered above, right?
4. Appreciation to classical music in Indonesia is growing. There are more concerts now as well as new venues - ie Aula Simfonia. How did you perceive it? How did you compare it with those in South Korea and Japan?
We are still way far behind those countries, since we lack one crucial thing: music education at school. It's true that we have audience that flock to classical concerts nowadays, but I bet you they are always the same people. I dare to say, perhaps around the maximum 3000 people in Jakarta who go to those concerts. Now, that's a very small percentage of the total inhabitants of Jakarta, right? And in my case, many expatriates are among the audience.
5. Does working with top musicians abroad means anything to you? Why? Tell us of your unforgettable moments with them.
Of course. I learned a lot not only from their immense knowledge but also their professionalism, musical craftmanship and artistry, not mentioning their contagious passion in what they are doing. It's amazing how, as a 20-year-old boy I learned about musical structures (the real one, not the one we learn from books) and how we play with psychological time and durations directly from masters such as Sir Michael Tippett, who saw the enormous potential inside me but also, in a nice and subtle way, told me that I was wasting my talent then and I should focus on less things. Greatness comes not from a huge talent, but severe self-criticism, hard work, passion, modesty and willingness to constantly go out of our comfort zone. And of course people like him really helped my career as he was the first "living legend" I met and the one who introduced me to the BBC for the first time, for example.
6. England has The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Does Indonesia need one? Why? Please elaborate.
We have already many orchestras, mostly not up to standards. We need quality, not quantity to represent Indonesia. What is more urgent is establishing the identity of Indonesian classical music and only good quality musicians can inspire composers to do that. And then we need public and sponsors who believe in supporting our own musicians, and understand that classical music indeed originates from Europe, but every country has developed its own identity of it. Indonesia has not. That's why me and my friends started those competitions for piano and voice, giving platforms for young musicians to manifest their talents regardless of where they come from and to help them start their career and to be known to a wider public.
7. In the days of 'Orde Lama' there were designs to build an art centre plus a concert hall in the class of l'Opera de Paris in the area surrounding Museum Nasional, Jakarta. Is it time to start again with the project? How instrumental is the opening of such a grand venue in enhancing the development of performing arts? Please explain.
Of course, but we have to pay much attention to acoustics. Again, we have many theatres, but very few with the good condition for presenting classical music without sound system. As long as the architect doesn't consider the hall's acoustics as a musical instrument, it is doomed to be a failure. Look, in a piano recital there are two musical instruments: the piano AND the hall. That has never been thought like that by architects in Indonesia. And as you consult a pianist if you want to buy a piano, you should consult (classical) musicians when you build a concert hall.
1. New year concerts are common happening in Europe & America. Did the annual happenings intrigue you to create one in Indonesia? Why? Please elaborate.
Yes, I "stole" those ideas, but only the idea, not the content. We have to adapt it to Indonesia's situation, tradition and culture, therefore it's not done every 1st of January, but every first Sunday since our second edition in 2006. This year, since Jan. 1st falls on a Sunday, we do it on the 8th in Jakarta since people are still having holiday out of town during the first week. Also we want to make the program content as Indonesian as possible, as London does it as English possible and Vienna as Austrian possible. It would make no sense to make a new year concert with a Western content, as foreign people came to our concert to "feel" Indonesian as those who do to Vienna, Amsterdam etc. It has now become a landmark in Jakarta, and starting this year we do it in Surabaya (13th) and Bandung (15th) too, therefore the "J" in JNYC is changed from Jakarta to Java.
2. What are the pieces to be presented at the concert?
This is a groundbreaking program in Indonesia, never been done even in our 6 JNYC's before: two operas in one show: A Real Man and Suddenly Rich. We are taking a big risk here, since operas are still considered both "extremely high brow" and "boring" (too long? in a foreign language?) to Indonesian audience. The reasons we dare to do this are: 1. both operas are short (half an hour each) and in Indonesian, so the audience would understand. 2. Both are taken from two popular short stories by Indonesia's "father of short stories" Putu Wijaya, and the plots are quite simple, light but profound (both discussing single themes: the first about "what is a real man" and the second "if you have to choose, which one do you prefer: money or happiness?"). 3. Both are presented as comedies with twists in the end, so I hope this will bring joy and not a heavy burden for the audience. Imagine starting the new year watching a horror or thriller opera! Hopefully this will not only attract music lovers, but also literature fans as well as dance fans (Chendra Panatan, my favorite choreographer graduate from England is doing the stage direction and choregraphy).
The singers are considered the best young vocalists of today in Indonesia, since they have brilliantly won prizes at the "Ananda Sukarlan National Vocal Competition" 2011. They are still unknown, but they are THE Indonesian classical singers of the near future. Remember these names: Evelyn Merrelita (soprano coloratura), Eriyani Tenga Lunga (mezzosoprano) and two tenors Adi "Didut" Nugroho and Pharel Silaban. And let's not forget one thing: the Bank Indonesia Auditorium is not often open for public concerts, but in fact it is definitely the best hall, acoustically speaking as well as its luxurious design, for chamber music and chamber opera in Indonesia. It's amazingly good.
3. Any particular reason for the choice? Please elaborate.
Answered above, right?
4. Appreciation to classical music in Indonesia is growing. There are more concerts now as well as new venues - ie Aula Simfonia. How did you perceive it? How did you compare it with those in South Korea and Japan?
We are still way far behind those countries, since we lack one crucial thing: music education at school. It's true that we have audience that flock to classical concerts nowadays, but I bet you they are always the same people. I dare to say, perhaps around the maximum 3000 people in Jakarta who go to those concerts. Now, that's a very small percentage of the total inhabitants of Jakarta, right? And in my case, many expatriates are among the audience.
5. Does working with top musicians abroad means anything to you? Why? Tell us of your unforgettable moments with them.
Of course. I learned a lot not only from their immense knowledge but also their professionalism, musical craftmanship and artistry, not mentioning their contagious passion in what they are doing. It's amazing how, as a 20-year-old boy I learned about musical structures (the real one, not the one we learn from books) and how we play with psychological time and durations directly from masters such as Sir Michael Tippett, who saw the enormous potential inside me but also, in a nice and subtle way, told me that I was wasting my talent then and I should focus on less things. Greatness comes not from a huge talent, but severe self-criticism, hard work, passion, modesty and willingness to constantly go out of our comfort zone. And of course people like him really helped my career as he was the first "living legend" I met and the one who introduced me to the BBC for the first time, for example.
6. England has The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Does Indonesia need one? Why? Please elaborate.
We have already many orchestras, mostly not up to standards. We need quality, not quantity to represent Indonesia. What is more urgent is establishing the identity of Indonesian classical music and only good quality musicians can inspire composers to do that. And then we need public and sponsors who believe in supporting our own musicians, and understand that classical music indeed originates from Europe, but every country has developed its own identity of it. Indonesia has not. That's why me and my friends started those competitions for piano and voice, giving platforms for young musicians to manifest their talents regardless of where they come from and to help them start their career and to be known to a wider public.
7. In the days of 'Orde Lama' there were designs to build an art centre plus a concert hall in the class of l'Opera de Paris in the area surrounding Museum Nasional, Jakarta. Is it time to start again with the project? How instrumental is the opening of such a grand venue in enhancing the development of performing arts? Please explain.
Of course, but we have to pay much attention to acoustics. Again, we have many theatres, but very few with the good condition for presenting classical music without sound system. As long as the architect doesn't consider the hall's acoustics as a musical instrument, it is doomed to be a failure. Look, in a piano recital there are two musical instruments: the piano AND the hall. That has never been thought like that by architects in Indonesia. And as you consult a pianist if you want to buy a piano, you should consult (classical) musicians when you build a concert hall.
jueves, 2 de febrero de 2012
What's wrong with being Indonesian (or Chinese)?
For me, nothing. On the contrary, I am f***ing proud to be Indonesian, especially after having lived in Europe for the last 24 years of my life (which is the most part of it) and realized that we are no better or worse. And I will show my discomfort if I am being rejected not for what I have done, but for what I am, among which is being Indonesian.
A few days ago (in January) Chendra my manager sent me an announcement of a national piano competition in Indonesia (for teenagers and below) and .. here are two things that made me uncomfortable:
1. One of the jury members is Ananda Sukarlan (eh? what a surprise! Another pianist in Indonesia with that name? Or maybe he's not a pianist but a politician or a businessman, as it's pretty trendy now to have them as juries in a piano, nota bene classical music, competition in Indonesia, and therefore I don't know him).
I want to copy and paste what I have written just a few weeks ago in this blog (about fakely using my office to promote a Korean boyband) again here:
I might be the most badly bruised musician in Indonesia. My music has been pirated and used without my permission (oops sorry, I should say they indeed asked for permission, but after Chendra caught them red-handed). Not only my music: an article from this very blog has been published in a major newspaper in Indonesia under a different name -- and yes, translated in Indonesian, therefore it couldn't be categorized as plagiarism. And now just my name, not my work, is used. And this case of using my name is not the first time that it happened, but since this very moment those who does anything of this will have the honour of being mentioned by me in my facebook and twitter account. I avoid names in this blog since this will stay a longer time, but the name of those honoured are very clearly mentioned in my facebook & twitter.
2. For the repertoire, after all those Chopins, Schuberts and Bachs, "Indonesian and Chinese composers are excluded".
I immediately went to the mirror after I read this. What's wrong with being Indonesian or Chinese? Of course I am not an especially handsome guy (I admit I do have a low self-esteem about my looks), but think of ... emmm ... Jet Li or, since we are talking about music (in any genre), what do you think of Jay Chou? And in Indonesia, isn't that pop-singer "Ariel" who now went to jail for reasons I don't understand, or actor Nicholas Saputra, or Anggun who is highly adored by the French considered universally beautiful? What is it then, our noses? Our heights?
Oh, oh, it's not about looks? Then what, about brains? Well I don't mean to boast myself, but my IQ has been tested several times and the results are always higher than 150. Indeed, I failed to enter MENSA (the international club for the elite geniuses) since I am just a few points away from requirement of 160 to belong to their exclusive club. But I do believe there are many highly smart Indonesians and Chinese that have contributed to the arts and science. Just think of the new generation of Indonesian writers: smart, sharp and brilliant. Many Indonesians are now having top positions in Silicon valley and universities around Europe, the US and Asia (I will exclude China, it belongs to the same dustbin as Indonesia, right?).
Wait, perhaps it's about musicianship! We are not as musical as the rest of the world! Well... let's see. Then why did Debussy, Britten, even until now Peter Scuthorpe, David del Puerto, and even younger composers are so amazed and highly influenced by the gamelan, kecak dance and so on? And in case you don't know, our traditional instruments such as angklung is declared World cultural heritage by UNESCO. Gamelan music is now as universally acclaimed as music by European classical composers, Brazilian samba or jazz.
Oh, perhaps it's this. We, Indonesian and Chinese composers are not QUALIFIED enough, right? So, was I making a fool of myself (and of Indonesia) when I perform at Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw etc.? Those conservatories or music faculties are making a mistake hiring me as guest lecturers, eh? And Tan Dun definitely didn't deserve his Oscar (and was it a Grammy too?) for his music for the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. And of course, our brilliant young generation such as soprano Bernadeta Astari shouldn't have made her debut at the Concertgebouw a few months ago. Right?
And how about Indonesian of a Chinese-descent Indonesian composer or vice versa? A double negative is a positive, right? Do they deserve to exist?
D'you know that the great Spanish writer Miguel Cervantes said: "When there is music, there are no bad intentions"? Yeah, nice phrase, but it can't be more outdated.
Two things for sure after an afterthought on this. But remember, this is just a humble opinion from another Indonesian who is excluded.
1. It is not cool, smart or artistic at all putting all Indonesian and Chinese composers into one trash bag. Especially by fellow Indonesians!
2. From those two requirements of that Piano Competition, held in Indonesia for Indonesian young pianists, only one will be realized: Indonesian and Chinese composers are indeed excluded, as they wished. But Ananda Sukarlan won't be serving as a jury. I won't possibly contribute in the exclusions of my own fellow countrymen, and especially after they used my name to sell their product. Over my dead body.
A few days ago (in January) Chendra my manager sent me an announcement of a national piano competition in Indonesia (for teenagers and below) and .. here are two things that made me uncomfortable:
1. One of the jury members is Ananda Sukarlan (eh? what a surprise! Another pianist in Indonesia with that name? Or maybe he's not a pianist but a politician or a businessman, as it's pretty trendy now to have them as juries in a piano, nota bene classical music, competition in Indonesia, and therefore I don't know him).
I want to copy and paste what I have written just a few weeks ago in this blog (about fakely using my office to promote a Korean boyband) again here:
I might be the most badly bruised musician in Indonesia. My music has been pirated and used without my permission (oops sorry, I should say they indeed asked for permission, but after Chendra caught them red-handed). Not only my music: an article from this very blog has been published in a major newspaper in Indonesia under a different name -- and yes, translated in Indonesian, therefore it couldn't be categorized as plagiarism. And now just my name, not my work, is used. And this case of using my name is not the first time that it happened, but since this very moment those who does anything of this will have the honour of being mentioned by me in my facebook and twitter account. I avoid names in this blog since this will stay a longer time, but the name of those honoured are very clearly mentioned in my facebook & twitter.
2. For the repertoire, after all those Chopins, Schuberts and Bachs, "Indonesian and Chinese composers are excluded".
I immediately went to the mirror after I read this. What's wrong with being Indonesian or Chinese? Of course I am not an especially handsome guy (I admit I do have a low self-esteem about my looks), but think of ... emmm ... Jet Li or, since we are talking about music (in any genre), what do you think of Jay Chou? And in Indonesia, isn't that pop-singer "Ariel" who now went to jail for reasons I don't understand, or actor Nicholas Saputra, or Anggun who is highly adored by the French considered universally beautiful? What is it then, our noses? Our heights?
Oh, oh, it's not about looks? Then what, about brains? Well I don't mean to boast myself, but my IQ has been tested several times and the results are always higher than 150. Indeed, I failed to enter MENSA (the international club for the elite geniuses) since I am just a few points away from requirement of 160 to belong to their exclusive club. But I do believe there are many highly smart Indonesians and Chinese that have contributed to the arts and science. Just think of the new generation of Indonesian writers: smart, sharp and brilliant. Many Indonesians are now having top positions in Silicon valley and universities around Europe, the US and Asia (I will exclude China, it belongs to the same dustbin as Indonesia, right?).
Wait, perhaps it's about musicianship! We are not as musical as the rest of the world! Well... let's see. Then why did Debussy, Britten, even until now Peter Scuthorpe, David del Puerto, and even younger composers are so amazed and highly influenced by the gamelan, kecak dance and so on? And in case you don't know, our traditional instruments such as angklung is declared World cultural heritage by UNESCO. Gamelan music is now as universally acclaimed as music by European classical composers, Brazilian samba or jazz.
Oh, perhaps it's this. We, Indonesian and Chinese composers are not QUALIFIED enough, right? So, was I making a fool of myself (and of Indonesia) when I perform at Berlin Philharmonie, Concertgebouw etc.? Those conservatories or music faculties are making a mistake hiring me as guest lecturers, eh? And Tan Dun definitely didn't deserve his Oscar (and was it a Grammy too?) for his music for the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. And of course, our brilliant young generation such as soprano Bernadeta Astari shouldn't have made her debut at the Concertgebouw a few months ago. Right?
And how about Indonesian of a Chinese-descent Indonesian composer or vice versa? A double negative is a positive, right? Do they deserve to exist?
D'you know that the great Spanish writer Miguel Cervantes said: "When there is music, there are no bad intentions"? Yeah, nice phrase, but it can't be more outdated.
Two things for sure after an afterthought on this. But remember, this is just a humble opinion from another Indonesian who is excluded.
1. It is not cool, smart or artistic at all putting all Indonesian and Chinese composers into one trash bag. Especially by fellow Indonesians!
2. From those two requirements of that Piano Competition, held in Indonesia for Indonesian young pianists, only one will be realized: Indonesian and Chinese composers are indeed excluded, as they wished. But Ananda Sukarlan won't be serving as a jury. I won't possibly contribute in the exclusions of my own fellow countrymen, and especially after they used my name to sell their product. Over my dead body.
lunes, 30 de enero de 2012
Six Etudes are published for now, and more coming, hopefully
Next month my book of 6 Etudes will be published, and they will also be available through the iPad app. (you can search "Ananda Sukarlan" at the App Store).
My 6 Etudes are my excursions --or perhaps trying to find home?-- to the piano in my compositional adventures. One might be surprised to know that the piano is not my favorite instrument for which I compose. It is the human voice. Therefore it explains the numerous works I wrote for that beautiful "instrument" and the few quantity of (substantial) works for piano solo. By writing these Etudes I can experiment again what we have learned from the great masters of the past (Chopin and Liszt mostly, but also Debussy, Rachmaninov etc) and how my musical language can fit with the pianistic techniques that they have invented and developed. Melodies play an important role in my piano music, since I always try, perhaps in vain, to make the piano "sing" like human voice. Here are some of my notes about some etudes of mine. I guess the music speaks for itself, therefore I wrote only the background of 3 of them. These are just for those who are curious about their creative process; I don't think they would help much for their interpretation. As I always say, the composer is the person who understands his music the least, since he can only view it from one point of view. The great interpreters are those who find other points of views and could decide how it should be performed. And for their technical difficulties, there is only one way to surpass it: PRACTICE!
The first etude is inspired by 2 things: 1. The poem by Indonesia's most prominent poet, Sapardi Djoko Damono, especially the phrase "Can you listen to the great silence that descends with the drops of the rain", and therefore the title of the Etude. 2. Pianistically it is modelled on Liszt concert etude "Waldesrauschen" with one substantial difference: the "accompaniment" figure changes in its rhythms everytime it changes figurations, therefore it never "falls down" together with the melody which is built on simple rhythms. It thus creates a strange polyrhythm between the melody and accompaniment and the listener will perceive, unlike Liszt's, two things happening independently.
About the last etude, "Ritual Dance" from my opera MENDADAK KAYA which I just finished, I paste here my email a few days ago to the dedicatee of the piece, Japanese pianist Kazuha Nakahara.
Hi Kaz!
After about one year of promise (or more? Ah, it was after your performance of my other Etudes, right? That was 2010, if I am not mistaken) here is "your" Etude. I wrote half of it many months ago but then got stuck (and had to do something else which I forgot what), and when I wrote my last opera I took it and used the whole material for the opera!
It is a bit more than one and a half minutes, and I believe the last 30 seconds or so are quite (or terribly) difficult. Very sorry about that, hehe... but that's what etudes are for, right? Anyway, I hope this (as my other etudes) serves for technical education (esp. in polyrhythms) as well as concert pieces.
Now, I will have to ask your permission to give the world premiere of this. I am performing my Etudes together with Ligeti's (book I & II) on February 12th in Galicia, and since I thought this is just the right opportunity to premiere it, I'd do it. And then there are already several performances, next time will be Rotterdam (in the hall of the conservatory) in April, again my Etudes will be paired with the Ligetis.
The score of my 6 Etudes will also be released next month, as well as being available to be bought at my application (Ananda Sukarlan) on iPad.
So, hope you like it! It has no "nuances" or colours whatever, so very different from Chopin's, eh? It's just a game of rhythms. Oh, and it is only on the white keys! Only the beginning 5 bars have an air of mystery (a rather freaky one, I must say), and if you are playing on a piano that has only 2 pedals one can always hold the l.h. and try to get around with the jumps at the r.h, still with strictness of rhythm (the fermatas are only valid for the silences, but when there are notes, they have to be played as rhythmical as poss).
Have a nice time torturing yourself!
Ciao
AS
My 6 Etudes are my excursions --or perhaps trying to find home?-- to the piano in my compositional adventures. One might be surprised to know that the piano is not my favorite instrument for which I compose. It is the human voice. Therefore it explains the numerous works I wrote for that beautiful "instrument" and the few quantity of (substantial) works for piano solo. By writing these Etudes I can experiment again what we have learned from the great masters of the past (Chopin and Liszt mostly, but also Debussy, Rachmaninov etc) and how my musical language can fit with the pianistic techniques that they have invented and developed. Melodies play an important role in my piano music, since I always try, perhaps in vain, to make the piano "sing" like human voice. Here are some of my notes about some etudes of mine. I guess the music speaks for itself, therefore I wrote only the background of 3 of them. These are just for those who are curious about their creative process; I don't think they would help much for their interpretation. As I always say, the composer is the person who understands his music the least, since he can only view it from one point of view. The great interpreters are those who find other points of views and could decide how it should be performed. And for their technical difficulties, there is only one way to surpass it: PRACTICE!
The first etude is inspired by 2 things: 1. The poem by Indonesia's most prominent poet, Sapardi Djoko Damono, especially the phrase "Can you listen to the great silence that descends with the drops of the rain", and therefore the title of the Etude. 2. Pianistically it is modelled on Liszt concert etude "Waldesrauschen" with one substantial difference: the "accompaniment" figure changes in its rhythms everytime it changes figurations, therefore it never "falls down" together with the melody which is built on simple rhythms. It thus creates a strange polyrhythm between the melody and accompaniment and the listener will perceive, unlike Liszt's, two things happening independently.
About the last etude, "Ritual Dance" from my opera MENDADAK KAYA which I just finished, I paste here my email a few days ago to the dedicatee of the piece, Japanese pianist Kazuha Nakahara.
Hi Kaz!
After about one year of promise (or more? Ah, it was after your performance of my other Etudes, right? That was 2010, if I am not mistaken) here is "your" Etude. I wrote half of it many months ago but then got stuck (and had to do something else which I forgot what), and when I wrote my last opera I took it and used the whole material for the opera!
It is a bit more than one and a half minutes, and I believe the last 30 seconds or so are quite (or terribly) difficult. Very sorry about that, hehe... but that's what etudes are for, right? Anyway, I hope this (as my other etudes) serves for technical education (esp. in polyrhythms) as well as concert pieces.
Now, I will have to ask your permission to give the world premiere of this. I am performing my Etudes together with Ligeti's (book I & II) on February 12th in Galicia, and since I thought this is just the right opportunity to premiere it, I'd do it. And then there are already several performances, next time will be Rotterdam (in the hall of the conservatory) in April, again my Etudes will be paired with the Ligetis.
The score of my 6 Etudes will also be released next month, as well as being available to be bought at my application (Ananda Sukarlan) on iPad.
So, hope you like it! It has no "nuances" or colours whatever, so very different from Chopin's, eh? It's just a game of rhythms. Oh, and it is only on the white keys! Only the beginning 5 bars have an air of mystery (a rather freaky one, I must say), and if you are playing on a piano that has only 2 pedals one can always hold the l.h. and try to get around with the jumps at the r.h, still with strictness of rhythm (the fermatas are only valid for the silences, but when there are notes, they have to be played as rhythmical as poss).
Have a nice time torturing yourself!
Ciao
AS
domingo, 29 de enero de 2012
Get a date by watching my operas
Do you know the easiest way to get a partner,at least for tonight? According to the statistics, the most potential places to get a date are: 1. in a painting gallery/museum. 2. in a concert hall, mostly at opera or ballet performances. In any case, avoid noisy places. Both places I mentioned are ideal: quiet and intimate, and people look pretty since they dress up.
I would be the happiest person on earth if one comes to me with his/her partner and say: "we met, and fell in love, at your opera (or concert) performance". And I tell you a secret: one of the purposes of the performance in Jakarta of our recent Java New Year Concert was exactly that. Remember that there were two operas back to back? Now I still haven't got the end results on who got a partner in that event, but here's the point.
You see, the best way is to talk to another person who came alone during the intermission, and if you are a shy person, well, there's always the easy conversation material: what do you think of the first half? Did you get the story and its twists? Did you like it? What do you think of the singers? Which aria do you like best (or hate the most)? And then, the usual "hi, my name's .." (things would be more perfect if it were Bond, James Bond)
"Normal" operas are usually in 2 or 3 acts, with one break in the middle. But that would be too "heavy" for the New Year Concert where in some cases a whole family came to watch (as well as singles!). So I gathered that putting 2 operas in one show would be a good idea. People watch 1 opera, have a break, and then see the next opera. In this case it's even perfect: during the intermission one can already talk about a whole opera. Of course both operas should be completely different, though they have a lot in common: both are written, composed and directed by the same people (Putu Wijaya, me and Chendra Panatan respectively), both are of the "funny" genre, and both have "same sex" singers (and therefore there is also a common theme: one of the characters in each opera is desperate to get laid, and asks his/her fellow protagonist for advice! In "The Real Man" it is her mom, and in "Instantly Rich" it's the witchdoctor; nothing can be so further opposed,eh). And we did give ample time during the break to get people socialize.
Yes, I am a naughty, naughty boy. But I do like watching people know each other and then fall in love. Don't you?
Well there is a reason behind my naughtiness. As written in Plato's "Symposium", both love and artistic inspiration have something in common: they are both "divine madness". Both are not logic since they can strike you wherever and whenever therefore they can be categorized as "madness", but a divine one. And then Sigmund Freud went further to say that any human creativity and artistic ideas are in fact just a transformation of our (sometimes distorted) sex drive.
And now just read all the libretto of any existing opera on this planet, and check the underlying theme. Now you understand, right? The real motif, or even leitmotif is not the notes. It's the three-letter word.
I would be the happiest person on earth if one comes to me with his/her partner and say: "we met, and fell in love, at your opera (or concert) performance". And I tell you a secret: one of the purposes of the performance in Jakarta of our recent Java New Year Concert was exactly that. Remember that there were two operas back to back? Now I still haven't got the end results on who got a partner in that event, but here's the point.
You see, the best way is to talk to another person who came alone during the intermission, and if you are a shy person, well, there's always the easy conversation material: what do you think of the first half? Did you get the story and its twists? Did you like it? What do you think of the singers? Which aria do you like best (or hate the most)? And then, the usual "hi, my name's .." (things would be more perfect if it were Bond, James Bond)
"Normal" operas are usually in 2 or 3 acts, with one break in the middle. But that would be too "heavy" for the New Year Concert where in some cases a whole family came to watch (as well as singles!). So I gathered that putting 2 operas in one show would be a good idea. People watch 1 opera, have a break, and then see the next opera. In this case it's even perfect: during the intermission one can already talk about a whole opera. Of course both operas should be completely different, though they have a lot in common: both are written, composed and directed by the same people (Putu Wijaya, me and Chendra Panatan respectively), both are of the "funny" genre, and both have "same sex" singers (and therefore there is also a common theme: one of the characters in each opera is desperate to get laid, and asks his/her fellow protagonist for advice! In "The Real Man" it is her mom, and in "Instantly Rich" it's the witchdoctor; nothing can be so further opposed,eh). And we did give ample time during the break to get people socialize.
Yes, I am a naughty, naughty boy. But I do like watching people know each other and then fall in love. Don't you?
Well there is a reason behind my naughtiness. As written in Plato's "Symposium", both love and artistic inspiration have something in common: they are both "divine madness". Both are not logic since they can strike you wherever and whenever therefore they can be categorized as "madness", but a divine one. And then Sigmund Freud went further to say that any human creativity and artistic ideas are in fact just a transformation of our (sometimes distorted) sex drive.
And now just read all the libretto of any existing opera on this planet, and check the underlying theme. Now you understand, right? The real motif, or even leitmotif is not the notes. It's the three-letter word.
sábado, 17 de diciembre de 2011
Don't know who, don't know why
This entry is a statement on behalf of all people in my building, the Ananda Sukarlan Center, and of the Indonesian Classical Music Foundation (YMSI) whose office is there too.
Last week for a few days suddenly a flock of people came to our office to ask for reimbursement of a cancelled concert .. but not a classical music one! It's the cancellation of the visit to Indonesia of a Korean boyband, CN Blue. Apparently the Event Organizer, one called "Starlight Management" has put our address as their office. It was stated in their website (not available anymore) and on the tickets. Now that the show has been cancelled they dismantled everything to make themselves inaccessible to hundreds (or thousands) of those who've bought the "tickets" and want their money back. They don't answer the phone and even their website is down. Fortunately after coming to our building people understood that we, all of us who are at the Ananda Sukarlan Center, know NOTHING about them and are only aware that we are being used by Starlight to cheat the public. We have been told that many people are reporting this to the Consumers Foundation (Yayasan Lembaga konsumen Indonesia) and even to the police, and we told them to go ahead, since we at the Ananda Sukarlan Center are also victims of their hoax. Not financially, but they are using my name, my office and my foundation to back up their "plan", and this whole thing do disturb us in the midst of our preparation of our Java New Year Concerts.
Yesterday the whole story and its investigation by the Trans TV was broadcast on their channel, you can see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAiiqI0WcbI . The person talking on the phone was Chendra Panatan, my manager and the director of Ananda Sukarlan Center, not me, by the way. If you want to have an English translation, please click the "cc" button on that video.
Now that I am stating about this hoax, I would also like to clarify other things. Our office and foundation doesn't finance anything that is not stated at our website or facebook. Our foundation is not a big and bombastic one, we focus on small things and do it honestly. Greatness, for me, is making ourselves and things around us better, doing small things in a great way. I don't want to change the world! We give musicaleducation to children who are less priviliged and few scholarships, and we are thankful to some donators. We admit, we do need to market ourselves better, not to get fame and acclaimed for our small achievement, but in case of a hoax like now, people should know our foundation and our very clean reputation. Our next authentic event is the JAVA NEW YEAR CONCERTS, and we have done that event for the 7th year now. It doesn't involve thousands of people and we don't sell expensive tickets. It is meant for those who really love classical music, and our ambition doesn't go beyond that (unfortunately). This year is very special for us, since we are doing it in 3 cities: Jakarta (Jan.8), Surabaya (Jan.13) and Bandung (Jan.15). We are grateful for the collaboration with Amadeus Enterprise of Surabaya (who also organized the National Vocal Competition and therefore we could get the winners, certainly the best Indonesian classical vocalists of today to perform in these events) and Bandung International Music Academy. If you want to know more about it, please check http://www.facebook.com/events/321042434575881
Do NOT think that the world of (classical) music in Indonesia is something very clean, no no, it's the ugly business of beautiful music. A number of people have put the status "Dr." or PhD in music without being one, and that's just an example. I might be the most badly bruised musician in Indonesia. My music has been pirated and used without my permission (oops sorry, I should say a couple of them indeed asked for permission, but after Chendra caught them red-handed). Not only my music: an article from this very blog has been published in a major newspaper in Indonesia under a different name -- and yes, translated in Indonesian, therefore it couldn't be categorized as plagiarism. And now just my name, not my work, is used. And this case of using my name is not the first time that it happened, but since this very moment those who do anything of this kind will have the honour of being mentioned by me in my facebook and twitter account. Enough of being a good boy, I am now defending myself clearly, since my trust & kindness has been badly abused by some people.
I would like to express my deepest sympathy to those who have been cheated by Starlight Management. It is a highly irresponsible and insensitive act, and I obviously condemn it. If there is anything me or any staff of the Ananda Sukarlan Center could help, please just let me know by tweeting me at @anandasukarlan . I, myself, feel cheated and am on your side, so I'd be more than glad to help.
Last week for a few days suddenly a flock of people came to our office to ask for reimbursement of a cancelled concert .. but not a classical music one! It's the cancellation of the visit to Indonesia of a Korean boyband, CN Blue. Apparently the Event Organizer, one called "Starlight Management" has put our address as their office. It was stated in their website (not available anymore) and on the tickets. Now that the show has been cancelled they dismantled everything to make themselves inaccessible to hundreds (or thousands) of those who've bought the "tickets" and want their money back. They don't answer the phone and even their website is down. Fortunately after coming to our building people understood that we, all of us who are at the Ananda Sukarlan Center, know NOTHING about them and are only aware that we are being used by Starlight to cheat the public. We have been told that many people are reporting this to the Consumers Foundation (Yayasan Lembaga konsumen Indonesia) and even to the police, and we told them to go ahead, since we at the Ananda Sukarlan Center are also victims of their hoax. Not financially, but they are using my name, my office and my foundation to back up their "plan", and this whole thing do disturb us in the midst of our preparation of our Java New Year Concerts.
Yesterday the whole story and its investigation by the Trans TV was broadcast on their channel, you can see it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAiiqI0WcbI . The person talking on the phone was Chendra Panatan, my manager and the director of Ananda Sukarlan Center, not me, by the way. If you want to have an English translation, please click the "cc" button on that video.
Now that I am stating about this hoax, I would also like to clarify other things. Our office and foundation doesn't finance anything that is not stated at our website or facebook. Our foundation is not a big and bombastic one, we focus on small things and do it honestly. Greatness, for me, is making ourselves and things around us better, doing small things in a great way. I don't want to change the world! We give musicaleducation to children who are less priviliged and few scholarships, and we are thankful to some donators. We admit, we do need to market ourselves better, not to get fame and acclaimed for our small achievement, but in case of a hoax like now, people should know our foundation and our very clean reputation. Our next authentic event is the JAVA NEW YEAR CONCERTS, and we have done that event for the 7th year now. It doesn't involve thousands of people and we don't sell expensive tickets. It is meant for those who really love classical music, and our ambition doesn't go beyond that (unfortunately). This year is very special for us, since we are doing it in 3 cities: Jakarta (Jan.8), Surabaya (Jan.13) and Bandung (Jan.15). We are grateful for the collaboration with Amadeus Enterprise of Surabaya (who also organized the National Vocal Competition and therefore we could get the winners, certainly the best Indonesian classical vocalists of today to perform in these events) and Bandung International Music Academy. If you want to know more about it, please check http://www.facebook.com/events/321042434575881
Do NOT think that the world of (classical) music in Indonesia is something very clean, no no, it's the ugly business of beautiful music. A number of people have put the status "Dr." or PhD in music without being one, and that's just an example. I might be the most badly bruised musician in Indonesia. My music has been pirated and used without my permission (oops sorry, I should say a couple of them indeed asked for permission, but after Chendra caught them red-handed). Not only my music: an article from this very blog has been published in a major newspaper in Indonesia under a different name -- and yes, translated in Indonesian, therefore it couldn't be categorized as plagiarism. And now just my name, not my work, is used. And this case of using my name is not the first time that it happened, but since this very moment those who do anything of this kind will have the honour of being mentioned by me in my facebook and twitter account. Enough of being a good boy, I am now defending myself clearly, since my trust & kindness has been badly abused by some people.
I would like to express my deepest sympathy to those who have been cheated by Starlight Management. It is a highly irresponsible and insensitive act, and I obviously condemn it. If there is anything me or any staff of the Ananda Sukarlan Center could help, please just let me know by tweeting me at @anandasukarlan . I, myself, feel cheated and am on your side, so I'd be more than glad to help.
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