Music & Drama, On & Off the Stage (Jakarta Post)

This time, my article for The Jakarta Post that was published on September 16th was heavily edited that many things became erroneous. Even there are some discontinuities between sentences. That's why I uploaded it here as soon as possible. Here it is. ............................................................................................................................................. On- & Off-stage Drama of the Opera , by Ananda Sukarlan, composer & pianist ............................................................................................................................................. The Jakartans were experiencing it, enjoying it, inspired by it but certainly were not aware of it. Not even the organizers. From September 7th to the 10th we had an exhilarating and intense classical voice festival. There was no official term for these series of concerts, in fact it wasn't planned as such, but we clearly had a festival. If it were publicized as an official festival, fans of classical singing from all over the country (and even other countries) would have come and stayed in Jakarta who could boast an abundance of great voices singing opera arias, folkmusic and "artsongs" as we called it rather snobbishly (aren't jazz or rock songs "art" enough?). Imagine the artistic and economic impact it would have caused. ............................................................................................................................................. This is an inside story from one who was involved in these events as a composer, pianist and friend of all artists. It all started with the Indonesia Opera Society (IOS) celebrating its 10th anniversary with a spectacular showcase of international talents on Wednesday, 7th September. Hosted at the Segara Ballroom of The Dharmawangsa Jakarta, the Opera Gala featured world-class singers from 10 countries: 13 artists (including the conductor) of different languages & cultural background working together for the first time. Just from the financial and organizing aspects, this is a huge if not mammoth undertaking. The impressive line up of artists include sopranos Gayane Vardanyan (Armenia), Anna Dinnah Migallos (Philippines), Evelyn Merrelita (Indonesia) and Amelie Fleetwood (Sweden); mezzosopranos Angelique Noldus (Belgium) and Tamta Tarieli (Georgia); tenors Anando Mukerjee (India) and Francisco Corujo (Spain); baritones Massimo Di Stefano (Italy) and Tim Kuypers (Netherlands); and bass singer Harland Hutabarat (Indonesia). They were accompanied by the Nusantara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) conducted by Hikotaru Yazaki from Japan. They performed 18 numbers, from solos up to the whole ensemble, reaching the peak which was Giuseppe Verdi's "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" from the opera La Traviata. Famous arias performed include Puccini's "Nessun Dorma", Delibes' "Flower Duet" and Mozart's "Soave sia il vento". ............................................................................................................................................. Being one of Indonesia’s finest, NSO is now managed under its CEO, Miranda Goeltom. For this event, IOS commissioned me a short orchestral work with piano soloist, so I wrote (which I played myself on an exquisite Bluthner) "Fantasy on Selendang Sutra". I am glad it touched many hearts that it was asked to be performed again at the World Culture Forum next October, and I thank the IOS founder Erza S.T who insisted me on doing it since I was involved in another commission at that time. The original song by Ismail Marzuki is itself very operatic indeed: meaning "Silk Scarf" that was given by a girlfriend of a warrior before he set off to war. It was written in 1946, but I elaborated it into different styles that explore even to the most innovative instrumental colors and rhythms. ............................................................................................................................................. After this colossal celebration which was attended by 600 distinguished invitees, those great singers went on giving recitals organized by the respective Embassies who co-sponsored their visit. It was an unfortunate incident that the pianist who was supposed to perform with the Dutch baritone Tim Kuypers fell sick just the day before the Opera Gala. Tim had prepared 17 highly intense artsongs by German composers Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler (his most famous songs based on poems by F. Rueckert) for this concert. Nobody dared to step in, while time (and budget) made it impossible to fly a pianist from Holland, so I had to do it which now I don't regret it at all; Tim is such a professional that we, in his words, "are in it together and we will pull it through". It turned out to be a happy ending. I prepared my part in the late and early hours before rehearsing with him the whole day, and in the end we performed 14 songs since we squeezed the rehearsal time up to, literally, a few minutes before the concert. I substituted those songs with my own 2 numbers of Rapsodia Nusantara, virtuosic works based on Indonesian folksongs that are always "under my hands". It took place at the Erasmus Huis on the 8th of September. ............................................................................................................................................. "Artsong" (in Indonesian we have a more accurate term, "Tembang Puitik" which means "songs based on poems") is the term we use for those classical songs based on existing poems, pioneered by Franz Schubert who wrote no less than 600 of them. In Indonesia it was Mochtar Embut who pioneered it in the 1950s. ............................................................................................................................................. Earlier that day, Tim together with Amelie Fleetwood and Angelique Noldus gaveopen and free masterclasses as well as a chit-chat to several young vocalists, also organized by, and took place at the Erasmus Huis. This turned out to be so fruitful since the audience were exclusively vocalists. What opened their eyes was that they could listen to 3 different, equally experienced and professional singers, each having distinctive ways of handling vocal techniques and artistic interpretations. What a way to discover that there wasn't only one, but so many different roads less traveled by that could make all the difference. ............................................................................................................................................. But in the midst of the international stars, two recitals were held at Balai Kertanegara by young Indonesian singers. First was mezzosoprano Indah Pristanti, who since winning the Female Voice category of the National Competition Tembang Puitik Ananda Sukarlan (organized by Amadeus Enterprise in Surabaya, 2011) has gone so far, careerwise and musicalwise. At the moment Indah is pursuing her studies at Vienna Conservatory. Curiously enough, her concert (together with pianist Terra Rimba, harpist Rama Widi and other soprano Regina Handoko) took place on September 9th, 5-minute by car from another concert by baritone Massimo di Stefano organized by the Italian Embassy at the Ambassador's residence. I managed to witness both artists' artistry, although arriving rather late at Indah's concert. On the 10th, it was soprano Yosefin Emilia (now studying in Freiburg) performing, which I totally missed since I attended Anna Dinnah Migalos' recital singing arias, artsongs and Filipino folksongs together with pianist April Merced-Misa at Erasmus Huis, too far from Kertanegara. ............................................................................................................................................. This is what I meant by a well-coordinated festival: if only these events were better scheduled ahead, music lovers would have been able to attend each and every one of the concerts, talks and masterclasses, not having to choose which ones they would go. It would also be interesting to hear the same works sung by different singers, though of course we would like an even broader range of repertoire. ............................................................................................................................................. Nevertheless, never have those foreign embassies and private sponsors been so united in making a series of events. Kudos to Erza S.T and the stage director and program coordinator Chendra Panatan for making the impossible possible and contributing in paving the way to make classical music part of Indonesia's creative industry.

Article for KOMPAS KLASS, Aug. 24 : Musik Sastra, sudahkah Merdeka?

This is my original article sent to Kompas Klass, published with very few editing. My original title was "Classical Music, is it already Independent (or Free?)", since this article is commissioned to be related to the Day of the Declaration of Independence, August 17th. Kompas changed it into "To Fertilize the Soil for the Classical Music", taken from a phrase in my article. ............................................................................................................................................. 71 tahun kita telah merdeka. Apakah dunia seni dan budaya kita sudah merdeka? Di dunia musik sastra, sudahkah kita benar-benar menjadi Indonesia? ............................................................................................................................................. Musik sastra (istilah yang lebih tepat daripada "musik klasik") adalah salah satu genre musik di Indonesia yang masih belum memiliki identitas Indonesia yang kuat, bahkan banyak dari golongan kelas menengah ke atas masih menginginkan kesan bahwa "semakin kebarat-baratan semakin baik" dan musik ini justru harus dibikin(-bikin) eksklusif. Padahal jika kita lihat sejarahnya, musik ini berasal dari gereja di Eropa sejak Abad Pertengahan, dimana gereja adalah tempat berkumpulnya orang dari segala kalangan. Kemudian, musik ini banyak mengambil bahan musikal dari musik etnik di Eropa, sehingga menguntungkan kedua belah genre: musik etnik terlestarikan dan berkembang, dan musik sastra mendapat angin segar. Sejak abad 20, musik ini kemudian mulai kehilangan popularitasnya dengan datangnya musik pop, sehingga para pemerintah tiap negara Eropa merasa perlu untuk mensubsidinya untuk biaya produksi yang tidak murah dan tidak dapat tertutup dari pemasukan tiket penonton. Di sinilah masalah dimulai, antara lain karena 1. proses kurasi untuk menentukan seni(man) mana yang mendapatkan subsidi, dan 2. para seniman tersebut sering menjadi terbuai karena subsidi itu dihibahkan tanpa persyaratan dalam daya komunikatifnya dengan masyarakat, sehingga jarak antara seniman dan konsumen seni semakin menjauh. ............................................................................................................................................. Seni dan budaya adalah hak setiap warganegara, sama dengan hak-hak di bidang politik, sosial dan ekonomi. Semua warga negara memiliki hak untuk terlibat dengan pelestarian warisan budaya dan penciptaan karya artistik baru. Mereka juga memiliki hak untuk terlibat dalam menghasilkan produk kreatif, untuk memiliki akses ke pengetahuan dan ketrampilan yang diperlukan untuk memainkan alat musik, menggambar, menari, menulis atau desain. Hak budaya yang universal ini terkikis setiap kali kita gagal mendapat dana untuk organisasi seni dan seniman yang menyediakan akses ke kebebasan berekspresi. ............................................................................................................................................. Sebetulnya, sebagai negara yang tidak memiliki tradisi musik sastra serta cukup ketinggalan di bidang itu, kita banyak bisa belajar dari banyak kesalahan yang telah dilakukan negara lain. Di Eropa, musik ini jauh menurun baik peminatnya maupun pelakunya, salah satu karena alasan subsidi di atas (dilihat dari minat anak muda yang mau masuk fakultas musik). Bahkan, jika kita google "classical music", google secara otomatis menyambungnya dengan "is dying" (sedang sekarat), yang membuktikan kebenaran asumsi ini. Para seniman yang terbuai dengan subsidi pemerintah tidak biasa dengan berbagai inovasi serta strategi pemasaran yang kini jauh dipermudah dan dipermurah dengan adanya media sosial. Padahal kinilah saatnya musik ini bisa berkembang, setelah bertahun-tahun dimonopoli oleh para perusahaan rekaman. Sekarang lah saatnya para "independen" (indie) dapat berkembang dan menghadapi pemikiran ulang konsep kepemilikan. Kita telah menggantikan opsi penjual - pembeli dengan realitas pemasok - pengguna. Semua ini mengubah cara musik dikonsumsi, sehingga kita tidak bisa lagi menjual musik klasik dengan cara yang juga klasik (apalagi dengan metode yang dipakai di Barat). ............................................................................................................................................. Di Cina misalnya, bukannya berinvestasi di bakat dan sumber daya manusia, pemerintah daerah malah menggunakan subsidi budaya untuk membangun gedung opera, arena pertunjukan, dan proyek properti high-profile lainnya. "Tak satu sen-pun dari uang itu masuk ke para seniman, hanya ke para promotor artis sebagai perantara," kata Scarlett Li, salah seorang promotor musik terkemuka. "Padahal para perantara itu tidak berada di posisi untuk menciptakan konten. Ini tidak masuk akal bagi saya. Kita justru kekurangan komponis dan penulis" lanjutnya di koran Inggris "The Guardian". ............................................................................................................................................. Di Indonesia musik sastra mulai bisa berkembang karena dua elemen penting: 1. peminat yang mulai sangat meningkat. 2. para sponsor atau "patron" yang lebih banyak karena secara pribadi memang menyukai jenis musik ini. Tokoh-tokoh yang telah lama mensponsori konser musik ini antara lain B.J. Habibie dan sekarang putranya Ilham Habibie melalui Yayasan Habibie & Ainun, Pia Alisjahbana, keluarga Panigoro (kadang melalui MEDCO, kadang masing-masing secara pribadi. Perlu dicatat bahwa Hilmi Panigoro pernah menjadi juara nasional gitar klasik di waktu mudanya), Giok Hartono (kadang juga melalui departemen CSR perusahaannya, DJARUM). Beberapa organisasi seperti Rotary Club malah sering menyelenggarakan konser musik ini untuk mengumpulkan dana. Sebetulnya, dengan pemberdayaan cara pemasaran yang baik, dua elemen ini akan bisa bersinergi dengan sangat efektif, karena di dunia seni, pembeli/pelanggan bukan lah raja. Mereka adalah rekan, bahkan kadang mitra kerja yang harus dipenuhi tuntutan kualitasnya, tapi bukan tuntutan seleranya. Seorang patron yang baik harusnya tidak memaksakan seleranya ke para seniman, mereka justru sudah tahu seniman mana yang cocok dengan selera mereka, dan hanya harus menuntut kualitas produk seninya. Mereka tidak berhak untuk mengubah "genre" musik sang komponis, dan sang komponis (ataupun seniman apapun) harus diberikan kebebasan berekspresi untuk bisa memaksimalkan --serta bertanggung jawab atas-- kualitas karyanya. ............................................................................................................................................. Kemerdekaan juga berarti kita bisa "go international" dengan apa yang kita miliki. Dengan adanya social media, semua seniman praktis bisa dengan mudah "go international". Pasang saja karya foto atau lukisan di instagram, karya musik di youtube atau soundcloud dan seluruh dunia bisa mengaksesnya. ............................................................................................................................................. Musik sastra seperti seni lainnya bisa diibaratkan satu lahan yang luas. Untuk bisa berkembang, dibutuhkan bermacam tanaman yang tumbuh bersama-sama, tapi yang paling utama adalah membuat lahan itu subur dahulu. ............................................................................................................................................. Mari kita mulai bekerja, karena jika kita tidak hati-hati dan memulainya segera, satu hari kita akan bangun tidur dan menyadari bahwa buku yang kita baca, film dan televisi yang kita tonton semua datang dari luar negeri, bahwa musik yang kita dengarkan tidak senada dengan suara kita, dan panggung sandiwara kita tidak mengisahkan sejarah, budaya atau tradisi kita bahkan aktornya tidak berbicara dengan bahasa kita. Jangan sampai kita akan bertanya, "kenapa ini terjadi?"

HAK PARA PESERTA DAN PENONTON ASA 2016

Untuk melindungi hak-hak para peserta serta keluarga, guru dan mereka yang berhubungan dengan peserta kompetisi piano Ananda Sukarlan Award 2016, maka dengan ini kami umumkan bahwa: ............................................................................................................................................. 1. Juri akan memberi lembaran komentar beserta nilai, ditandatangan oleh juri tersebut kepada para peserta setelah kompetisi berakhir. Kertas ini boleh difoto dan di-upload ke social media oleh pihak sang peserta. Di kertas itu tertera jelas nama juri, semua komentarnya serta nilai yang diberikan. ............................................................................................................................................. 2. Semua penonton berhak untuk merekam audio dan video permainan semua orang (bukan hanya peserta yang berhubungan dengannya), dan siapapun berhak meng-upload hasil rekaman itu ke youtube. Panitya sangat menyarankan bahwa video itu diberi caption "Ananda Sukarlan Award 2016" dan nama peserta. Dimohon supaya dalam proses rekaman itu tidak menganggu penonton lainnya. ............................................................................................................................................. 3. Jika ada ketidakpuasan atau bahkan keinginan protes, sangat disarankan bahwa pihak yang tidak puas menghubungi Ananda Sukarlan Center secara langsung. Kalau mau mengepostnya di social media dimohon menge-tag @anandasukarlan secara terbuka. Karir bermusik sangat berhubungan dengan kejujuran dan keberanian berekspresi, dan akan sangat disayangkan tingkah laku mereka yang hanya mengomel secara tersembunyi, yang sangat tidak mendidik untuk kesehatan dunia musik Indonesia. ............................................................................................................................................. 4. Juri yang memiliki keterikatan profesional, kekeluargaan atau hanya secara batin ke peserta (guru ke murid, anggota keluarga atau teman dekat) tidak diperbolehkan ikut menilai. Disini kami hanya bisa mengandalkan kejujuran juri dan peserta. ............................................................................................................................................. 5. Penyelenggara ASA sadar bahwa juri memang memiliki kekuasaan penuh untuk berbuat jujur atau berbuat dengan "hidden agenda", apalagi di dunia musik ini subyektivitas memegang peranan sangat besar. Selain itu, keputusan akhir juri tidak dapat diganggu-gugat. Oleh sebab itu sang juri diharapkan untuk bisa mempertanggungjawabkan komentarnya dan nilai yang diberikannya ke peserta bukan secara tertutup, tapi ke publik luas. ............................................................................................................................................. 6. Semua yang hadir di ASA berhak mem-post apapun di social media dan sebaiknya men-tag @anandasukarlan dan/atau @ASApianocomp , tapi diharapkan untuk men-silent semua gadgets, serta memiliki tenggang rasa terhadap para penonton lainnya untuk tidak menganggu dengan cahaya layarnya dan sebagainya.

Sing like the (Indonesian) Angels ! (The Jakarta Post, July 14th)

Not much edited this time, except that the exclamation mark (!) at the end of the title is omitted (why?). But anyway, this article is full of data, and my own opinions and statements are found in the beginning and end of the article. One curious thing: it was already in print to be published on the 13th, but on the 12th I got another news from the facebook of Rainier Revireino and his STP Trisakti, so I asked The Jakarta Post to include it at the last moment. And yeah, we managed ! Anyway, congratulations to the choirs of Indonesia! ............................................................................................................................................. SING LIKE THE (INDONESIAN) ANGELS ! ............................................................................................................................................. by Ananda Sukarlan, composer & pianist ............................................................................................................................................. Many of us still associate choir with church activities. Ask any European about choirs, and the first thing that come to their mind are titles such as Agnus Dei or Salve Regina; the most secular would be Beethoven's Ode to Joy or Gaudeamus Igitur, that academic commercium song usually sung during graduation days. In fact, the underlying idea of choir activity is togetherness, either in times of joy or sorrow. We celebrate joy together, we mourn together, we pray together. But the Indonesians have one great asset : we have a huge resource of folkmusic to be developed, arranged and adapted for choirs. Most folkmusic are sung originally in a group, they deal with all communal themes and issues of the tribe and society of all ages. The elaboration of folkmusic for choir doesn't involve only the music: it can be (therefore, mostly it is done) accompanied with specific costumes and choreography not necessarily to be presented in their original form, as the music is not presented in its original monodic melody either. ............................................................................................................................................. The first half of July have brought so much upbeat news on the achievements of Indonesian choirs in competitions abroad. Not less than 6 choirs have shown their excellence internationally. Observing their success, it is clear that the folkmusic category remains the strongest point for Indonesian choirs, with their uniqueness in melodic scales, harmony and intriguing rhythms, many still unfamiliar for the Westerners. ............................................................................................................................................. The latest news came from the "Laurea Mundi" International Choir Festival and Competition, Budapest. Gema Swara Pesona STP Trisakti conducted by Rainier Revireino won the 1st Prize for the Mixed Choir category, and 2nd Prize for Folklore Grand Prix last Tuesday, July 12th. ............................................................................................................................................. Pangudi Luhur Youth Choir was awarded 1st prize at the children’s folk song choir category, 3rd Prize for senior children’s choir category, and due to their high mark was also awarded the Champion Children’s Choir of the World at Llangolen International Musical Eisteddfod in Wales, UK, 7-10 July. Best Inspirational Conductor of this year's event also went to their conductor, Sonja Simanjuntak. ............................................................................................................................................. Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta Student Choir (PSM UAJY) conducted by Raymundus Leonardo excelled at the World Choir Games (WCG). WCG's 9th edition is held at the Bolshoi Ice Dome at the Olympic Park, Sochi, Russia. PSM UAJY amassed 2 Gold Medals (for categories of Mixed Youth Choirs and Scenic Folklore Choirs) and a Silver Medal for Scenic Pop/Show Choirs category. Their special attraction lies, apart from their vocal techniques, in their traditional Dayak (a tribe from Borneo) costume, and using the traditional instruments sape and jimbe to accompany them while singing Dayak traditional songs Oh Adingkoh and Bawi Kuwu Tumbang Rakumpit. ............................................................................................................................................. Universitas Parahyangan Student Choir (PSM Unpar) this year stunned the audience and judges at the Bela Bartok 27th International Choir Competition in Debrecen, Hungary, 7-10 July. They clinched the 2nd Prize at the chamber choir cat. and 3rd prize for mixed choir cat. Their conductor, Ivan Yohan received the Special Prize for Excellent Conducting Performance. ............................................................................................................................................. Closer to home, the Medan Community Male Choir (MCMC) was awarded Gold Diploma Grade III for Ensemble Category and Gold Diploma Grade II for Equal Voices Category at the Orientale Concentus IX Choral Festival in Singapore held on July 1st-4th. Not bad at all for this very young choir, founded in April 2015 by their conductor, Ken Steven who also received the Outstanding Young Conductor Award. ............................................................................................................................................. The Resonanz Children Choir (TRCC) was awarded 1st prize at the Children’s and Youth Choir category, and was awarded Gold Diploma Level II at the Claudio Monteverdi Choral Competition 2016 in Venice, Italy. But that's not all. They achieved the highest score (94,5) among all participants, so they were awarded the Grand Prix. ............................................................................................................................................. TRCC was founded in 2007. Its members are mostly students at the Resonanz Music Studio directed by Avip Priatna. Its patron and advisor is Mme. Giok Hartono, wife of the owner of Djarum cigarette, Budi Hartono. Their strongest performance was when they performed Yamko Rambe Yamko, a Papua folksong , arranged by Agustinus Bambang Jusana and wearing costumes based on the traditional of Aceh. Bambang used the tifa (a traditional percussion instrument from Papua & Maluku) prominently in his arrangement, which makes it attractively rhythmic and colorful. ............................................................................................................................................. In moments like this is when the role of the arranger become very crucial. Arrangers differ from composers, their task is not necessarily easier: when composers write original music, arrangers work based on existing materials, working on it without losing the original character of the (folk)song. Bambang has been leading many Indonesian choirs throughout these years, such as University choirs of Maranatha (Bandung), Perbanas (Jakarta), Lampung University and many more and brought them to achieve many awards in some international competitions in Greece, Germany, Spain, Italy & Austria. Furthermore, he was awarded as the Best Conductor at an international choir competition in Riva, Italy in 2009. ............................................................................................................................................. And last but not least, behind a successful choir there is always a hardworking, persistent conductor that needs a kind but firm leadership. Devi Francisca is at the moment studying Children & Youth choir conducting in Hannover. It was in that International Youth Choir Competition in Hongkong that she was awarded the Best Conductor award, and she has brought TRCC to other awardwinning participations such as in The Golden Gate Choral Festival (San Francisco) and the 10th Cantemus Choral Festival (Hungary). ............................................................................................................................................. Busy Bambang also led Borneo Cantata from Samarinda who deserves special mention in their first attempt to compete internationally at the Internationaler Chorwettbewerb in Spittal (Austria). Although they have yet to grab any of the top awards, they received high points in the two categories they competed : 81 in Folkslieder (Folksongs) and 80 in Kunstlieder (art song). They struggled with fundraising issues even just days before they left to Europe, as many other Indonesian choirs who competed and didn't receive financial backing from institutions or sponsors. ............................................................................................................................................. In fact, choirs are the best Public Relations material for universities or institutions, since it is a great way of presenting performing arts and entertainment to (potential) clients. They are also a suitable instrument to discover and preserve numerous folksongs, many of them are in danger of being forgotten. As Franz Liszt did with his highly virtuosic Hungarian Rhapsodies or my own Rapsodia Nusantara for piano, choirs have the advantage of presenting the original text of the folksong, therefore preserving the original language, dialects -- and costumes too. And as the recent winnings indicate, those folksongs provide excellent material to be arranged into stunningly virtuosic showpieces. They generate royalty from the performing rights too, since although folkmusic and its lyrics are public property, the arrangement belongs to the arrangers 100%. Having an abundance of folkmusic, imagine how much they would contribute to the economy when the Performing Rights problems are solved in our country!

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.

To be diff, or not to be diff

After our concert at the Erasmus Huis (who is a co-sponsor of my opera Tumirah) last week, where we performed 2 numbers from Tumirah, the top-trending question both from the public and reporters is: Aren't you afraid of being unpopular, making an opera about such a taboo theme of prostitution (and even take sides with them)? ............................................................................................................................................. Look, I am 47. At this age in my career, costumer is not king. Customer is a friend. Friends means they know me and I hope they understand what I really want to express. It's time for me to say the things I really wanna say, to express my opinions without being afraid of what others think of me. I am responsible for what I said, I am not responsible for what you understand what I am saying. Not that I haven't been like this before, but now when I am faced with this question, I just gotta let you know about it. People struggle to be the best, be the Number One. But in fact, if you just be yourself, you ARE one. People sometimes compare others because of their capabilities, career and image. Not of their honesty, kindness and life values. They think if two things are different, one has to be better than another. Ehhh??? Everything can be different while they are equally good. If everyone were the same, how would you feel? It would be boring. It's important to recognize each other's unique personality. The world is very interesting because everyone is not the same. And yeah, when you try to be the same, that's when you get your popularity and acceptance. But if popularity is not what you're looking for? If you just wanna express your thoughts and opinions honestly, one has the right to be unpopular, right? As long as you doesn't f*ck up other people's lives, right? Look, we think our lives in minutes, days, years. Our lives are nothing but a cosmic blink! Even our dear old earth is nothing but a dot in this vast universe. But then, it’s easy to forget what an amazing gift life really is. So, life's too short to be afraid of what other people think of us. So, just do it.