A long way to go for Midori Orchestra<\/p>\n
By Gus Kairupan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): What struck me first of all when I entered the
\nMutiara Ballroom of the Gran Melia Jakarta hotel were the bright
\nred drapes that hung from a height of three meters and ran along
\nthe entire width of the stage at the back and sides of the
\norchestra.<\/p>\n
The occasion was a concert organized by the Embassy of the
\nKingdom of Spain as part of the commemoration of Spain's National
\nDay. Their national day fell on Oct. 12, while the concert was
\nheld on the evening of Oct. 14.<\/p>\n
As a five-star hotel, one does not expect the Mutiara
\nBallroom to be less opulent, and it certainly is very luxurious.
\nIt must always be kept in mind, however, that hotel ballrooms are
\nnot exclusively designed for concerts to be held in them.<\/p>\n
Of course, this does not mean that you cannot present musical
\nevents in such spaces; you can, and quite satisfactorily too,
\nprovided you take some measures that will help enhance the
\nprojection of sound. Carpeted floors belong in the category of a
\nnonelectronic musical ensemble's worst enemy, as do scores of
\nmeters of textile. \"But it was all right during rehearsals this
\nmorning,\" an orchestra member said. Sure, but I bet there wasn't
\nan audience of hundreds present.<\/p>\n
The auditorium was marked by an overabundance of sound-
\nabsorbing elements which rather spoiled the evening of classical
\nmusic presented by a symphony orchestra.<\/p>\n
Inadequate preparation<\/p>\n
At any type of concert, except those that feature electronic
\ninstruments, acoustics are an all important aspect. Even so, one
\ncannot lay the blame for an inadequate presentation at the feet
\nof bad acoustics. This is especially the case with such staples
\nof the classical repertoire as El Amor Brujo (Falla), Brahms'
\nConcerto for Violin & Orchestra, the overture to Verdi's La Forza
\ndel Destino, and Joaquin Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez,
\nprobably the most famous concerto for guitar and orchestra.<\/p>\n
I would say that these would surely be items you would find in
\nthe most basic collection of even a nonchalant admirer of
\nclassical music. What I mean to say is that since these oeuvres
\nare so well-known one also knows exactly what is happening --
\nwhich way melodic lines will go, what harmonic structure is
\ncoming up and in what rhythmic pattern both will appear.<\/p>\n
The concert featured the Midori Symphony Orchestra, more
\nabout that later, and three soloists: soprano Katrine Roberts,
\nviolinist IG Bagus Wiswakarma and guitarist Oliver Pletscher.
\nAllow me to start with them and the compositions in which they
\ntook part.<\/p>\n
First of all, soprano Katrine Roberts, who was the soloist in
\nEl Amor Brujo by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla (1876-1946). It
\nis true that this was the first time the work was performed by an
\nall-Indonesian ensemble, though it is hardly a debut in this
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Falla's work, in the form of a suite without the vocal
\nsections, was presented almost ten years ago by a symphonic group
\ncomprising youngsters from Indonesia, the UK, Netherlands,
\nGermany, France and Spain.<\/p>\n
Originally, the work featured dances, songs and spoken parts
\nin the form of what is referred to as a gitaneria, which is
\nassociated with folk music, but later Falla presented a version
\nfor ballet and songs.<\/p>\n
Even bearing in mind the acoustical shortcomings, I found the
\nchoice of Katrine Roberts, billed as a soprano, quite out of
\nplace because the vocal sections remained quite firmly within the
\nmezzo-soprano range.<\/p>\n
I'm not blessed with perfect pitch, thank God, but I dare say
\nthat the pieces did not often move higher than G or A above
\nmiddle C. With that kind of tessitura it would be awful for a
\nreal soprano, but quite comfortable for a mezzo-soprano or even
\ncontralto. However, her voice has an impressive timbre and I, for
\none, look forward to hearing her again in works that really suit
\nher range.<\/p>\n
This was also the first time I heard IG Bagus Wiswakarma
\nplay. His mastery of technique is -- as I have so often heard
\nbefore -- indeed faultless, even brilliant. Hats off for that,
\nbut personally, I look askance at soloists who read from the
\nscore. Brahms' violin concerto is such a well-known work that you
\nknow exactly what is coming, what to expect.<\/p>\n
One would, for instance, think something like here comes an
\naccelerando or perhaps here's the climax of the
\nrecapitulation, and so forth. That was exactly how my thoughts
\nwent, but what it boils down to is that you hear exactly what is
\nactually written in the score; in other words, there was nothing
\nthat showed the performer made the composition his own or stamped
\nit with his personality. Bagus deserves an A but only for
\ntechnique and brilliant reading.<\/p>\n
In a way, this applies also to Oliver Pletscher whose
\nperformance of Rodrigo's most famous work ought to have been
\ngiven a more upbeat tempo in the outer movements.<\/p>\n
I am sure that compared to the orchestra Pletscher would
\ncertainly be more knowledgeable about the characteristics of
\nSpanish music and that he could have forced the orchestra to
\ndance to his tune -- that's what soloists need to do when playing
\nwith an Indonesian orchestra. They must know the works they play
\nfrom soup to nuts and back because they have to take over the
\nlead of the entire process.<\/p>\n
The Orchestra<\/p>\n
This brings us to the orchestra and its conductor, Yudianto
\nHinupurwadi. I have said often during 16 years of commenting on
\nclassical music and I will say it again that Indonesian
\nconductors are inadequately prepared in education, training,
\nexperience, intellectual breadth or even a range of musical
\nknowledge to adopt the title.<\/p>\n
When the orchestra started, the first item on the program,
\nFalla, I took notice of the general tone color of each
\ninstrumental section (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion) and
\nthought all right ... this is what Yudianto wants the tone to be
\nlike. Not that I liked it, but let's put that aside.<\/p>\n
What should not have happened though, was that he also stuck
\nto that tonal character throughout the whole program. I found
\nthis irresponsible because you must not apply the tonal
\ncharacters you used in Falla to a work by Brahms. Or Verdi. Or
\neven Rodrigo who hails from the same country as Falla. But then,
\nthe matter of tone coloring, except for playing loud and soft, is
\none thing that an Indonesian conductor has not mastered. The
\nresult? Flat performances of orchestral music.<\/p>\n
The concert at the Gran Melia was the second for the Midori
\nSymphony Orchestra. The group was born only this year and rests
\nunder the aegis of the Midori International Music Foundation,
\nwhich was also founded this year.<\/p>\n
Actually, a school of music under the Midori name has been
\noperating for 15 years, but apparently 1999 is the first year
\nthat the institution presented the results of its labors --
\nprovided, of course, that among its students there are those who
\ntake part in the orchestra.<\/p>\n
The orchestra includes quite a number of musicians who have
\nperformed regularly in other orchestras such as the Nusantara
\nSymphony Orchestra and the Twilight Orchestra.<\/p>\n
Midori still has a long way to go, and I hope that it
\nsucceeds in achieving the goals it has set for itself. At the
\nsame time, it must avoid the fate that has befallen at least
\nthree symphonic groups during the past 15 years: the Jakarta
\nSymphony Orchestra, Nusantara Symphony Orchestra, which was last
\nheard of in the beginning of this year and the Twilight
\nOrchestra, now reduced to a string group called the Twilight
\nEnsemble.<\/p>\n
Foundations were established for these groups but at one point
\nsupport ceased, which spelled the end of the orchestras'
\nactivities. It isn't at all difficult to figure out why, and
\nMidori would do well to do just that if it does not want to fall
\nin the same trap. The Midori foundation should at least be aware
\nthat there is a pattern here -- and a glaring one it is!<\/p>\n
One last word of advice to the Gran Melia. Next time, please
\ndo not wrap classical music events in yards and yards of textile,
\nunless, of course, you plan to present performances that feature
\nhard and\/or metal rock groups.<\/p>",
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