'Bungah': Milestone in history of local contemporary music<\/p>\n
By Franki Raden<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): When Raffles and his troops first occupied
\nBatavia (Jakarta) in 1811, they were aghast that the city did not
\nhave a building for the arts, says the Festival Schouwburg II
\nprogram in reference to the founding of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta,
\nJakarta's arts center.<\/p>\n
One hundred and eighty five years later, foreigners visiting
\nJakarta are probably astonished that the cosmopolitan, capital
\ncity has no concert hall. The plans to renovate the Taman Ismail
\nMarzuki arts complex on Jl. Cikini Raya, costing hundreds of
\nbillions of rupiah, do not include a concert hall.<\/p>\n
A new performance hall is to be built as part of the
\nrenovation, but it will not meet the acoustic requirements of a
\nconcert hall. That is why Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, which has been
\nrenovated and upgraded several times since it was built by
\nRaffles in 1812, is still being used for performances by
\nmusicians. It stands to reason that Trisuci Kamal, a prolific
\nIndonesian composer, was inspired to write a composition titled
\nBungah which she dedicated to the anniversary of Gedung Kesenian
\nJakarta during Festival Schouwburg II.<\/p>\n
Trisuci Kamal wrote Bungah, which means happy and grateful,
\nfor the Pivot Trio, comprising Ary Sutedja (piano), Grace Sudargo
\n(violin) and Eric Awuy (trumpet). The first part of the
\ncomposition, played by the violinist, reflects the composer's joy
\nand gratitude on the 9th anniversary of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The theme is built on broad fourth and fifth intervals and is
\nextended over two octaves, creating the impression of glory; even
\nmore so when the theme is played simultaneously by the three
\ninstruments.<\/p>\n
Trisuci's Bungah was the last item on the program. Its strict
\nstructure, form and thematic development give the impression of a
\nneoclassical style, a variation from the composer's previous
\nworks which were more post-impressionist. Another trait of her
\ncompositions, the influence of gamelan music or Middle Eastern
\nmusic, is not clearly apparent in this work either, although the
\nmelodic score, has a strong Betawi, Indigenous Jakarta, folklore
\ncharacter in Bungah.<\/p>\n
Regrettably, the Pivot Trio did not play the composition with
\ndeep analytical insight so that idiomatic differences, at times
\nromantic, monumental, impressionistic or reflective of folklore,
\nthat were strongly contrasted in parts of Bungah, failed to
\nemerge. A weakness in accuracy also made the texture too dense. A
\nlacking contrast in the trio's dynamism made their performance
\nrather superficial.<\/p>\n
The Pivot Trio's weakness as an ensemble apparently stemmed
\nfrom an imbalance in their performance. Ary and Eric managed to
\nplay in balanced proportion, but Grace's performance lacked
\nstrength in expression and intonation, often making the piece
\nmonotonous.<\/p>\n
This problem was apparent when she played the post-
\nimpressionistic Sonata for Violin and Piano by D. Gazelle, an
\nexpatriate living in Jakarta. The imbalance between Grace's
\nperformance and Ary's expressive piano playing was obvious. The
\nresult was that the composition, which emphasized the violin, was
\nnot played to perfection. Grace's articulation was often
\nindistinct, and she was unable to respond to the dynamics of
\nAry's lively piano performance. This articulative failure was
\nsometimes disturbing because Gazelle's music is full of melodic
\nconstructions, written with a systematic concept of intervals
\nwhich require clarity in performance. It otherwise sounds like a
\nseries of notes that are structured without meaning.<\/p>\n
Ary's strength as a pianist and an accompanist was fully
\nexploited when playing with Eric. Their performance peaked in a
\nromantic piece by G. Enesco. The music demanded technical
\nmastery, and Eric's virtuosity and precise articulation was
\nimpressive, especially in its soft finale. Ary accompanied Eric's
\nbrilliant performance with sensitivity, but she was emphatic in
\nthe melodies which were played rapidly in ad libitum.<\/p>\n
The two musicians also performed A. Geodicke's Concert Etude
\nOp.49 in close accord. But Eric's articulation in its rapid
\nmelody was sometimes unclear. Their interpretation of Geodicke's
\nwork also lacked flexibility, especially in the more contrasting
\nparts of the composition.<\/p>\n
On the whole, the Pivot Trio's performance was pleasing. Their
\nprogram was impressive, their combination was unique and their
\ninsight in having Trisuci Kamal write a composition for them
\ndeserves special mention. The concert is a milestone in the
\nhistory of Indonesian contemporary music.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bungah-milestone-in-history-of-local-contemporary-music-1447893297",
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