NCO featuring a top-notch pianist<\/p>\n
By Gus Kairupan<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Keep an eye on Stephen K. Tamadji. If his
\nperformance last Tuesday with the Nusantara Chamber Orchestra is
\nany indication, this young pianist will reach considerable
\nheights. Prokofiev's piano concertos, though a standard by now,
\nbelong to the most difficult in piano literature, the more so
\nbecause of the precision work required between piano and
\norchestra, precision work in which split seconds make all the
\ndifference.<\/p>\n
In this respect it is fortunate that during the performance of
\nProkofiev's 3rd Concerto (C-Major) Stephen had the upper hand and
\nmaintained his hold throughout. It was Stephen who led the
\norchestra, from the moment the short Andante that opened the
\nfirst movement led into the Allegro and in a way masked the messy
\ninequalities among the instruments. What we need now is a full
\nsolo recital by this young man. Unless my eardrums deceive me, it
\nwill be even more rewarding than Stephen's performance with the
\nNusantara Chamber Orchestra.<\/p>\n
The piano concerto was the highlight of the concert at the
\norchestra's home, the Jakarta Hilton International's Golden
\nBallroom. Besides the concerto, the program also featured Ravel's
\nMinuet Antique and Debussy's Prelude a lappers-mid dun fauna,
\nboth of which are standard concert pieces written by the two
\ngiants of the impressionist period. Impressionism was extensively
\ncovered in the program notes, which dwelled at considerable
\nlength on the differences between Debussy and Ravel but forgot to
\nmention one fundamental aspect, which is that Debussy's
\ncomposition is programmatic, while Ravel's isn't. It is quite
\nimportant because when it comes to programmatic music the
\norchestra, as I have mentioned so often before, is at a total
\nloss. Yazeed Djamin may, for instance, be thoroughly
\nknowledgeable about Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream, but
\nhas not extended the knowledge and the implications of it to the
\nmembers. The same applies to the art of painting, or at least the
\nemotions it stirred in Mussorgsky's soul.<\/p>\n
Are such aspects of secondary importance? I don't think so and
\nin the case of Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun, they definitely
\naren't. The faun, a mythical creature, half-goat, half-man, that
\nembodies everything related to sexual pleasure, or, at least, the
\npromise or anticipation of it. And it is all there in Debussy's
\nmusic: the lazy, languid descending and ascending chromatics for
\nflutes over a stretch of just a major third; the heavy unequal
\nbreathing in the strings supporting the mating call of the horns,
\nthe dynamics of the entire orchestra working up to an
\nunmistakable climax.<\/p>\n
That, no doubt, is what was going on in Debussy's mind, but
\nnot in the mind of both the conductor and players last Tuesday.
\nFor sheer voluptuousness this Prelude has no equal in the entire
\nrepertoire of classical music, and though the piece was hissed at
\nand roundly booed during its debut, it later became an
\nunqualified success, especially when it was turned into a ballet
\nfeaturing Nijinsky. So far removed was the orchestra's rendition
\nfrom any hint of sensuality that you'd wonder whether any of the
\nperformers have ever experienced such a sensation. My guess is
\nthat they haven't, but even that is forgivable. What is worse is
\nthe lack of musical integrity or respect for someone else's
\ncompositions.<\/p>\n
You see, the whole piece was botched from the very beginning.
\nI did catch some of the message at the opening of the concert
\nwhich said that the harpist, Maya Hasan, due to illness, could
\nnot appear. But having only half-listened to it, I can't remember
\nwhat was said further. Anyway, what transpired was that the harp
\npart was played on the piano. Another serious mistake. The harp,
\nthough it does not introduce the main theme, plays such an
\nintegral part as the scene setter in this all too-well-known
\ncomposition that replacement by the piano cannot be condoned.
\nPerhaps the thinking behind it was that the sound of a piano
\ncomes close to that of a harp. This is a matter of opinion, of
\ncourse, but to me, and, I dare say, to others in the audience,
\nthey do not sound the same if only because the strings on one are
\nplucked, while on the other they are struck. Or perhaps another
\nline of thought was that the Prelude is not well-known in
\nIndonesia. But then, it is even more of a reason why it should
\nhave been rendered in its proper form.<\/p>\n
All this, in a way, does not reflect very well on Stephen
\nTamadji who should have politely declined from doing Debussy's
\nforemost composition a disservice. Instead of the Prelude, the
\norchestra should have played another composition -- after all
\nthese years the orchestra would surely have a sizable repertoire
\non which to call in an emergency. Or Ms. Hasan, who is not the
\nonly harpist in town, should have been replaced.<\/p>",
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