Twilite Orchestra on stage again<\/p>\n
Damar Harsanto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Thirteen years on, the Twilite Orchestra is very much alive and
\nshining in a country where classical music has long fought for an
\naudience.<\/p>\n
Conductor and director of the orchestra Addie MS works
\ntirelessly to popularize classical music, rearranging pop and
\nIndonesian traditional songs for the orchestra.<\/p>\n
Its first concert of the year was held at Balai Sarbini in
\nCentral Jakarta on Monday. No introduction was necessary as
\nWagner's difficult Prelude from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg
\n(the Master Singers of Nuremberg) brought the audience up to
\nspeed.<\/p>\n
The orchestra worked hard to tell the tale of young knight
\nWalther von Stolzing and his efforts to become a mastersinger,
\nwith startling solos interjecting the rapid Prelude.<\/p>\n
The orchestra has in fact recorded many of the works that were
\nfeatured on Monday night, including those of the great romantic
\ncomposers -- Giacomo Puccini, Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky, Giuseppe
\nVerdi and Richard Wagner.<\/p>\n
Titled La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) -- after
\none of Verdi's opera -- the CD is the first in a series of CDs,
\nand on sale now.<\/p>\n
The highlight of the evening came from Indonesian soprano
\nAning Katamsi who sang Casta Diva, the melancholic prayer to the
\nGoddess of the Moon, from Italian Vincenzo Bellini's opera,
\nNorma.<\/p>\n
The audience (and indeed the musicians) were able to relax
\nwith a performance of the Waltz from Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky's
\nfamous ballet Sleeping Beauty. Then came some romantic, yet
\nliteral pieces from Puccini's La Boheme, Che Gelida Manina (How
\ncold is your hand) and O Soave Fanciulla (What a gorgeous girl).<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the domed hall of Balai Sarbini seemed an
\nunsuitable venue as Aning and tenor Christopher Abimanyu actually
\nstruggled to be heard.<\/p>\n
The self-taught Addie was pivotal to the success of the
\nconcert. He went all-out, gesticulating to the 70 members of the
\norchestra and 80-member choir, whom, in the past, he has led
\nthrough a wide array of music, from Beethoven to The Beatles. In
\nthe process, Addie has matured to become an outstanding figure in
\nclassical music here.<\/p>\n
One of his focuses has been helping young Indonesians
\nappreciate classical music, and at the concert he made a special
\nannouncement: \"In August this year, the Twilite Youth Orchestra
\nwill be formed.\"<\/p>\n
Guest tenor Rosario La Spina from Australia gave the concert
\nits soul.<\/p>\n
With his international reputation, including first place at a
\ntenor competition held by L'Accademia at La Scala in Milan, Italy
\nin 2000, and at Mario Del Monaco International Opera Competition
\nin 2002 -- La Spina managed to grabbed the audience's attention
\nand hold it.<\/p>\n
He was the mastersinger of the concert when he sang Ah Si, Ben
\nMio from Verdi's Il Trovatore and Questa o Quella from Verdi's
\nRigoletto. His perfect intonation, expression -- and power to
\novercome the poor venue -- were an absolute delight.<\/p>\n
His voice was at times melancholic then, suddenly upbeat, as
\nhe maintained power without losing a single word.<\/p>\n
The concert ended perfectly with three trumpets sounding
\nWagner's Grand March from Tannhauser from above, giving the
\naudience the impression that they were attending a royal banquet.
\nThe standing ovation that followed was no surprise as it was
\ntruly deserved.<\/p>\n
Maybe Addie had decided early on that hard-to-digest classical
\nmusic should be followed by a light dessert. Part of Verdi's
\npopular opera La Traviata left a deep impression, with some
\naudience members still humming the opera as they left the hall.<\/p>\n
The Twilite Orchestra has also recorded another album
\nfeaturing the works of local composers, titled Simfoni Negeriku
\n(A symphony for my country). It features Indonesia's national
\nanthem Indonesia Raya composed by WR Supratman and arranged by
\nJos Cleber.<\/p>",
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