Capella Amadeus going from strength to strength

Capella Amadeus going from strength to strength

By Gus Kairupan

JAKARTA (JP): The program book for the most recent concert of
the Capella Amadeus String Ensemble lists five instances of
having appeared in Indonesia, but surely there have been more.
The five were all commissioned events, mostly charity concerts,
and performances in which it was asked to accompany foreign
artists, like the time when it performed with two guitarists from
Germany about two years ago.

The times the ensemble organized its own shows are not
mentioned, but there must have been about a dozen since the
group's debut nearly three years ago. Not a bad track record for
an ensemble that specializes in classical music -- a risky
business in this country.

The ensemble performed before a full house at a concert it
arranged last month at the Erasmus Huis. The group was much
larger as some of the players were not permanent members. Leader
Grace Sudargo recruited trumpetists Eric Awuy and Trayadi as well
as Canadian percussionist Francois Aubin to perform a Vivaldi
composition for two trumpets and strings, and a modern work by
Canadian composer, Alexander Brott, titled Critic's Corner for
string quintet, percussion and police (or referee) whistle.

Other works in the program were Adagio In G by Tomaso Albinoni
(1671-1750), Orchestra Quartet In C by Carl Stamitz (1745-1801)
and Brandenburg Concerto No 3 by J.S. Bach (1685-1750).

Those who have followed the laudable efforts of Grace Sudargo
and her ensemble (Capella Amadeus is indeed her creation) would
no doubt be aware that the program runs very much to form in that
the works presented over the years are mostly of the period from
the late baroque to classical styles.

The grip that Capella Amadeus and Grace have on the music of
that era is sure and confident. The concert was highly enjoyable
and at times approached professional standards. What's more, the
ensemble members performed with spirit and obviously enjoyed what
they were doing. Gabi von der Heyden, who used to be a member
when she resided in Jakarta, even came back from Germany to
perform with Capella Amadeus. Anyway, Grace would do well to
venture outside the late-baroque and classical eras.

Capella Amadeus has become a viable presence in the world of
classical music activities in Jakarta and it won't be long before
fans demand more varied programs.

Some quite knotty works were written during the late
baroque/classical period. Take, for instance, the third of Bach's
six Brandenburg Concertos -- it may be the shortest of the lot
but it has more than a fair share of deviltry when it comes to
entries.

I can't think of a single instance where the ensemble
played tutti -- except in the two measures of the adagio, which
is nothing but a bridge from the first to the final movement.
Otherwise, every section (first and second violins, violas, bass)
had its own role to play in this gigantic fugue.

There were a few entries that lacked decisiveness and
confidence, resulting in a loss of individuality in the section.
A fugue, after all, consists of individuals doing different
things in perfect harmony -- and if this makes you think of
Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), you're not far off the
mark. Anyway, the Brandenburg was the only interpretation that
showed this little drawback.

With respect to unity, dynamics and coloring, the playing
could not be faulted, nor could Eric Awuy and Taryadi, the two
trumpetists who performed Vivaldi's only composition for those
instruments.

Eric is the only classical trumpetist we have. For someone
with such an extensive international background, he is the most
underused musician in this country. Playing with Capella Amadeus
was one of the very few occasions in the past two years that
brought him back to Indonesia. He and Taryadi presented a lively
performance of Vivaldi's work, leaving me to wonder whether there
are more composition of the same kind because Taryardi matched
Eric quite admirably.

As mentioned before, the concert also featured Canadian
percussionist Francois Aubin. He has been in Indonesia for more
than a year now, speaks Indonesian like a native and, like Eric,
is very much underused as a musician. It was because of his
efforts that Brott's work for string quintet and percussion,
Critic's Corner, had its first performance in Indonesia.

The programmatic and very amusing work consists of five
movements: allegro (describing the flamboyant yet basically
shallow type of critic); allegro scherzo (the critic primarily
interested in juggling words at the expense of content); andante
(the self-indulgent sentimentalist); allegro vivace (the sly
rather precious perfectionist) and allegro con spirito (the
erudite critic busily in search of significance between the
lines, in this instance represented by a five-part invertible
fugue).

Quite a job for Francois, who carried it out with aplomb,
running from the gong and kettledrums to the xylophone and jazz
drums. In between he handled cowbells, tam-tam, triangle and
occasionally blew a whistle.

Setting up the instruments was a show in itself and earned
Francois a bit of applause. The performance of Critic's Corner
put me in a bit of a spot, because the writer of the program
notes mentioned -- with tongue firmly in cheek, I bet -- that the
performance had been dedicated to me.

Of course someone had to ask me which of the five
characteristics suited me best. Now, I don't like to be just one
type, so I said that all five applied.