Charity concert a celebration of Verdi's greatness
By Y. Bintang Prakarsa
JAKARTA (JP): In observance of the centenary anniversary of the death of Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901), the Mines and Energy Society Bimasena will hold a concert presenting the composer's celebrated operatic pieces.
Bimasena, a patron of colossal, patriotic dance and music performances, will donate the proceeds from the price of admission to educating displaced children.
Cooperating with Bimasena is the Twilite Orchestra and its conductor, Addie M.
They will be playing on their own or accompanying top soloists Aning Katamsi Asmoro, Binu D. Sukaman, Christopher Abimanyu, Johnson Hutagalung and Harland Hutabarat.
The Twilite Chorus, a division created to expand the repertories of the orchestra, will complement their choruses.
Their program is a selection from Nabucco (first produced in 1842 in Milan), Rigoletto (1851, Venice), Il trovatore (1853, Rome), La traviata (1853, Venice), I vespri siciliani (1855, Paris), Un ballo in maschera(1859, Rome), La forza del destino(1862, St. Petersburg) and Aida (1871, Cairo). The selection also includes The Triumphal March (Aida), Bella figlia dell Ramore (La traviata), Va pensiero (Nabucco).
The year and place of his first production shows that Verdi's name echoed in opera houses throughout Europe, except for Germany where the ever-despising Wagner reigned, and the Mediterranean. During this age of European revolution and reform, the sheer drama that ingrained his works resonated in the hearts of many. Remember that this was not only about the appealing arias and the rousing choruses, but also the sceneries.
Imagine how an audience would react to Aida's Triumphal March played before a stageful of edifices, processions, crowd actions, glamor and fancy.
Italians, who sought to unite their country then divided between domestic rulers, along with the French, Austrians and the Pope, were the foremost enthusiasts of Verdi's operas. They and their foreign rulers saw in Verdi's work messages of resistance against foreign encroachment and calls for unification. That is why his operas met with frequent censorship, which often cut the plot and caused severe alterations to the characters.
Un ballo in maschera tells the story about King Gustavus of Sweden who was murdered at a masked ball, which was subversive enough for the censors of Naples, then ruled by the French Bourbon dynasty, to reject its performance in the city. Verdi's music was also among the first to attract the masses, and even incite them to riot.
Nevertheless, Verdi as a national image was continuously nurtured there even before he died. Unlike many Romantic composers who had nervous breakdowns, or if not were broke, he spent his old age famous, rich and revered. When Verdi died in 1901, 28,000 people turned out to pay their last respects.
Tribute to a Legacy of Unity: A Verdi Centenary Concert will be held in the Grand Ballroom at The Dharmawangsa on Friday, May 25, at 7 p.m. Admission is Rp 450,000. More information, call Bimasena at 7258668 (with Purry or Itha), fax 7236193 or e-mail bimasena@cbn.net.id.