Children's orchestra a harmonious affair

Aendra Medita, Contributor, Jakarta

More than 70 children make up the Indonesian Children Orchestra (ICO), which is led by conductor Frans Gerard Dwiputranto, and it prides itself as being Indonesia's largest children's orchestra.

During an impressive performance at Plaza Senayan on April 27 to help commemorate the plaza's seventh anniversary, the orchestra successfully fused the sounds of a Balinese gamelan group with electric guitars to the sheer delight of the audience.

Established last year, the show marked the orchestra's seventh public appearance. During the performance, the young musicians, aged between seven and 16 years, displayed avid enthusiasm to achieve harmony, and hence produced a dynamic blend of music.

The orchestra presented several Disney music favorites with a new twist, a departure from the usual repertoire of classical pieces -- by Bach or Mozart -- which are usually performed by other children's orchestras.

The ICO differs from other groups in that it adopts a very personal approach, enabling some of the children to be ready to perform live on stage only after rehearsing for six months.

Its repertoire consists of musical pieces that are light enough for children's orchestras and enjoyable to listen to for audiences.

Opening with the Balinese gamelan and a cello, the orchestra enchanted the audience with Plaisir d'Amor, followed by Hi-Ho from the Snow White soundtrack, and Winnie the Pooh from Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, reflecting the fun and merry aspects of the children's world.

What a Feeling from the Flashdance soundtrack and You Will When You Believe from the animated movie Prince of Egypt brought forth a spirit of hope for success. Next came Circle of Life from the Lion King and Close Every Door from the soundtrack of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a song dedicated to children living in disaster zones, such as the children of Iraq who have survived a war.

The orchestra demonstrated strength and vigor throughout its performance, such as when they neatly presented Hi Ho and Winnie the Pooh, two familiar children's favorites which brought joy and smiles to those in attendance and a round of applause from the entire audience.

Still, the entire performance was not without its flaws. There were noticeable problems in presenting some of the pieces, for example in You Will When You Believe, a song which is quite difficult for children to perform. The Voices Angeli, the children's choir singing the song, did not sing the low-pitch notes quite right and had to slightly shout when it came to high- pitch notes.

Moreover, the drumbeat was not constant and slightly out of sync with the choir. In What a Feeling, the music was satisfactory although the singers missed getting the notes right in several parts.

The last piece the orchestra played, Close Every Door, was performed so beautifully that it prompted the audience to break out in loud applause. An observant ear could still detect some slight errors that the violinists made, for example, the wrong direction of a bow movement or starting a piece too fast. At times, there were disturbing sounds although it has to be admitted that on the whole, the orchestra got everything right.

The conductor of the orchestra, Dwiputranto, a graduate of the music school of the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ), said that the orchestra had started up while he was teaching at the Relasi Music School. ICO was specially set up so that it could stage orchestral performances.

Bandung-based musician Ferry Curtis thought the orchestra's latest show at Plaza Senayan was quite interesting although he said it certainly needed more polish.

"ICO has its own peculiar strength as an orchestra because it is generally accepted that when childhood is combined with music it will turn into a strong musical power. At least that has proven to be the case with this colossal performance," he said.

All things considered, their performance deserved a special mention in terms of a colossal music performance by children.

The orchestra's next scheduled performance will be at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta in Central Jakarta in October.