Coping with difficult works to honor Brahms

By Gus Kairupan

JAKARTA (JP): Johannes Brahms, the 19th century German musical giant, died exactly 100 years ago. This is an occasion that will, of course, not pass unnoticed; in Indonesia, classical musicians have already paid homage to him in the memorable concert by the International Music Foundation last May.

Homage was again paid the master on Oct. 3 by the Camerata di Musica, the institute of music which is no stranger to classical music lovers in Jakarta, and which also acts as agent for musicians and musical groups from abroad.

This is quite a year for commemorations in the field of music. Brahms has been accorded two; as far as I know, Schubert has had one and there is another coming up to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth.

In case it has escaped the attention of classical music teachers, musicians, etc., this year is also worthy of events dedicated to Felix Mendelssohn, who died 150 years ago. I can't help wondering whether this master orchestrator and miniaturist is still held, albeit mistakenly, as something of a lightweight by many experts.

But to get back to Brahms and the concert by Camerata. It featured music for piano solo, a sonata for violin and piano and Lieder. One wonders about the extent of Brahms' familiarity in Indonesia. Of course there isn't one piano player here who doesn't know the A-Flat major waltz and a couple of his Hungarian Dances, but I think there's very little else, although there could be an awareness of his symphonies which, anyway, have never been performed.

But apart from opera and other forms of music related to drama, Brahms has touched on all forms: chamber, solo, and especially vocal music, for groups as well as solo voice. Among the most exquisitely beautiful choral works are the four songs he wrote for women's chorus, two horns and harp, not to mention the Alto Rhapsody. As regards Lieder, Brahms is most certainly on a par with Schubert and Brahms.

Compositions for piano solo took the lion's share of the concert, notably the op.119 series which consist of three intermezzi and a rhapsody played by Lindawati; the Variations on a Theme by Handel performed by Dr. Kuei Pin Yeo who also heads the Camerata Musica; a sonata for violin and piano featuring Jap Tji Kien accompanied by Kuei Pin Yeo, who is also his wife, and the Lieder sung by soprano Renata Lim with accompaniment by Antjen Yauri.

Now, what is it that makes Brahms stand out from among the many maestros who populated the scene during the mid to late 1800s? What was Brahms doing among all those new ideas that sprang up and came to full flower during that period in Europe: Italian verismo and Wagner's idea of Gesamtkunstwerk in opera; the symphonic poems; Bohemian, Russian, Spanish, and Scandinavian flavors; not to mention the impressionists from France who were also making their presence felt in no uncertain terms.

Outwardly Brahms seems to follow classical tenets, but in content he was very much his own. One of the outstanding elements (and probably devilishly difficult for piano solo) is his designation of pedal points. Dynamically, too, Brahms went much further than any other composer I can think of, with triple f-s that shake the rafters and triple p-s that are almost inaudible.

Or, to put it in connection with piano music, a great amount of power and the finest, most delicate touch the player is able to expend, paying attention all the while to every shade in between.

It is this these aspects that were lacking in the performances, though one would say that, technically, they have no doubt fulfilled every necessary requirement. The next best thing would probably be playing it safe, which is what violinist Jap Tji Kien and Dr. Kuei did in the G-Major sonata, but playing safe is a far way away from playing imaginatively.

But perhaps being safe is better than not getting the point in the manner of conceiving. Take, for instance, Antjen Laury's idea of dynamics in the G-Minor rhapsody which most certainly needs a powerful forte that marks the opening theme of the work that roughly follows the ABA pattern. That opening theme returns after the B section which ends piano in a series of descending notes. So the design is quite obvious: the juxtaposition of a line that tapers off, followed immediately by the decisive and powerful phrase.

There was one aspect in the songs that I found rather disturbing, i.e. the vibrato (trill, tremolo) in soprano Renata Lim's delivery, which I found quite excessive. I am not very familiar with the physics of voice and voice production, but I do know that sound is a result of vibration.

But there is a difference between natural vibration (which listeners are barely aware of) and one that is contrived and accentuated so much that distances between semitones become almost imperceptible. Composers usually put a mark where they want a vibrato or tremolo (something like "tr" or a wavy line). Ms. Lim has a strong voice. It is a pity it has a rather strident edge.