European musicians share a little happiness with Indonesians

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Forget the never-ending crisis for a while and listen to the quality music performed by internationally acclaimed artists at the ongoing European Union Music Festival.

The festival, taking place from February through April in several cities here, is the second of its kind to be staged in Indonesia. The first European Union Music Festival was held in l996.

Anthony Crasner, a representative of the European Commission, explained that the two months of music will offer an opportunity to hear some of the most outstanding young chamber ensembles currently performing in Europe.

"We believe music is an international language. People would be able to appreciate every kind of music genre despite diverse social, cultural and national backgrounds," Crasner said.

The festival, which opened last Thursday in Bandung, West Java, focuses on different aspects of classical and contemporary music and is designed to give local audiences an insight into the wide variety of Europe's musical styles.

The theme of this year's festival is Music of the 20th Century and musicians from six of the 15 member countries of the European Union will perform in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Surabaya between February and April.

Participating ensembles are the Petersen Quartet (Germany), Logos (Belgium), the Quatuor Ysaye (France), the Amstel Trio (the Netherlands), the Kammertrio-Linz-Wien (Austria) and the Trio Finlandia (Finland). In addition, the noted German composer Siegfried Matthus will hold a workshop for local musicians and music lovers in Jakarta on Feb. 27.

This year's European Union Music Festival is a collaborative effort of the Goethe Institute, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium, the French Cultural Center, the Netherlands Embassy, Erasmus Huis, the Embassy of Austria, the Embassy of Finland and the representative of the European Commission in Jakarta. The European Commission is one of the institutions of the European Union.

Rudolf Barth, director of the Goethe Institute, commented that the festival is mainly aimed at strengthening the relationship between Europeans and Indonesians through this cultural activity.

"We are friends of the Indonesian people. We would like to share a little happiness with our suffering friends by offering good music performances which are all free of charge," Barth said.

Most of the concerts will take place in Erasmus Huis in Jakarta, French Cultural Center in Bandung and Yogyakarta, and Majapahit and Novotel Hotels in Surabaya.

The first Jakarta performance will be held at Erasmus Huis on Wednesday night (Feb. 10), featuring the Amstel Trio from the Netherlands.

The Amstel Trio consists of three highly acclaimed musicians including pianist Tan Crone, cellist Marien Van Staalen and Remco Roovers on double bass.

Germany will present one of its most outstanding ensembles: the Petersen Quartet and composer Siegfried Matthus.

Established in l979 by students in Hans Eisler Musikhochschule in Berlin, former East Germany, the Petersen Quartet is now one of the most distinguished music ensembles in Germany.

The group, consisting of Conrad Muck (violin I), Gernot Sussmuth (violin II), Friedemann Weigle (violin III) and Hans- Jakob Eschenburg (cello), has received a large number of music awards from prestigious international music festivals in France, Germany, Italy and other countries.

France's Quatuor Ysaye ensemble, made up of Guillaume Sutre (violin I), Luc-Marie Aguera (violin II), and Miguel Da Silva (viola) and Marc Coppey (cello).

The Quatuor Ysaye named after a famous French violinist and composer Eugene Ysaye (l858-l931) whose works influenced younger generation of French musicians.

Kammertrio-Linz-Wien from Austria will also enrich the festival. The trio includes three talented musicians: Michaela Cutka (baroque violin, flute), Helmut Schaller (flute) and Wolfgang Jungwirth (guitar).

Local audiences will also be able to enjoy music by Trio Finlandia from Finland. Founded in l986, the trio has established itself as one of the most outstanding and sought-after trios in Europe. Praised for its thrilling vitality, its fine combination of tonal clarity and warmth of expression, the trio has been called "three instruments united by one soul". The members of the all-woman trio, pianist Marita Vitasalo, violinist Eeva Koskinen and cellist Riitta Pesola, are all distinguished soloists in their own right and have won much critical acclaim both in their native Finland and abroad.

As its name might suggest, the programs of Trio Finlandia, often include, besides an extensive selection from the classical trio literature, music by contemporary Finnish composers, whose works the group seeks to introduce to the wider international audience.

One of the most interesting groups involved in the festival is Belgian contemporary music group Logos.

Founded by Godfried-Willem Raes, the Logos has grown to be the country's most influential music group, exploring experimental and contemporary music styles.

Raes has masters in musicology, philosophy, as well as advanced computer and electronic music technology. Raes and the group's other members, Monique Darge and Joachim Brackx, experiment with new music sounds and instruments to produce distinguished contemporary music works.

Luk Darras, Belgium's ambassador here, described the festival is a mix between classical and modern music. Logos produces contemporary music which is a blend of modern, traditional and techno music.

"Their music is beautiful and is open to various elements from around the world. It is a vital link between the past and the present," the Darras said.

Contemporary music allows any musician to participate in another artist's work without disturbing the essence of the music, he said. "That's marvelous. It is a means that might unite artists from around the world."

He hoped that in the coming years, the European Union Music Festival may also include contemporary jazz and popular music in an attempt to reach a wider audience and to be closer to the Indonesian people.