European musicians share a little happiness with Indonesians
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.