Historic violin to be played

Historic violin to be played

JAKARTA: Indonesian people will have the rare opportunity to
hear the national anthem Indonesia Raya played on the violin used
by composer Wage Rudolf Soepratman to introduce the song 77 years
ago.

Veteran violinist Idris Sardi has been given the honors of
playing the instrument during the commemoration of the Youth Oath
Day on Oct. 28 at the Gedung Pemuda building on Jl. Kramat Raya
in Central Jakarta, the same place that the historic youth
meeting took place in 1928. The late violinist Soepratman played
the song during the meeting, in which the country's founding
fathers declared their commitment to one nation, homeland and
language.

Idris said after a meeting with State Minister of Youth
Affairs and Sports Adhyaksa Dault that he had asked for the
violin to be repaired.

"I will play the song the way it was played for the first
time. Hopefully, it will revive the old spirit of that youth
movement," Idris said. -- Antara