Nuansa Klasika to perform tonight at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta

Nuansa Klasika to perform tonight at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta

By Laksmi Pamuntjak-Djohan

JAKARTA (JP): The current malaise in Jakarta's classical music
world proves that good intentions alone are not enough.

Regularity has not been among the scene's redeeming features
lately. Shackled by petty infighting, prejudices and the lack of
the "right connections", many musicians find the practice of
building a reputation is tantamount to a lifetime of longing, not
a logical reward for merit.

The fact that certain groups, including chamber musical
ensemble Nuansa Klasika (Classical Nuances), have been able to
resist fading into obscurity is no mean feat. Having performed at
the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta only last year, Nuansa Klasika is now
gearing up for another concert tonight at 8 p.m. at the same
venue.

The group's portfolio is quite impressive considering it was
only formed in 1995. It has performed in embassy residences, all
of Jakarta's leading venues including Erasmus Huis, and has even
landed spots on TV and radio.

Experienced the members certainly are. Clarinetist Karen
Ellis-Chong, a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, is
evidently at home with chamber music, having participated in
various prestigious overseas chamber music ensembles.

Since moving to Indonesia in 1994, she has performed under the
auspices of AKT Musik Indonesia and The Circle, as well as with
Jakarta's International Music Foundation. Outside of Indonesia
and the United States, her performances have taken her to Russia,
Romania, Hungary, Austria and Hong Kong.

Sterling credentials also belong to violinist Sharon Eng. She
obtained her bachelor's and master's degrees in music performance
from the famous Juilliard School in New York, later representing
the United States in Herbert von Karajan's International Youth
Orchestra in Berlin. She was also awarded several prestigious
fellowships.

Eng has also had her fair share of orchestral playing, notably
with the orchestras of the American Ballet Theatre and the New
York City Opera. Her solo experience includes a performance with
the National Cathedral Orchestra in Washington.

Ary Sutedja, one of Indonesia's leading pianists and
accompanists, is no stranger to Jakarta's classical music scene.
While studying for her master's degree at Towson State University
in Baltimore, she won numerous awards for outstanding
achievements. Her European experience includes post-graduate
studies at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, as well as
extensive touring as a pianist with the Bremen Opera Theatre.

Career

Oboist Soun-Youn Yoon also has a solid local and international
career to her credit. An honors graduate of the Faculty of Music
at the Seoul National University and a frequent winner of South
Korea's important musical awards, Yoon has established a
professional career, including performances in the United States,
Japan and Malaysia, and orchestral contracts with the Korean
Symphony Orchestra and the Seoul Symphony Orchestra. In May 1995,
she made her Indonesian debut at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta,
accompanied by Ary.

In an age when technical competence and a diverse repertoire
are no longer rarities, what supposedly sets Nuansa Klasika apart
from other groups is its policy of commissioning original
compositions for each of its performances.

"It is important for us to present the works of living
composers," explained Ary. "Not only does this give us a
distinctive feature, but it also keeps audiences abreast with the
latest musical ideas and inspiration."

So far, the group has premiered compositions from Indonesia,
Russia and England. The latest, Cheon Hee Choi's Quartet for
Oboe, Clarinet, Viola and Piano, will be featured in the upcoming
concert.

Cheon is a highly-respected South Korean composer whose early
training in percussion is reflected in this particular work's
blend of percussive elements, minimalism and a pentatonic
framework common to so many Asian musical cultures.

Apart from the quartet, this evening's program will consist of
Arthur Foote's Sarabande and Rigaudon for oboe, violin and piano,
C. Reinecke's Trio in A major for clarinet, viola and piano and
J.S. Bach's Concerto in D minor for oboe and clarinet, which has
been transcribed to include a piano accompaniment.

The choice of Foote and Reinecke is reflective of Nuansa
Klasika's proclivity towards introducing rarely-performed
compositions -- which is another proven way of extending public
knowledge of classical music's vast repertoire.