Strings, choirs and organs for local classical music fans

By Gus Kairupan

JAKARTA (JP): "At long last... a chamber orchestra in Jakarta!"

The above is not my evaluation but Dr. Richard Haskin's, a prominent personality in Jakarta's classical music circles. The group he was referring to was the Capella Amadeus String ensemble, that gave a concert last Thursday, June 8, at Erasmus Huis.

The latter half of April, and throughout the merry month of May, has seen an abundance of classical music events, featuring both home-grown artists and visiting foreign ditto. One could almost say that all this was getting quite close to too-much-of-a-good thing.

At any rate, in mid-May, yours truly (who, since early this year has been involved in a piano audition), began to notice symptoms pointing to what you could call classical music indigestion, so I took off for the Minahasa to take (almost) daily soaks in the hot mineral springs that liberally dot the region. Returned to Jakarta, refreshed, and in the midst of the activities which, so far, have not abated a bit. Excellent, of course, for classical music development, but awful to make a decision as to which one to attend. So I put all invitations in a row and went eenie-meenie-mynie-moe.

"Eenie" fell on the Nusantara Chamber Orchestra -- a bit of a let down, which you may have read about a couple of days ago. "Meenie" went to the Capella Amadeus ensemble, the cream of the events; "mynie" took me to Bandung and the concert of the choir of Parahyangan Catholic University, and "moe" was a performance at the Theological Institute that featured a bamboo organ. The lion's share of these scribblings go to the Capella Amadeus ensemble, simply because their performance was so enjoyable and showed every sign of musical professionalism.

Capella Amadeus

Dr. Haskin's enthusiastic remark was very much justified. You only had to hear the applause of the musically knowledgeable audience to be convinced that the ensemble is on its way to becoming a leading force in classical music activities in this city. The group comprises nine musicians, most of them students of leader Grace Sudargo. In addition there are some more experienced older members, such as Gaby von der Heyden, who hails from Germany, and Tommy Prabowo, a nuclear engineer who has earned his musical spurs as pianist and violinist, and is also the leader of Jakarta's cathedral choir and orchestra.

Capella Amadeus is just about two years old, and has appeared several times. That the group has advanced enormously need not be doubted, and kudos go to leader Grace Sudargo. Among the qualifications she achieved during a study period of almost ten years in Austria are: violin instructor; assistant concert master; concert master; and soloist. For Indonesia, the most important of these is that of violin instructor, because one of her major fields of study was music pedagogy.

Too often do young Indonesians go overseas with the intention of becoming performing artists only. There is nothing at all wrong with that, mind you, but teachers are extremely important too, and string teachers even more so. Of pianists and piano teachers there is no dearth in this country because this aspect of music is already well provided for, as many institutes have proven. It is other instruments that suffer neglect. I have heard that at the music department of a major institute, the head of the percussion section is a cellist!

But to get back to the performance. Sudargo's leadership is beyond question. The grip she has on the group is firm, and never wavers. Cues regarding tempo changes, dynamics and coloring are crystal clear, hence immediately grasped by the members, who were ever alert to her directions. The result: a smoothness and cohesion which no other group, large or small, has emulated. Besides Dr. Haskin's enthusiastic remark, I also heard utterances like "really professional" and other encouraging comments. One wonders whether Sudargo will ever consider conducting large orchestras.

The program included compositions by Handel, Vivaldi, Mozart, Torelli and Michael Haydn, i.e. late baroque and early classical. The only minus point (merely a matter of technique) in these works was the Allegro of Mozart's Divertimento in D (K. 136) which could have been a bit faster, to make the contrast between it and the Andante that followed it stand out better.

The highlight of the program was the appearance of 15-year old violin prodigy Lucas Kudinar. All Vivaldi's violin concertos are showpieces for that instrument, including Winter from his Four Seasons cycle which Lucas played. Now, technique is all very well, and Lucas' handling of lightning fast passages did leave me and, I bet, the entire audience open-mouthed with amazement, but it is the slow, second movement of a concerto (isn't it always?) that determines the soloist's level of artistry. All second movements are singing pieces and Lucas can really sing, dipping his musical brush in a vast array of colors and applying them deftly. Watch that boy.

Another soloist of the evening was trumpeter Eric Awuy, in Giuseppe Torelli's Sinfonia con Tromba. For years a member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, his performance (on a piccolo trumpet) was faultless, though he might have missed one note in the (I think) fourth movement. However, I have to admit that I've never heard the work before and could only rely on what my ears perceive as a bit of an irregularity, so I'm not altogether sure of that missed note.

University Choir

There's only one way to describe this Bandung-based group of singers: one of the best in Indonesia. It has, during its 30 years of existence, constantly elicited rapturous acclamation from audiences wherever it performed, and is about to do the same at an international choral festival in Arnhem, the Netherlands. They will be conducted by Avip Priatna, a most distinguished choir conductor, who is continuing his studies in Austria for the equivalent of a master's degree.

The concert, on June 9, featured compositions by Rossini (his overture to the Barber of Seville), Beethoven (3rd Piano Concerto, with Iswargia Sudarno as soloist) and Faure's Requiem.

The orchestra of the Yogyakarta based Arts Institute of Indonesia, was conducted by Pipin Garibaldi, who is the concert master of the Nusantara Chamber Orchestra, and also plays for the Jakarta Symphony Orchestra.

The performance was a mixture of professionalism (on the part of the choir) and bad playing by the orchestra. Faulty tuning, unequal entries and inattention to directives (not that the conductor was in any way clear) pointed to the need for more intensive practicing and rehearsing. Particularly awful moments were the obbligato passages for two violins in Requiem. Have you ever heard two violins, not precisely tuned, playing together? Painful only half describes it, and if these remarks regarding an orchestra's performance sound familiar, don't be surprised.

Yogyakarta's Arts Institute is the main source of players for orchestras, of which there are only three in Indonesia (or Jakarta, rather): Nusantara Chamber Orchestra, Jakarta Symphony Orchestra and Twilite. Anyway, the orchestral part of Requiem isn't really so over important that it cannot be effectively and satisfactorily transcribed for organ. The choir of Parahyangan University, as I said, is marvelous, but in combination with the playing of the Arts Institute's orchestra, the performance of Requiem was, to put it mildly, substandard.

Bamboo organs

The event took place last Monday, June 12, at the Theological Institute to mark the close of an exhibition of rare instruments. I went there mainly to hear what a bamboo organ sounds like. Several, of different size, were on display, and the one played that evening was of an enormous size. It produces a very agreeable tone, and quite like one would expect a pipe organ to sound. However, I can't say whether it is capable of producing all the varieties of tone colors of a usual pipe organ, which has metal as well as wooden pipes, like, for instance, those exquisite silvery tones. The instrument was played by students who perhaps have not yet mastered it completely and might therefore not be able to present it in full force.

The organs, and the one harpsichord on display, were all made by PT Prajawidya Instrumentalia. The company also sells them, but if you plan to purchase the type that was played that evening you would need quite a large room for it measures about 8 metres high, if not more.

Also taking part in the event was the children's choir led by Aida Swenson, acknowledged expert in choir conducting, and also a small group consisting of two violins, a cello, a flute, an oboe and a harpsichord. The performance of the children's choir was especially delightful.