Supanggah sets the tone in 'I La Galigo'

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

As the ancient Bugis epic myth I La Galigo took center stage of the prestigious Singapore Esplanade theater, Indonesia's internationally acclaimed master of music Rahayu Supanggah was responsible for the score that set the tone for its debut.

Haunting bow instruments, raving female voices, unfailing sounds to go with the artists' movements -- it all helped to make the I La Galigo a memorable experience.

Some were moved to tears, and while the audience stood as one to give an overpowering ovation of more than five minutes to Robert Wilson and his all-Indonesian cast, it was clear that the praise also included Supanggah and his "orchestra" of 12 musicians and the two stirring female voices.

Supanggah, 55, is a composer with rich experience, and epic myths have been his daily bread, so to speak.

He is known for his part in Realizing Rama, an international collaboration with choreographer Denisa Reyes from the Philippines and librettist Nicanor G. Tiongson from Thailand. He was also involved in Ong Keng Seng's production of the Asian Lear, and in the Mahabharata with Peter Brook.

Born into a family of puppeteers, Supanggah grew up in an atmosphere steeped in Javanese culture, with epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata part of life. This greatly affected his music for Realizing Rama.

Myths are all similar, he said in a brief interview before the I La Galigo performance in Singapore.

But evidently, the music for I La Galigo had to be distinctly different and Supanggah distanced himself from his Javanese roots.

To capture the spirit of La Galigo, the doctorate holder in ethnomusicology from the University of Paris studied it seriously with in-depth research.

Together with his musicians, he traveled to South Sulawesi, visited workshops and schools in the most remote places, including those where the epic myth had spread, spoke with musicians of the area and explored music that had almost disappeared.

He absorbed the mood and atmosphere, taking in the various colors of life in the places visited, and the specific shades of meaning in this ancient myth.

"I also took note of the various types of love coloring the adventures in the story; incestuous love, caring love between brother and sister, and the love between parents and children," said the former director of the Indonesia Arts Institute in Surakarta, who has also taught at several universities and institutions abroad.

During his visits in the southern part of the orchid-shaped island, Supanggah found that the music, belonging to the 14th century or even before, had not been used for long periods of time, but the vocal element was most striking.

As the original music was quite simple and uncomplicated, not to say flat, the available instruments were not enough to bring out the necessary dramatic sound necessary for the stage.

"So we had to make new instruments, while also adding some Javanese and Balinese instruments," he explained. The initial five instruments became 70 played by the 12 musicians.

With his usual modesty -- and giving all credit to the original ingredients of Bugis music -- the onetime enfant terrible who liked to go against established rules, and was once accused of destroying tradition, said he was just the cook who did not need to change the flavor, albeit adding a bit more spice.

Bugis music has a strong vocabulary, he declared in the Galigo Forum a day after the premiere at the Singapore Esplanade. "It just hadn't had much opportunity to be exposed."

Much of the music was finalized on the rehearsal stage, where Wilson's fine-sensing had to be taken into the score. It was Sop Konro (a soup delicacy from Makassar) with Coca Cola, he said jokingly.

Although using Javanese or Balinese instruments to achieve a dramatic sound, he carefully saw to it that they did not dominate. He also had to watch out for Islamic influences, since the epic stems from the pre-Islamic period.

But he did include instruments originating from other areas to achieve the typical archaic sounds associated with the ancient epic, colored by moods in the spirit of the various regions in South Sulawesi.

Along with the seven members from South Sulawesi, two from West Sumatra, two from Java and one from Bali, Rahayu Supanggah zealously worked toward achieving music worthy of the ancient epic.

In doing so, he has also successfully brought a togetherness of musicians from various ethnic groups, opening the doors of ethnic seclusion that often hamper development.

Now, the composer of more than 100 pieces who has collaborated with stage-directors of name, both locally and internationally, is enjoying his home, his wife and three children, before continuing with the I La Galigo tour to Amsterdam, Barcelona, Ravenna and Lyon.