Tony has musical poetry with unusual tonality

Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta

When Tony Prabowo's music resounds at Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta, on Friday and Saturday nights, the public will be treated to musical poetry of a different kind.

It is of a new genre, which Laksmi Pamuntjak describes as "recurring notes, slow, accelerating trills, different degrees of glissandi and trills of changing intervals often ending in fast, repeated notes on the same vowel, notated for convenience as 'tremolo'".

Focusing primarily on compositions for voice, the event, which is presented by the Jakarta Arts Council, is the first of its kind in Indonesia.

New music, long treated with an element of suspicion by the Indonesian artistic community, will, for the first time, be played by a mix of musicians of new and classical music -- a collaborative experiment that is bound to be a fascinating experience.

It is not an easy exercise, for everything in Tony's music is completely different from what was taught and learned in long- established theory.

But it is also an exciting exploration. Adelaide Simbolon, a highly regarded classical pianist, reveals it was a bit difficult in the beginning, but as she proceeded and let the music flow, it got hold of her being -- never to leave her again.

There is always a new surprise, she said, succeeding to overcome what initially looked like "insurmountable pitches".

Nyak Ina Raseuki, who has collaborated with Tony for quite a long time, is of the same opinion: "I love the continuous challenge that Tony's music brings along. It's refreshing and rejuvenating."

Interestingly, most of Tony's compositions have been inspired by the work of poet and essayist Goenawan Mohamad, or rather, he has provided music for Goenwan's words.

"I suddenly came to realize that I had been 'using' his poetry for 20 years," remarked Tony while preparing the program for the evening.

Why is he so attracted to Goenawan's poems? There is darkness and pain and so much brooding, it intrigues me immensely, admits Tony.

By offering a program primarily of vocals, which lends a level of excitement to what used to be regarded as inaccessible, Tony has tried to reach out to the public. Bringing so many great names together is another attraction.

Tony, who began composing music when he was barely 20 years of age, has come a long way from the time that people ignored his music in the mid-1990s to the present day, when the public has started to show some appreciation, albeit haltingly.

It is no surprise, then, that he enjoyed early success, not in his own country, but in America, when the Alice Tully Hall in New York's Lincoln Center resounded with thundering applause for his composition played by musicians from the New Juilliard Ensemble.

Although there is still an element of aloofness to his music, some welcoming light is distinctly detectable in the tunnel. Finding new avenues of exploration, Tony has added a new edge that emerged in his Requiem for voices and drums, written in 2002 for Oscar Motulloh's photographic exhibition titled The Art of Dying.

On Friday and Saturday we shall witness another novelty in music that is replete with refined emotions in a world devoid of borders.

Dedicated to Aceh, the program is themed A Prayer for Refuge. This groundbreaking event features renowned artistes like Adelaide, who has accompanied many great names.

Binu D. Sukaman is among the best vocalists in the country, Nyak Ina Raseuki (or Ubiet), with her incredible voice, is capable of producing tones beyond imagination, while Stephanie Griffin's viola playing has captivated many a member of the public.

Also featured will be well-known pianists Iswargia R. Sudarmo and Irsa Destiwi, the popular choir of the Batavia Madrigal Singers and inspiring conductor Avip Priatna.

The opening piece, titled Funeral Pyre, and the last, Prayer of Refuge, befit the occasion of a memorial for victims of the tsunami disaster.

There is also a piece titled The Beach, quatrains on autumn time, and Ceramic Pot, Goenawan's meditative and philosophical words set to music.

Tony's three-part Opera Kali is based on a libretto by Goenawan, which started as a collaborative experiment between Tony, composer Jarrad Powel, producer and director Kent Deveraoux, poet Goenawan and essayist John Duykers.

Doa persembunyian A Prayer for Refuge Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. followed by a seminar Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) Jl. Cikini Raya, Central Jakarta