Twilite Orchestra on stage again

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

Thirteen years on, the Twilite Orchestra is very much alive and shining in a country where classical music has long fought for an audience.

Conductor and director of the orchestra Addie MS works tirelessly to popularize classical music, rearranging pop and Indonesian traditional songs for the orchestra.

Its first concert of the year was held at Balai Sarbini in Central Jakarta on Monday. No introduction was necessary as Wagner's difficult Prelude from Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg (the Master Singers of Nuremberg) brought the audience up to speed.

The orchestra worked hard to tell the tale of young knight Walther von Stolzing and his efforts to become a mastersinger, with startling solos interjecting the rapid Prelude.

The orchestra has in fact recorded many of the works that were featured on Monday night, including those of the great romantic composers -- Giacomo Puccini, Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky, Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner.

Titled La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) -- after one of Verdi's opera -- the CD is the first in a series of CDs, and on sale now.

The highlight of the evening came from Indonesian soprano Aning Katamsi who sang Casta Diva, the melancholic prayer to the Goddess of the Moon, from Italian Vincenzo Bellini's opera, Norma.

The audience (and indeed the musicians) were able to relax with a performance of the Waltz from Peter Illyich Tchaikovsky's famous ballet Sleeping Beauty. Then came some romantic, yet literal pieces from Puccini's La Boheme, Che Gelida Manina (How cold is your hand) and O Soave Fanciulla (What a gorgeous girl).

Unfortunately, the domed hall of Balai Sarbini seemed an unsuitable venue as Aning and tenor Christopher Abimanyu actually struggled to be heard.

The self-taught Addie was pivotal to the success of the concert. He went all-out, gesticulating to the 70 members of the orchestra and 80-member choir, whom, in the past, he has led through a wide array of music, from Beethoven to The Beatles. In the process, Addie has matured to become an outstanding figure in classical music here.

One of his focuses has been helping young Indonesians appreciate classical music, and at the concert he made a special announcement: "In August this year, the Twilite Youth Orchestra will be formed."

Guest tenor Rosario La Spina from Australia gave the concert its soul.

With his international reputation, including first place at a tenor competition held by L'Accademia at La Scala in Milan, Italy in 2000, and at Mario Del Monaco International Opera Competition in 2002 -- La Spina managed to grabbed the audience's attention and hold it.

He was the mastersinger of the concert when he sang Ah Si, Ben Mio from Verdi's Il Trovatore and Questa o Quella from Verdi's Rigoletto. His perfect intonation, expression -- and power to overcome the poor venue -- were an absolute delight.

His voice was at times melancholic then, suddenly upbeat, as he maintained power without losing a single word.

The concert ended perfectly with three trumpets sounding Wagner's Grand March from Tannhauser from above, giving the audience the impression that they were attending a royal banquet. The standing ovation that followed was no surprise as it was truly deserved.

Maybe Addie had decided early on that hard-to-digest classical music should be followed by a light dessert. Part of Verdi's popular opera La Traviata left a deep impression, with some audience members still humming the opera as they left the hall.

The Twilite Orchestra has also recorded another album featuring the works of local composers, titled Simfoni Negeriku (A symphony for my country). It features Indonesia's national anthem Indonesia Raya composed by WR Supratman and arranged by Jos Cleber.