Violinist Patricia Shih mesmerizes Jakartans
By Gus Kairupan
JAKARTA (JP): Surely one of the most irritating things at a concert would be somebody humming along with whatever composition is being played. Stern looks are tossed at the guilty party, who probably squirms in his seat and tries to make himself as small as possible, only to start again a few moments later. But there are times when you can't help yourself from acting like Glen Cloud, Canadian pianist par excellence (may his soul rest in peace), who used to sing along while playing the piano. In other words, the interpretation of the piece is so beautiful that the urge to hum along is quite irresistible. And such was the case with Canadian violinist extraordinaire, Patricia Shih, who mesmerized the audience at the Jakarta Hilton International's Golden Ballroom on Monday, Aug. 7, when she performed Tchaikovsky's D-Major violin concerto. I was the guilty hum-along party and if I disturbed some of the people sitting near me, I herewith offer my profound apologies.
The concerto, part of the program of the Nusantara Chamber Orchestra, is in the front ranks of well-known classical compositions. And to narrow it down even more, it is one of the 10 most important works of its kind -- the concerto for violin. It is so well-known and popular that performers may well find it somewhat problematic to interpret. Shih didn't have any, which proves that technically, and most of all musically, her mastery of the work is complete and convincing. Take for instance the changes in tempo that runs through the entire work. She entered, after the orchestral prelude, with the emphasis on moderato rather than allegro moderato (i.e. somewhat slower than usual) which made me wonder whether that would be the tempo throughout. Acceleration came with the short series of descending stopped notes that leads back to the opening theme one octave higher. It was this feature of her interpretation, the subtle changes in tempo that heightened the dramatic intensity of the work, besides, of course, the other aspects like melodic lines, phrasing, coloring, faultless technique, etc., which made Shih's performance such a joy to listen to. And although there were some spots where the Nusantara Chamber Orchestra seemed to have difficulty keeping up with her, it generally kept the pace admirably. It could perhaps have done with more intensive (orchestral) rehearsals, but on the whole the overall result was quite pleasing, due, for the most part, to Shih's leadership. The only really disturbing part was the cracks in the horns in the slow build-up just before the entry into the Finale. But then, the French horn has always been the Nusantara Chamber Orchestra's weakest section.
Other compositions performed that evening were Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and two arrangements of Indonesian songs, i.e. Cornel Simanjuntak's Maju Tak Gentar, a patriotic song in march tempo arranged by two orchestra members Singgih Sanjaya (flute) and Siswanto (bassoon), and Ismail Marzuki's hymn-like Nyiur Hijau reworked by conductor Yazeed Djamin.
It is the second time, I think, in eight months that the Nusantara Chamber Orchestra has performed Mussorgsky's composition. I must say that the rendition this time was better than the first (from which I walked out), due mostly to the strength of the brass section, which plays a very big role in this work as the link between all the parts of the work. As a choir, the performance of the brass was quite impressive for its handling of musical dynamics in relation to the orchestra, with the result that it put the performance of the other sections in a less favorable light as far as ensemble playing is concerned. Another section that should have been far more decisive was the percussion.
Of the Indonesian songs, Maju Tak Gentar (it opened the program), was not much more than a series of repetitions in which the melody was repeated by the different sections of the orchestra. As an example of composition it did not add up to much, and the shortcomings showed up even more because of the juxtaposition with Mussorgsky's and Tchaikovsky's works. Yazeed Djamin's Nyiur Hijau Variations, though agreeable, was also out of place in the program. Or perhaps it was Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky who were out of place, because there were two other rearranged Indonesian songs performed as encores which Yazeed had arranged especially for violin (Shih's for that matter) and orchestra. Musical programs are rather like painting or sculpture exhibitions -- you don't put Sudjojono's and/or Affandi's works side by side fleeting attractions of commercial painters. Neither would you put Dolorosa Sinaga's oeuvres next to something along the lines of the horses-and-chariot thing that "graces" (I'm biting my tongue here) the roundabout at the entrance to Jl. Thamrin. The planning of orchestral masterpieces needs as much -- if not more -- careful weighing and balancing as planning a fine art exhibition. The Nusantara Chamber Orchestra should really think of commissioning Indonesian composers to write substantial works for symphony orchestra. Most of the Indonesian works the orchestra has performed so far have been rearrangements of short songs which more often than not were featured as encores.
By and large, Nusantara Chamber Orchestra's performance, which, by the way, marked its seventh anniversary, should be judged on the performances of Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky as these are representative of what orchestral music really is. In this respect the performance was better than I have heard for the past three years or so.