TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Vienna Boys Choir finds Jakarta tour 'magical'
Change Size
Vienna Boys Choir with their choirmaster Manolo Cagnin (center). (Ciputra Artpreneur/File)
T
he Austria-based choir ensemble Vienna Boys Choir considered last weekend's performance in Jakarta a pleasure and an important experience.
“It’s a pleasure for me and the Vienna Boys Choir to be here in Jakarta,” said Italian choirmaster Manolo Cagnin, adding that they had traveled around the world for seven months for this year's tour, which started in January in South Korea and will end in December in Germany.
“This four-day tour in Jakarta is something magical and really important for us because every year we have the same tour [destinations]: America, Japan. Jakarta is something new [for us]," said Manolo.
The choir showed off their angelic voices at the Ciputra Artpreneur Theater in South Jakarta on Oct. 15-16 as part of their tour program Bella Italia (Beautiful Italy). The last time they performed in Jakarta was more than 25 years ago.
Presenting 20 songs over the duration of two hours, the troupe performed classical compositions by Schubert, Rossini, Strauss and other songs from renowned composers.
(Read also: Vienna Boys Choir to perform commercially in Indonesia for first time)
Ciputra Artpreneur president director Rina Ciputra Sastrawinata said the event was part of the company's efforts to present something different to the audience. “They once came to Jakarta for a private event; this is the first time they appeared for the public.”
Manolo said the choir currently had 100 children as members, divided into four different groups. “We are members of the Brucknerchor choir; there are also Mozart, Haydn and Schubert choirs.” The Brucknerchor choir consists of children who come from different countries, such as Canada, South Korea, Philippines, Germany and New Zealand.
Manolo is hopeful that one day Indonesian children could be part of the choir ensemble.
Performing in 300 concerts every year in front of 500,000 people, the Vienna Boys Choir is said to be one of the most active music ensembles in the world. Established more than 600 years ago, the group has performed alongside world’s greatest names in music industry, such as Mozart and Salieri, composers Gallus and Schubert, Joseph and Michael Haydn, as well as Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. (kes)
