Erasmus Huis hosts Iravati piano recital

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 08/23/2000 7:04 AM  |  Life

JAKARTA (JP): Iravati Soediarso will give a recital at Erasmus Huis this Thursday with a program of Bach-Busoni, Chopin, and twentieth century composers. In the opening half of the recital, she will be performing the usual selections from 18th and 19th centuries. First, Chaconne in D minor from the Fourth Sonata for solo violin by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 -1750), transcribed for piano by the famous Bach transcriber, Ferrucio Busoni (1866-1924), then Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op 58 by Frdric Franois Chopin (1810-1849).

Following the intermission, the recital will be devoted to the 20th century: The Maiden and the Nightingale by Enrique Granados (1967-1916), Rumanian Folk Dances by Bela Bartok (1881-1945) and Tre perzettini per piano by Leon Orthel (1905-1985), who dedicated this work to Iravati.

This is also a rare occasion to hearing pieces by living Indonesian composers. In fact, this would be the premier of two pieces by well-known composers, Slamet Abdul Sjukur's five movement Tobor and Jaya Suprana's Epitaph I (a homage to the puppet master and gamelan composer Ki Nartosabdo) and Tembang Alit (dedicated to Iravati).

Iravati is one of a few Indonesian pianists from earlier generations who still perform in public. One of her recent notable appearances was at a recital dedicated to Chopin last December. On the occasion, she gave sympathetic renditions of Rondo for Two Pianos, Op. 73 (with her daughter and long-time partner, Aisha Ariadna Pletscher) as well as Andante Spianatoet Polonaise Brillante, Op. 22, a work of considerable length and expressive contrasts.

Studying the piano under her mother beginning at the age of 5, Iravati went on to The Hague Royal Conservatory of Music in 1955 and studied with Leon Orthel, a distinguished composer-pianist who dedicated the above mentioned work to her. After finishing her studies in 1958 and being awarded a the Prize for Musical Interpretation, she received a scholarship to study at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in the U.S., and in 1962 became the first Asian pianist to perform with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. After graduating in 1964, she gave recitals in the U.S., Australia, Japan, Taiwan and Indonesia.

Returning home, Iravati dedicated her life to performing and teaching, from which she earned her reputation. Widely appreciative of other arts andartists outside the world of the piano, she was involved in the Jakarta Arts Council and ASEAN Youth Music workshops. In 1979, the International Cultural Society of Korea made her an honorary member for her contributionsto the arts in Asia.

For details on Thursday's performance, contact the organizer, the Centre Culturel Franais, by telephone at 390-8585 or 390-8580, or by e-mail at aaa14ccf@rad.net.id.

Keros Ensemble

Harpist Alexander Bonnet, violinist Angel Gimeno and ""alto-mezzosoprano"" Gabrielle Mulder make Keros Ensemble an unusual vocal and instrumental mix. Nevertheless, they do not suffer from a limited repertoire, performing arrangements only, as a skeptic would expect. Indeed, the only arrangement they have planned for their concert at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta this Sunday is G. Trujillo's setting for alto-mezzosoprano, violin and harp from Miroir de peine by Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981). Andriessen composed manypieces with religious themes, often for liturgical uses, and this one is based on a devotional poem by Henri Ghon on the suffering of Jesus from the agony in the garden to the crucifixion.

Other pieces are original, in the sense that their instrumentation comes from the composer. These include Sonata in C minor for violin and harp by Louis Spohr (1784-1858) and a Fantasia for the same instruments by Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921). The pieces in which Mulder sings are also original, all coming from living composers and, like Andriessen's, set poems to music: Bien jeune encor! by Jo Sporck, La Dsirade by Bernard Andrs and Cyclophony XIV by Hans Kox.

The Ensemble has received recognition in the Netherlands and has represented the country in the World Harp Conference in Paris, Copenhagen and Prague. Bonnet is the solo harpist of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra. Gimeno, previously with Concertgebouw, is now the concertmaster of the Northern Netherlands Orchestra and first violinist in The New Ensemble. Mulder has a background in opera and oratorium, but now devotes herself to art songs.

For more information on this concert and other performances (dance, performance art, theater, music) during the International Festival 2000 series at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, call 380-8283 or 344-1892, e-mail gkj@pacific.net.id or visit www.joglosemar.co.id/gkj/.

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