Kornelius Purba, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Around 400 guests packed the ballroom at the Gran Melia Hotel in South Jakarta, on Thursday evening to enjoy a performance by the Strauss Festival Orchestra of Vienna -- which was invited to come to Jakarta by three local foundations -- for the BMW Vienna Opera Ball.
Despite the high price of tickets -- between Rp 1 and Rp 3 million -- the spectators were also eager to raise more money to help Indonesian children with asthma and drug addiction.
And how did the three foundations express their gratitude to the generous patrons? By entertaining them and showering them with all the luxuries of the night for their generosity.
Dance as strong as you can, from ballroom dance to waltz! Drink Austrian champagne as much as you can and dine until the last minute! And before midnight, one of the guests was named the winner of the lucky draw. The gentleman won two return tickets to Vienna on Lufthansa. Guests could also take a look at the new BMW series cars, which were displayed in front of and inside the venue, some bearing a price tag of Rp 1.79 billion (almost US$ 200,000).
""Austrian chefs will spoil you with Austrian culinary delights,"" said Austrian Ambassador to Jakarta Bernhard Zimburg in his opening remarks.
The Austrian Embassy supported the event, while PT BMW Indonesia and PT Siemens Indonesia were among the main corporate sponsors.
Unfortunately, the amount of donations collected was not announced. There was also no explanation on how many patients need urgent medical assistance in Indonesia. No asthma patients were apparently present.
Unlike regular classical music concerts -- which usually demand the guests to follow strict etiquette -- the night's atmosphere was very casual, similar to state-run TVRI's popular weekly program Dansa Yo Dansa where guests are warmly welcomed to join the dance.
Three compositions from Carl Michael Ziehrer, Josef Strauss and Johan Strauss were performed tremendously by the 30-strong orchestra under conductor Peter Guth.
Soprano Monika Mosser performed Der Vogelhndler composed by Carl Zeller which tells a story of a postwoman's complaint who often meets men who wants to kiss her after delivering their letters. Tenor Ryszard Karczykowski performed Franz Lehr's Giuditta. Four couples of ballet dancers also performed in both the first and second parts of the ball.
A total of 14 compositions were played, including six of Strauss' works, like the famous An der schnen blauen Donau.
Guth also played the violin and showed his skill as an entertainer. He wiped out the image of regular conductors who only stand before the orchestra. He even explained in English the meaning of each song.
Guth then invited guests to the dance floor. Despite his reputation as a world class conductor, he shows that he remains an ordinary man who can also make silly mistakes.
In one of the sessions, Guth failed part of the composition while playing his violin. ""I'm sorry,"" he said in a relaxed manner while his musicians smiled at him.
The conductor then walked to the floor with his violin and invited guests for the bolognese dance, where people held the shoulders of the persons in front of them, making a long line like a snake.
Among the invitees who joined in the dance were Minister of Health Achmad Suyudi, former minister of foreign affairs Ali Alatas and senior economist Frans Seda.
There was a funny moment when Minister Suyudi failed to follow the line and made his own line. ""He lost his direction,"" Alatas joked.
Hopefully, the Strauss Festival Orchestra of Vienna will not only bring memorable moments for the invited guests, but also for the asthma patients.
