Hello, hello! 'Telephone' delights

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 05/19/2007 8:02 AM  |  Life

Harry Nazarudin, Contributor, Jakarta

When I received an invitation to see a performance presented by the Indonesia Opera Society, I thought, well at least something is getting better in this country.

After chamber music and theater comes the crown jewel of performing arts: opera! The production was The Telephone: An opera buffa in one act by Giancarlo Menotti -- and what more appropriate place to hold such an event than the glorious Usmar Ismail Hall in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

The show, performed May 12, was different right from the opening act of musical numbers by Aaron Copland, the renowned American composer. The mood was thus set for that night as ""American -- laid-back, a bit humorous, even jazzy at some points.

The Jakarta Chamber Orchestra with Avip Priatna at the helm first played some instrumental pieces -- the details to which, unfortunately, cannot be found in the program. But my guess is that they were also music of American origin.

The second part, a warm-up before the real opera, was a duet featuring soprano Fitri Muliati and tenor Farman Mulyana. This segment, The Old American Songs, presented five vocal pieces by Copland, and was fun and enjoyable -- especially the last piece I Bought Me A Cat, which epitomizes humorous and witty American music.

Although sometimes grappled by the fast-paced English, both Fitri and Farman overcame the worst part and performed to their best. If there was one setback, it was the placement of the orchestra and singers.

Normally, singers are placed on an elevated stage higher than the orchestra; in conventional concert halls, the orchestra is even placed below the stage. The idea is to dampen the orchestra a bit so that the vocals are not drowned out by the louder instrumental music. Here, the singers were not elevated enough and were placed directly in front of the orchestra, so the vocals were slightly subsumed by the orchestra.

After a short break, the audience returned with anticipation: Here comes the real opera. The stage had been rearranged, with the orchestra on stage right behind a screen. In center stage was a couch, and there, sitting on the adjacent coffee table was the star of the opera, in green.

No, not soprano Binu D. Sukarman -- the telephone.

Binu, who played the female lead Lucy, entered a moment later, appearing no less shocking than the bright green telephone. She wore a dress with puffed sleeves and laced hem, with huge rollers stuck in her hair -- a homey, yet child-like woman.

And Binu was perfect in carrying the part. Vocal enthusiasts might be used to Binu clad in fancy evening gowns performing serious music, but here was a different version -- yet no less stellar.

Binu is not just a singer, she is a complete performer -- from her singing to her facial expressions, not to mention the tiptoeing she did. None of these detract from her vocal performance, which was still delivered accurately and beautifully.

Bass vocalist Harland Hutabarat played Ben opposite Binu's Lucy. While he may not be as mature as Binu in terms of experience, he gave his best performance. He has great talent, and his bass vocals can counter Binu's soprano, even on complicated notes.

Although humorous, this opera is not easy to sing. Hints of Debussy, Puccini, even parts reminiscent of Mussourgsky's Picture at an Exhibition are heard in the melody.

And Harland could sing every note with great characterization, especially those sections that require emotion, such as when he almost choked the telephone.

Only his facial expressions rate below Binu's, which should be seen as an area for future development rather than a flaw. In the end, the two paired quite well.

Now, let's get to The Telephone -- from the title, I couldn't imagine what this opera could be all about. It turned out that this is an attractive, creative piece for those of us who cannot live without that small gadget locally called a ""handphone"".

Basically, the opera is about a guy trying to speak to a girl who's more interested in holding telephone conversations with her friends. But add a marriage proposal and a one-hour time limit, and it could be the disaster of your life.

Ben comes to hate the telephone so much he dubs it the ""two-headed monster who comes unasked and devours my day"" -- something that may have occurred to some of us, at least in gist, when we wished we could just be back in the old days when news traveled more slowly.

But in the end, it's a happy ending after all.

Ben manages to propose -- on the phone -- and Lucy accepts. That two-headed monster has been transformed into the link that unites two souls in love.

Amazingly, this opera was established in 1947, long before this digital era when the phone has an even more demanding role in our lives. It has gotten worse these days -- ever see a table for two with both guests calling or SMS-ing someone else?

So a kudos is due Giancarlo Menotti, who was able to foresee the power of the telephone. In all fairness, however, he also mentions that a phone can also be helpful -- even life-saving at times.

The Indonesia Opera Society thus deserves praise for selecting such an interesting theme for their first performance of the year.

Opera is not only a fat lady who sings in a high pitch at the end of the show. It can also be light and enjoyable, as simple as a telephone.

Just don't forget to turn off your phones before any performance!

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