Friendship Concert spells peace and harmony

Harry Nazarudin ,  Contributor ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 06/14/2008 11:07 AM  |  Entertainment

In 2008, Japan and Indonesia celebrated 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

In celebration of this, a special Friendship Concert was organized that featured a joint performance by the Nusantara Symphony Orchestra (NSO) and the Tokyo City Philharmonic Orchestra (TCPO).

The concert was held on June 10 at Balai Sarbini, in South Jakarta, and was conducted by none other that Maestro Hikotaro Yazaki.

The NSO, which is considered Indonesia's representative in the world of classical music, was founded in 1988 and is currently lead by Ms. Aida Swenson as its executive director and Miranda S. Goeltom as its CEO.

The NSO proudly hosts some of Indonesia's most prominent musical talents, who perform regularly both locally and abroad.

The TCPO was founded in 1975 by Shunsaku Tsutsumi. From its humble beginnings in Tokyo, it now performs more than 100 concerts annually and is one of Japan's most renowned orchestras.

The Friendship Concert was opened by Kojiro Shiojiri, Japan's ambassador to Indonesia. Kojiro surprised the audience by delivering his opening speech in Indonesian.

He kept his speech short, knowing the audience were eager to hear the orchestras play, and referred to music as a universal language or dialogue between friends that both parties could understand.

TCPO started the "dialogue" by presenting a piece by Tokuhide Niimi called "The Forest Dances". This orchestra suite was designed as children's opera: It tells the story of life in the forest, with blowing winds and the dances of animals.

The piece begins with a tiptoeing staccato pace -- one is reminded of the characters in manga (Japanese cartoons) -- and ends in loud fanfare.

The pentatonic, traditional Japanese melodies the TPCO performed somehow resembled a Javanese gamelan combination, which offered a uniquely Japanese (even Javanese) feel to the music. The use of several percussion instruments such as the drum, timpani and rattlers made the music more lively and enjoyable.

In one part, the melody echoed Strauss' "Waltz" and music from Bizet's Carmen, to present a contrast with the very Asian melodies in the body of the work.

It was then the NSO's turn to speak with "Jangeran", an interpretation of Balinese music by Chris Watson. To strengthen the Indonesian squad, six Balinese gamelan players and a dancer -- Anak Agung Gede Ariawan -- enhanced the performance.

The six gamelan players displayed so much strength and power in their performance, taking the audience on an exhilarating ride. Maestro Yazaki's electrifying conducting added to the excitement of the piece.

Gede Ariawan appeared on stage and brought to music to life visually with his graceful yet commanding dance movements. The "cak-cak" sounds of the kecak dance were added to give a unique percussion effect.

When the performance was over, there was a long standing ovation -- the audience showing their approval of Indonesia's "dialogue".

After an intermission, Antonin Dvorak's "Symphony no. 9 in E Minor - From The New World" was performed. Dvorak composed this special piece in his new home (the U.S.), to send a message back to his Bohemian motherland. Here, he explored the melting pot culture of the U.S., from jazzy tunes to hints of gospel.

The piece begins with the majestic tones of the violin. The strength of a high spectrum of strings instruments, from violin to bass, was witnessed in the performance of Dvorak's piece.

After another long applause and standing ovation from the audience, Maestro Yazaki was kind enough to give the audience two encores: "The Slavonic Dance" by Antonin Dvorak, and "The Toreador" from Bizet's Carmen.

When conducting "The Slavonic Dance", which featured a sweet East European dance tune, Maestro Yazaki also danced -- he got rid of his baton and used his whole body to conduct. It was a very creative way of conducting, yet appropriate for this composition.

The "Toreador", a familiar piece from Bizet, was awarded with constant applause from the audience.

As his closing remarks, Keizo Kodama, the executive director of the TCPO, had a message to Indonesian music lovers: "Do not be afraid of classical music. Do not focus only on the complication of it, but try to admire the beauty of it, so that playing or listening to it becomes a joyful experience."

The TCPO-NSO joint performance was unique and displayed extraordinary strength of harmonization. Powerful strings dominated the performance, at times as if shaking the Balai Sarbini venue. Seeing an orchestra this complete was indeed a rare opportunity in Indonesia.

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