More than just a song at twilight

ID Nugroho ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Surabaya   |  Fri, 05/15/2009 1:09 PM  |  Java Brew

Ever so slowly, Liem Lydiawati climbed the steps onto the stage of the Empire Palace Surabaya. The 61-year-old gripped the supporting arms offered by Linda and Elisabeth, the young pianists who would accompany Liem's performance that night.

At the center of the stage, Liem held the microphone and shot a sharp glance toward Linda and Elisabeth, who had already taken their respective places behind the piano and keyboard. Without further ado, they broke into the introductory song, the version of "Ave Maria" arranged by Alexsey Zakharenko from Ukraine.

Over the sweet strains of the music, Liem's voice singing "Ave Maria..Ave Maria...," impressed the audience into silence, as they listened to her semi-classical song.

Liem was one of 20 semi-classical singers who displayed their talents at an event called "The Voice of Spring Concert" held in Surabaya last March - and event with a slightly different twist to most of those made popular by the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

"What made this concert different from all the others is all the singers are older people," Gondo Kusumo, head of the show's orga-nizing committee, told The Jakarta Post. The youngest performer was 60-year-old Theresia T.T.; the oldest was Harjo Sutanto, who is 83.

The 20 singers are members of a choir led by Jang Pok Ja, also known as Zhang Xiao Jia, a semi-classical teacher from China. During the two-hour concert, during which they were accompanied by six pianists and one keyboard player, the vocalists performed a total of 27 songs in various languages including Indonesian, Chinese, English and German.

"All these songs were performed with the perfect semi-classical tone, almost the same as *that used by* Luciano Pavarotti," said Gondo, giving the show a plug. But fair enough too - the first song, "Shenshen de Haiyang", which was performed by Maureen Surjasentana and Theresia T.T., to the last, "O Sole Mio" performed by Harjo Sutanto, Gondo Kusumo, Liang Yung Chie, Rianto Nurhadi and Hoendowo Tedjo, all brought forth long applause.

But what is it about these older people and semi-classical songs? The semi-classical teacher Zhang Xiao Jia said that as humans they all had a certain talent for singing semi-classical music. Apart from this, all these people had sought to maintain their singing ability.

"If they aren't senile, certainly elderly people can sing semi-classical songs," said Zhang Xiao Jia. The choir members together undertake vocal practice and breathing exercises once a week at the choir leader's house in Surabaya.

And what they are learning is Heng Ming, a relatively new vocal technique. Although simple, practitioners of this technique can produce their original sound, particularly when combined with correct breathing and mental concentration. "With this technique, older people are able to discover their original voice again," explained Zhang Xiao Jia.

This musical technique also has health benefits for elderly people, thanks to the breathing exercises that are a central element of practicing this style singing.

This was particularly so for Bambang Kertanegara. The 65-year-old Surabaya resident has been Zhang Xiao Jia's student for the longest. Since he started learning to sing in 2000, Bambang has felt significantly different.

"I felt a release and my breathing is more relaxed," he explained. There are also the tone exercises, which Bambang said make him feel calmer. "I never imagined that semi-classical music also had beneficial effects on health," he said.

Harjo Sutanto reported the same experience.

The 83-year-old - the oldest singer in the group - believes that the experience of feeling refreshed is thanks to the choral practice sessions.

"After practicing, I feel fresher, much like you do after taking part in sport," said the father of four and grandfather of nine, who owns an instant noodle company.

This very "freshness" delighted the crowd during the concert: When Harjo Sutanto sang a duet with his wife, Yenny Lilian, he had the audience laughing when he ended their performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "All I Ask of You" with a kiss on his wife's cheek.

Similarly, when Hadi Widjojo sang a duet of the "Merry Widow Waltz" with Elly Siani, the pair danced as though they were young.

This concert also caught the interest of the Indonesian Record Museum or MURI. Jaya Suprana, the head of MURI, came especially to watch the first concert.

"This is the first semi-classical concert that has involved elderly people. That's why I watched this concert till it finished," said Jaya Suprana.

Another part of the event was when the boss of a company that produces traditional herbs awarded a prize the oldest singer: Harjo Sutanto.

Zhang Xiao Jia, the first singing teacher to have successfully trained many older people in semi-classical music, also received an award.

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