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Jakarta's resident choir hits high note at European grand prix
For Indonesia: The Batavia Madrigal Choir, seen here before their departure, represented the nation for the first time at the European Grand Prix (EGP) for Choral Singing on Aug
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span class="caption">For Indonesia: The Batavia Madrigal Choir, seen here before their departure, represented the nation for the first time at the European Grand Prix (EGP) for Choral Singing on Aug. 28 in Arezzo, Italy. Courtesy of the Batavia Madrigal Choir
Indonesia made its first appearance at the European Grand Prix (EGP) for Choral Singing on Aug. 28 in Arezzo, Italy, representing Asia in the prestigious annual competition.
Mita Jasmine, the choir's spokeswoman, said that the grand prix had been a tough battle for all five competing choirs. 'Being a finalist in the grand prix was already an acclaimed and hard-earned achievement, since it was a battle between the best of the best,' Mita told The Jakarta Post via text message.
The Batavia Madrigal Singers (BMS) became eligible to compete in the EGP after winning top honors at the Prof. Georgi Dimitrov International May Choir Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, in 2012, beating the winners of choral competitions held in Tolosa, Spain; Arezzo, Italy; Debrecen, Hungary; Maribo, Slovenia; and Tours, France.
Victory, however, was fleeting. The winner of this year's grand prix was the Kamer youth choir from Latvia, led by conductor Janis Liepins, which triumphed following a victory at the Bela Bartok International Choir Competition in Hungary in 2012.
The only Asian choral ensembles that have won the grand prix are the Kallos Choir from Japan in 1995 and the Philippine Madrigal Singers in 1997 and 2007.
The Batavia Madrigal Singers' participation in the grand prix also marked its bow as an official representative of Jakarta, as endorsed by the city's tourism and culture agency.
Mita said that the administration has made the singers the city's resident choir ' a pleasant nod given the group's use of the capital city's former name in colonial times.
'The idea to have the Batavia Madrigal Singers as the city's resident choir was accepted during governor Fauzi Bowo's administration, and it continues to be so with the current governor's administration,' Mita added.
Jakarta Tourism Agency head Arie Budhiman was upbeat. 'Their achievements make them suitable to be the city's international ambassadors,' Arie said as quoted by city news portal beritajakarta.com.
BMS conductor and founder Avip Priatna said that the group performed five pieces in 25 minutes: Luca Morenzio's 'Cantiam la Bella Clori', Peter Cornelius' 'Liebe', Pierre Oser's 'Exidium', Ivan Yohan's 'Après un Rêve' and an Indonesian piece, 'Gloria Patri', composed by Budi Susanto Yohanes.
The choir performed the same pieces for a pre-competition concert at The Resonanz Music Studio and Entertainment on Aug. 18 to warm up prior to the big show in Italy.
The repertoire accorded with grand prix regulations encouraging competing choirs to perform songs from various composers and era, Avip, who is also an architect, said.
'These pieces represent different musical epochs and styles, namely the Renaissance, Romantic and Modern,' Avip said after the concert. 'But we have the liberty to choose the compositions and come up with our own repertoire for the 25 minutes performance allowed for each choirs.'
The women singers looked regal, clad in rich blue, gold and red batik dresses adorned with red velvet robes accentuated by three golden stripes on the shoulders. Meanwhile, the men wore red beskap men's traditional Javanese jackets with gold buttons to match the women.
The choir began their performance with Morenzio's piece, which they sang flawlessly and with proficiency, before changing their stage configuration for the rest of their performance, transfixing the audience with powerful voices.
The and the troupe had been rehearsing for eight months before departing to Europe last week, she said. The BMS has a roster comprising 60 singers. Most of those who sang in the choir for the grand prix also performed in Varna in May 2012, while others joined after auditioning for the Arezzo grand prix.
One of the new singers is 25-year-old soprano Devi Francisca.
Devi, who also plays piano and violin and works as an instructor for the Resonanz children's choir, joined the ensemble in 2005 and has since taken part in performances in Slovenia, Spain and Italy. 'I started singing in school choirs. I like singing in choir because I can feel and hear the harmonious unity of different types of voices'.
The show would go on, however, according to Avip, who said that the ensemble would perform concerts in Florence and at the Pantheon in Rome for a belated Independence Day celebration organized by the Indonesian embassy to the Vatican.
