Remembering ‘Clara’: Widhawan Aryo Pradhita (right) performs “Aku Benci Cina” (I Hate Chinese), an aria from Clara, a 2014 opera by Ananda Sukarlan (on piano).(JP/Yuliasri Perdani)" border="0" height="350" width="511">Remembering ‘Clara’: Widhawan Aryo Pradhita (right) performs “Aku Benci Cina” (I Hate Chinese), an aria from Clara, a 2014 opera by Ananda Sukarlan (on piano).(JP/Yuliasri Perdani)

To celebrate the New Year, maestro Ananda Sukarlan has surprised fans with the world premiere of his Batak-themed Rapsodia Nusantara No. 14 composition as well as two arias from his highly anticipated opera, Tumirah, Sang Mucikari (Tumirah, The Pimp).

Ananda opened the Jan. 10 Jakarta New Year concert, named Opera Highlights, at the Titan Center in Bintaro, on the outskirts of Jakarta, with excerpts from classical European operas.

He also gave the stage to young pianist Ayala Indri Saputro, the winner of the Ananda Sukarlan Junior Award 2013, to perform pieces by Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan, Puccini and Franz Lehar.

Singing to her piano tunes were tenor Widhawan Aryo Pradhita and sopranos Mariska Setiawan and Evelyn Merrelita.

The night welcomed the world premiere of Rapsodia Nusantara No. 14, a creation based on the Batak folk song “Rambadia”.

“I plan to make 34 [editions of] Rapsodia Nusantara, representing every province in Indonesia. The existing Rapsodia Nusantara have been played by many pianists, particularly those from overseas. [By playing the pieces] they get to know Indonesian songs.”

The composer previously explained he would refuse any translation of his composition — Rapsodia Nusantara is and should always be Rapsodia Nusantara everywhere — not Indonesian Rhapsody.

This year, Ananda is aiming to complete four new Rapsodia Nusantara.

The Rapsodia Nusantara are inspired by Hungarian rhapsodies, in which composer Franz Liszt created a set of piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes.

The concert presented arias from operas created by Ananda.

The session started with “Aku Jatuh Cinta” (I Am in Love) from Laki-Laki Sejati (The Real Man) — a 2011 opera based on a short story by Putu Wijaya. Performing the aria were Mariska as a love-struck girl and Evelyn as an overprotective mother.

Short stories have become Ananda’s channel for discovering truth and inspiration.

Ananda said that while he was at home in Spain, he read short stories by Indonesian authors to get a big picture of Indonesia.

To celebrate the New Year, maestro Ananda Sukarlan has surprised fans with the world premiere of his Batak-themed Rapsodia Nusantara No. 14 composition as well as two arias from his highly anticipated opera, Tumirah, Sang Mucikari (Tumirah, The Pimp).

Ananda opened the Jan. 10 Jakarta New Year concert, named Opera Highlights, at the Titan Center in Bintaro, on the outskirts of Jakarta, with excerpts from classical European operas.

He also gave the stage to young pianist Ayala Indri Saputro, the winner of the Ananda Sukarlan Junior Award 2013, to perform pieces by Mozart, Gilbert & Sullivan, Puccini and Franz Lehar.

Singing to her piano tunes were tenor Widhawan Aryo Pradhita and sopranos Mariska Setiawan and Evelyn Merrelita.

The night welcomed the world premiere of Rapsodia Nusantara No. 14, a creation based on the Batak folk song '€œRambadia'€.

'€œI plan to make 34 [editions of] Rapsodia Nusantara, representing every province in Indonesia. The existing Rapsodia Nusantara have been played by many pianists, particularly those from overseas. [By playing the pieces] they get to know Indonesian songs.'€

The composer previously explained he would refuse any translation of his composition '€” Rapsodia Nusantara is and should always be Rapsodia Nusantara everywhere '€” not Indonesian Rhapsody.

This year, Ananda is aiming to complete four new Rapsodia Nusantara.

The Rapsodia Nusantara are inspired by Hungarian rhapsodies, in which composer Franz Liszt created a set of piano pieces based on Hungarian folk themes.

The concert presented arias from operas created by Ananda.

The session started with '€œAku Jatuh Cinta'€ (I Am in Love) from Laki-Laki Sejati (The Real Man) '€” a 2011 opera based on a short story by Putu Wijaya. Performing the aria were Mariska as a love-struck girl and Evelyn as an overprotective mother.

Short stories have become Ananda'€™s channel for discovering truth and inspiration.

Ananda said that while he was at home in Spain, he read short stories by Indonesian authors to get a big picture of Indonesia.

Preview: Artidewi (second left) performs an aria from the upcoming opera Tumirah, Sang Mucikari (Tumirah, The Pimp), alongside Mariska Setiawan (second right) and Evelyn Merrelita (right). Artidewi, a jazz singer with a background in classical music, plays Tumirah.(JP/Yuliasri Perdani)

Ananda took the audience to revisit the opera Clara by performing the aria '€œAku Benci Cina'€ (I Hate Chinese). The opera is the adaptation of Seno Gumira Ajidarma'€™s short story about a woman of Chinese descent raped at the height of the 1998 riots. The main character, Clara, was originally played by Isyana Sarasvati, who is now a successful pop singer.

Clara achieved critical success with Tempo magazine naming it as the '€œBest Indonesian Performing Arts Piece 2014'€.

'€œI am a big fan of Seno Gumira Ajidarma. When reading his works, I can see reality. Although some characters are fictional, the stories are based on true events,'€ Ananda said.

Ananda continued his operatic exploration of Seno'€™s work by adapting another of his short stories, Tumirah, Sang Mucikari, which will be staged sometime in the first half of this year.

Like Clara, Tumirah, Sang Mucikari also tells a poignant story about women. Tumirah is a pimp who struggles to teach her prostitutes the way to maintain a sense of love for others. But when her lover, Sukab, is killed in a tragic incident, Tumirah struggles to maintain the compassion and forgiveness that she had taught to her prostitutes.

Playing Tumirah is Artidewi, a jazz singer with a background in classical music.

'€œShe can do classical, jazz and also rock. Her voice will create various colors,'€ Ananda said.

An aria performed by Artidewi was clear evidence that Ananda would infuse pop and rock to the upcoming opera. Into the aria, Ananda injected brief pop tunes, which appear to be the intro of Queen'€™s '€œUnder Pressure'€.

Artidewi demonstrated her versatility, shifting between soprano vocals and a powerful rock voice.

Another aria from Tumirah, Sang Mucikari, presents the complexity of love between Mahmud (Widhawan) and a prostitute named Lastri (Evelyn), who at first felt that she did deserve love.

Tumirah, Sang Mucikari will be produced on a bigger scale than Clara, Ananda promised.

'€œIt will have a bigger orchestra and a larger cast. We will probably perform it at Teater Jakarta at Taman Ismail Marzuki.'€

Aside from the opera, Ananda will launch the second album of In Memoriam Ainun Habibie in March. That album was initiated by Ainun'€™s husband, Indonesia'€™s third president BJ Habibie.

'€œIn the first album, we explored Javanese songs as Ainun comes from Java. Now, we are adding elements of Makassar Bugis folk songs as Habibie hailed from there.'€