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Jakarta Post

Delightful improvisation

Two Italian musicians effortlessly demonstrate their musical expertise during a duet performance and at a workshop.

Reuben Wylie (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Fri, February 2, 2018

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Delightful improvisation Duet: Luca Ciarla (left) and Enrico Zanisi perform during a masterclass at IIC Jakarta. (JP/Reuben Wylie)

T

he windows of the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (IIC) Jakarta were rattled on Jan. 23 when the building shook to the sounds of plucking strings, a sweeping piano and the occasional kazoo solo.

Unlike the rest of Central Jakarta, which had been shaken that afternoon by an earthquake, the rattling of the IIC was the result of a free two-hour concert featuring jazz and classical improvisation music.

Presented by Luca Ciarla on violin and Enrico Zanisi on piano, the performance from the two renowned jazz musicians, which was held in cooperation with the Italian Embassy, marked the IIC Jakarta’s first event on their 2018 calendar. 

Despite the exceptional quality and obvious comfort displayed by Ciarla and Zanisi during their performance, the duo only started performing together in front of audiences this year. Their first performance was at the Parco Della Musica in Rome on Jan. 13.

“Our collaboration is pretty new actually,” Ciarla told The Jakarta Post

Ciarla admires Zanisi’s rhythm and creativity, while Zanisi gives credit to Ciarla’s ability to draw his own distinctive character between many genres.

Besides collaborating, the two musicians also maintain prolific solo careers.

In January, Zanisi performed three times in South Korea prior to his collaboration with Ciarla, while the latter was busy playing in Tehran at the annual Fajr International Music Festival having been invited by Manu Katch’e, the former drummer for Sting, Simple Minds and Dire Straits.

Ciarla and Zanisi’s performance that evening followed their own rules of applying improvisation at every opportunity. Ciarla also readily incorporated electronic effects often making use of an effects pedal.

The pedal was linked to a microphone pick-up in his acoustic violin allowing him to record and play over a public address system. Toy instruments were also used including a Kazoo and Ocarina.

Encore: Enrico Zanisi bows after his performance at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (ICC) Jakarta on Jan. 23.
Encore: Enrico Zanisi bows after his performance at the Istituto Italiano di Cultura (ICC) Jakarta on Jan. 23. (JP/Reuben Wylie)

Meanwhile, Zanisi at one point played a piano solo that lasted for over 10 minutes.

Prior to the evening’s concert, the duo held a master class workshop at the IIC, which was attended by local musicians and students from Farabi Music School and the Insitut Musik Daya Indonesia. The workshop focused on the artists’ creative approaches to their musical compositions.

“Improvisation is like telling a story,” Ciarla said at the workshop.

“You’re telling a story that you know more or less. You know the tune. You know the chords. You know the melody. But each time it’s going to do different.” He said the old tradition of performer/composer was now happening more in jazz than in classical music.

“In the old times all the performers were composers. Paganini was playing Paganini music. Tartini was playing Tartini music. Liszt was playing Liszt.

“We have lost that on the classical scene, focusing more on the performance or the technique, which has led us to be amazing performers. Maybe we have lost some of that gut feeling too. That power of the performing improviser and composer,” Ciarla said.  

The morning workshop ended with a long impromptu jam session. Students were encouraged to bring forth their instruments and play with the two composers. Three violins, a flute and a melodica were taken up by the nervous yet eager students.

In no time the small music hall came to life with the melodious harmonizing of string and wind instruments.  

Zanisi said it was nice to deliver a message that music was a universal thing.

“We are just coming to give something, but actually they [students] give us much more than we give them in return,” he said of the workshop.

“Every time I meet young musicians who are interested in what I am doing I find that I in fact receive lots of energy from them, lots of inspiration.”

***

The writer is a participant of the ACICIS fellowship.

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