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Glenn Fredly’s ‘Beta Maluku’ concert to be streamed this weekend
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A still from the recorded musical concert titled Konser Cinta Beta Maluku (Love Concert: I Am Maluku) shows the late singer-songwriter Glenn Fredly (center) with bamboo-wood music maestro Rence Alfons and the Effata Choirs. The concert was held in May 2011 at the Graha Bakti Budaya theater in the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts and cultural center.
(Courtesy of Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation/-)
D
irected by the late singer-songwriter Glenn Fredly, the Konser Cinta Beta Maluku (Love Concert: I Am Maluku) concert with the tagline “Nyanyian Damai Untuk Indonesia” (Songs of Peace for Indonesia) was among the most luminous stage performances of the decade.
The recorded performance will be streamed this Saturday and Sunday on the Indonesia Kaya website and YouTube channel starting at 2 p.m. as part of the Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation #NontonTeaterDiRumahAja (watching theater from home) program.
Produced by Indonesia Kita creative team Butet Kartaredjasa, Agus Noor and the late Djaduk Ferianto, the musical concert was staged on May 27-28, 2011 at the Graha Bakti Budaya theater in Taman Ismail Marzuki arts and cultural center in Central Jakarta.
The production of the Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation involved performers who were all of Maluku origin, namely musicians Bing Leiwakabessy, Zeth Lekatompessy, Bob Tutupoli and Barry Likumahuwa, comedian Om Koko, traditional music group Haunesa Etnika and bamboo wood musician Rence Alfons.
Representing the younger generation were the Maluku Hip-hop Community, Mariony Saherlawan, Muhammad Irfan, theater group Bengkel Sastra Maluku, the Effata Choirs, along with dozens of dancers.
The performance intertwined Maluku folksongs and pop songs with a narration of the history and cultural traits of the Maluku people as a counter to the religious conflicts that hit the provincial capital Ambon at the start of the century and which divided its people.
Glenn, who was part of the creative team, also appeared as a performer and belted out various songs including “Hena Masa Waya” together with rappers and the Effata Choirs. Roughly translated as “Our Homeland”, the song was in the rarely used Tana language that conveys the pride of the children of the islands.
The musical concert has always been regarded as a milestone in Glenn’s journey as a social and political activist.
In 2014 he produced a film titled Cahaya dari Timur: Beta Maluku (Lights from the East: I Am Maluku) in which the folk song was chanted. It was chosen as Best Film at the Indonesian Film Festival and the Maya Awards.
Glenn, who died on April 8 at the age of 44 as a result of meningitis, was also a coproducer of award-winning Filosofi Kopi (The Coffee Philosophy) that touched on the issue of the welfare of coffee farmers and Surat dari Praha (Letters from Prague) about political exile.
“We will air the recorded musical concert as it was received with great enthusiasm and appreciation, which we could see from the high number of viewers in the past,” said the foundation’s program director Renitasari Adrian in a press release.
“This Indonesia Kita production promotes unity in diversity and hopefully can be a solace for the fans of the late Glenn Fredly as well as an expression of love by Maluku people for Indonesia,” she added.
Prior to the airing of the concert, art enthusiasts will also be able to learn more about the performance through a live chat with Butet at Instagram account @indonesia_kaya on Saturday at 11 a.m.
The audience is also encouraged to donate via kitabisa.com/campaign/indonesiakaya for arts workers who are affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. (ste)
