JP/J. Adiguna

YOGYAKARTA: In a first for Indonesian music, Djadug Ferianto and his group Kua Etnika will perform at the prestigious Vienna Jazz Festival in Austria.

“This is the first time a musician from Indonesia has been invited to perform at the Vienna Jazz Festival,” Djadug told The Jakarta Post in Yogyakarta.

“Our second visit to Vienna is like a pilgrimage to the house of mbahe musik dunia [the lord of world music],” Djadug said. “After all, Vienna is home to world-renowned musicians like Beethoven and Mozart.”

The visit to Vienna will form part of the group’s second tour of Europe. The delegation will be led by musician and comedian Butet Kartaredjasa.

During the one-month tour, the group will present several old pieces as well as four new pieces: Nirwana, Bromo, Matahari and Ronggeng Timur.

“Some time ago I saw the sunrise for the first time in Bromo,” Djadug said. “It was such an inspiring moment that it made me came up with Nirwana and Bromo. I was shivering in the morning fog and to kill time I whistled a tune and recorded it on my phone. It was good.”

After performing in Vienna on July 7, the group will perform at the Folklore Klatovy Festival in Prague on July 11. They will also give a concert at the Prague City Library Hall.

On July 15, Butet Kertaredjasa will perform a monologue at the Indonesian Embassy in Prague. —JP

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