Endah Laras: Her rendition of the nostalgic Javanese classic '€œAyo Ngguyu'€ (Let'€™s Laugh) was energetic and jovial.

Keroncong singer Endah Laras gave a rendition of the nostalgic Javanese classic '€œAyo Ngguyu'€ (Let'€™s Laugh), playing the ukulele as she went round the stage to serenade the audience. Unlike most of the romantic pop songs from this genre of Portuguese-tinged music, her version was energetic and
jovial.

The song, popularized by master keroncong performer Wadjinah, enjoyed an overwhelming reception from the thousands of spectators outside City Hall in Surakarta (Solo), Central Java at a recent concert.

Endah Laras and the Keroncong Swastika Orchestra turned what some see as old-fashioned music into a lively, fresh and captivating form of entertainment during the Solo Keroncong Festival on Sept. 12 and 13. The festival included 15 groups, most of which featured younger musicians, coming from Bali; Bandung, West Java; Jakarta; Padang, West Sumatra; and Palembang, South Sumatra.

The concert, staged annually by the city government and the Indonesian Keroncong Musical Artists Association (Hamkri), was a star-studded event that featured top keroncong singers such as Endah, Tuty Maryati, Sruti Respati, Indra Utami Tansir and the '€œLiving Legend'€ Mel Sandy.

The students from the Suara 8 Keroncong Orchestra from SMK 8 Surakarta state vocational high school opened the festival with novel and dynamic compositions.

While retaining genuine keroncong standards such as '€œKota Solo'€ (Solo City), '€œYen Ing Tawang Ono Lintang'€ (When Stars Appear in the Sky), and '€œRhapsody'€, Suara 8 also covered '€œJanji Hati'€ (My Heart'€™s Promise), originally popularized by the lovely and talented Meidyana Maimunah, better known by her stage name of Memes.

Improvization: Students from the Suara 8 Orchestra from SMK 8 state vocational school in Surakarta covered '€œJanji Hati'€ (My Heart'€™s Promise), originally popularized by the lovely and talented Memes.
'€œThe time has come to allow room for experimentation in keroncong by young people,'€ Wartono, the vice chairman of the local Hamkri association, said. '€œKeroncong shouldn'€™t just grow into an artifact. It should go along with the progress of the times.'€

Experimentation was on the agenda that evening. Another group '€” Bintang Swalayan from nearby Salatiga, Central Java '€” delightfully mixed things up by including drums in their otherwise traditional keroncong orchestra of ukulele, cello, contrabass, flute, guitar and violin.

Meanwhile, the 35-member Hamkri orchestra from South Sumatra presented Malay-styled keroncong, performing the well-known '€œSerampang 12'€ folk dance along with songs sung in dialectical Malay, such as '€œPempek Lanjar'€ and '€œLaila Canggun'€.

In Palembang, keroncong music has been adopted by local residents who have steeped the genre in the region'€™s Malay tradition.

The Lapsek Keroncong Orchestra from Sawah Lunto, West Sumatra, was on hand to present Minangkabau-style keroncong numbers such as '€œHitam Manis'€ (Sweet Brown) and '€œKasih Tak Sampai'€ (Unrequited Love).

The first day of the festival concluded with a performance from the Plasu Minimalis Orchestra from Solo, which presented an alternative '€” and comedic '€” set of keroncong songs that left the audience laughing.

Dazzling: '€œThe time has come to allow room for experimentation in keroncong by young people,'€ according to one of the event'€™s organizers.
The members of Plasu Minimalis '€” Max Baihaqi (guitar), Agung Riyadi (violin), Diaz (contrabass), Kukuh (drums), Adi and Budi (ukulele), Dul (cello) and Sosiawan Leak and Cahwati (vocalists) were all reliable artists, presenting a set that was more saavy than their simple arrangements let on.

Plasu Minimalis also took time to speak to the audience in between songs, offering criticism of current issues by staging brief bits of theater. They also presented a song in Javanese that was based on the classical Wedhatama poem composed by Sultan Mangkunegara IV.

The talented singers at the festival also mesmerized the audience. Cahwati, a pesinden, or traditional singer, who has been to sing in Europe and America several times, demonstrated her exceptional range, while on the second day, Tuty Maryati sang '€œGesang'€, written by Dorce, followed by '€œBengawan Solo'€ (Solo River).

Also on hand was Indra Utami Tansir, a maestro pesinden famous for her renditions of langgam or keroncong-styled Javanese songs. Indra sang Javanese pop icon Koko Thole'€™s '€œPengantin Agung'€ (Grand Wedding), for which she received an Indonesian Music Award (AMI) nomination in 2012.

Solo'€™s popular pesinden Sruti Respati, one of the evening'€™s favorites, then emerged with a smooth and slow rendition of '€œKidung Surgawi'€ (Heavenly Song), also by Koko Thole.

Thesong'€™s penetrating power was even more pronounced as Sruti reached the high notes, virtually hypnotizing the thousands in the audience who were carried away by the piercing tune that rent the night air.

'€œKeroncong is great music that won'€™t be ruined by increasing the room for experimentation,'€ said Max Baihaq from Plasu Minimalis. '€œKidung Surgawi is among the many examples of genuine keroncong music that remains a favorite.'€

According to the head of the Surakarta Tourism and Culture Office, Widdi Sihanto, this year'€™s festival had the theme of '€˜Keroncong for All Ages'€™. '€œSo far there has been the impression that keroncong is identical with the music of retirees. We wish to wipe out this notion. Keroncong is a music for all times, to be enjoyed by people of all ages.'€

Living Legend: Mel Sany receives the applause of a delighted crowd at Solo City Hall.
'€” Photos by Ganug Nugroho Adi