Ode to the nation: Ananda (center) leads his chamber orchestra at Goethe Haus.

Pianist Ananda Sukarlan once said that if he had any regrets in his career, it would be the fact that he had not gone into composing sooner.

Ananda believes that it was through composing music that he found his real passion, not through playing the piano. At the Goethe Haus auditorium in Menteng, Central Jakarta earlier this month, Ananda showcased his latest classical composition.

The piece, “An Ode to the Nation,” features two sets of composition with various themes based on the poems, speeches and prayers written by former president BJ Habibie to his late wife, Ainun, and to the nation.

The composition also serves as the 80th birthday gift from Ananda to Habibie, whom he befriended due to their shared passion in classical music.

“The composition is 25 minutes long. It represents a highly elaborate composition based on poems written by bapak [Habibie]. I chose two of these poems to be made into a composition,” Ananda said before the performance.

“The first poem is called “Manunggal” [To Become One]. It was written by bapak not long after ibu Ainun passed away. The poem served as a therapy for bapak, who was completely devastated by her passing,” he said.

“When I read the poem for the first time, I immediately found the music. The words in the poem are not only expressive, but it also builds a certain mood,” he added.

The second poem Ananda chose was titled “Padamu Ibu Pertiwi” (To You, Motherland).

“In this poem there are words such as ‘accept our gift, we the future generation.’ Therefore, this composition will include a children’s choir to represent Indonesia’s future generations,” Ananda said.

Before Ananda presented “An Ode to the Nation,” he introduced two young musicians to the audience who might one day take the helm as Indonesia’s finest classical pianists. Ananda said that they would provide an entrée performance before the main course, in which “An Ode to the Nation” is presented.

The first pianist was 17-year-old Ayunia Indri Saputro, who had been accepted to enroll at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, to learn music. During her performance, she played Ananda’s “Rapsodia Nusantara No. 6” (Nusantara Rhapsody No.6), which included elements from traditional Acehnese songs, such as “Bungong Jeumpa.”

The second pianist was 14-year-old Gabriella Priska Handoko, who performed Ananda’s “Rapsodia Nusantara No. 14,” a piece inspired by traditional songs from Tapanuli, North Sumatra.

After the two pianists performed their respective scores, they played Ananda’s “And the Twain Shall Meet” together on a single piano. The piece was composed to fulfill a request by former Berlin mayor, Klaus Wowereit, who asked in 2005 for a classical score that combined both Western and Indonesian musical elements.

The body and climax of “And the Twain Shall Meet” featured a versatile and dynamic harmony, utilizing Latin American sounds and Balinese rhythms.

Following this was a performance by young, teenage musicians who were accompanied by tenor vocalist Widhawan Aryo Pradhita. Ananda then went on to stage the much-awaited “An Ode to the Nation” with his chamber orchestra.

The first part of “An Ode to the Nation,” a piece symbolizing Habibie’s personal struggles in dealing with the passing of his wife, began with a tender yet emotionally stirring melody. The instruments from the orchestra exuded not only sadness but despair. The dominant sounds came from the string instruments, which provided sounds that reminded us of the mourning process that occurs directly during someone’s passing.

Later on, Widhawan joined in and sang the words from the “Manunggal” poem. It was then that the mood evolved from despair to acceptance, a representation of how Habibie was finally able to accept the fact that Ainun had gone to a different dimension and how their eternal love would always remain as one.

The second part of the composition brought forth a mood of moving on and inheritance as Habibie was finally ready to let the generations after him achieve great things for the motherland. The lyrics were filled with nationalistic jargon, and brought closure to the story of Habibie, Ainun and their motherland.

The Goethe Haus performance earlier this month marked “An Ode to the Nation’s” premier. Ananda said that the composition might reach a broader audience in the future.

“The organizers of the World Culture Forum, which will take place this October, have asked for the composition to be featured,” Ananda said.

— photos by JP/Donny Fernando

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