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Rediscovering the father of romantic European music

Reviving maestro’s spirit: In celebrating the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations between Italy and Indonesia, the Italian classical quartet Quartetto Viotti performs a concert titled “Instrumental Conversation” at GoetheHaus in Central Jakarta recently, paying tribute to the great Italian composer Giovanni Battista Viotti

Sebastian Partogi (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, March 11, 2019

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Rediscovering the father of romantic European music

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eviving maestro’s spirit: In celebrating the 70th anniversary of bilateral relations between Italy and Indonesia, the Italian classical quartet Quartetto Viotti performs a concert titled “Instrumental Conversation” at GoetheHaus in Central Jakarta recently, paying tribute to the great Italian composer Giovanni Battista Viotti. The quartet comprises (from left) flutist Stefano Parrino, violinist Francesco Parrino, violist Luca Ranieri and cellist Maria Cecilia Beriolli. (JP/Istu Septania)

Italian quartet brings the spirit of a romantic European maestro to life for Jakarta audience

The romantic period of European classical music, which flourished in the late 18th century following the end of the Baroque period, has produced many composers such as Germany’s Ludwig van Beethoven and Johannes Brahms whose compositions have stood the test of time, with classical musicians still playing their music even today.

While they can easily recite the names of the great romantic European composers mentioned above, classical music connoisseurs living in Jakarta might be less familiar with Italian composer and virtuoso violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti (1755-1824) who pioneered the romantic revolution in classical music throughout the continent.

In order to bring Viotti’s legacy to life to a Jakarta audience, while marking the 70th anniversary of bilateral ties between Italy and Indonesia, the Embassy of Italy in Indonesia and the Italian Cultural Institute in Jakarta recently presented a concert by Quartetto Viotti, a quartet who named themselves after the great composer, titled Instrumental Conversation.

The concert, held on March 1 at the GoetheHaus cultural center in Central Jakarta, featured the quartet — comprising flutist Stefano Parrino, violinist Francesco Parrino, violist Luca Ranieri and cellist Maria Cecilia Beriolli — who played compositions by various European composers.

The quartet said in their artists’ statement that the performance combined classical compositions with a contemporary touch, embodying the spirit of Viotti’s works. They added that they had selected the composer’s neglected chamber music piece while devising the concert’s musical program.


A feel-good mood

The concert gave audiences a feel-good moment with compositions that exuded vibrant, dynamic and upbeat sentiments, such as Mozart’s From Don Giovanni, as well as several compositions that were calm and serene, like the ones from Paisiello, which kick-started the evening’s program.

“We always try to find a rare repertoire, for instance, the piece [titled Quartetto per Conversazione written by] Rolla the Italian composer [whose] music has virtually been forgotten. We are trying to discover new pieces, neglected pieces, overlooked pieces and present them to the public,” violinist Parrino told The Jakarta Post after the concert.

The pioneer: A portrait of Italian composer and violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti by British painter Henry Hoppner Meyer. Viotti was the pioneer of the romantic classical music movement in Europe in late 18th century. (Courtesy of Shutterstock)
The pioneer: A portrait of Italian composer and violinist Giovanni Battista Viotti by British painter Henry Hoppner Meyer. Viotti was the pioneer of the romantic classical music movement in Europe in late 18th century. (Courtesy of Shutterstock)

True to the concert’s Instrumental Conversation theme, the quartet also reimagined several pieces played during the evening, such as several arias written by Mozart, obviously designed around human vocal instruments, which had already been rewritten by German composer Joseph Küffner for string and woodwind instruments, according to Beriolli.

For instance, the quartet played Küffner’s reimaginations of Mozart’s arias out of the From Don Giovanni repertoire, such as “Quartet in Re Magg. K285”, which is a playful piece that the audience could easily dance to.

“Even though Küffner’s name as a composer is well-known — he was also Mozart’s close friend and contemporary — very few people know about Küffner’s [string and woodwind version adaptation] of Mozart’s arias,” Beriolli said.

According to Francesco, Viotti left behind an important legacy for European classical music, which he performed in various European countries like France, German and Russia in the 18th century.

Thus, Francesco continued, Viotti helped spread the romantic movement across the continent after the Baroque era ruled the continent’s musical landscape in the 17th and 18th centuries. It is fair to say that Viotti was the father of the European romantic music movement.

“Viotti was a violinist for the French queen, Marie Antoinette, and he was her favorite. He then moved to Germany, before moving again to Russia. He died in the United Kingdom. He spread Italian culture and music all over the Europe,” Beriolli said.

“He also pioneered the French music school, through pupils like [French violinist] Jacques Thibaud whose teachers also studied under Viotti. Without Viotti’s influence, Beethoven could not have composed his romantic concertos,” she explained.

Therefore, Fransesco continued, Viotti was a cosmopolitan musician who traveled the continent to create cross-cultural dialogue and interactions, turning him into an important figure to be commemorated.

Technically speaking, Viotti also contributed to the development of the bow design for string instruments in Europe in the 17th century. With longer and concave bows designed by Viotti, European string instruments could produce a sound that was more intense and stronger, according to Beriolli.

“With the convex bow [typically used during the Baroque era], you cannot sustain the sound too much. With the concave bow, which is longer, you can make a legato [smooth and connected sound in between successive tones]. [German composer Richard] Wagner (1813-1883) conceived the continuous melody in his compositions thanks to this type of long and concave bow,” Francesco said.

Offstage: Quartetto Viotti’s members, pose for a photograph after their performance. (Courtesy of the Italian Cultural Institute)
Offstage: Quartetto Viotti’s members, pose for a photograph after their performance. (Courtesy of the Italian Cultural Institute)

Interestingly enough, the Italian-Indonesian connection through classical music has come a long way: Thibaud, the French violinist who was educated in the Viotti tradition, once played in Indonesia during the Dutch colonial period, entertaining the Dutch elite in the 1930s or 1940s, according to Francesco.

Therefore, he continued, the quartet found it extremely important to bring Viotti’s music to an Indonesian audience again in the 21st century, to mediate a cultural dialogue between the two countries, which was no different from how Viotti had achieved cultural dialogue across Europe.

“Listening to Viotti’s music is a way for Indonesians to get deeper into Italian culture,” he said.

The quartet’s mission fits in nicely with the embassy’s celebration of 70 years of bilateral ties between Indonesian and Italy.

Italian Ambassador to Indonesia Vittorio Sandalli said the concert was part of an array of events — comprising arts, culture and science —which sought to pay respect to the Renaissance legacy as well as strengthening ties between the two countries.

During the concert’s first encore, the quartet pleasantly surprised the audience with a performance of legendary Indonesian composer Ismail Marzuki’s (1944-1958) “Rayuan Pulau Kelapa” (The Lure of the Coconut Island), sending audience members humming along to the tune, seemingly forgetting that they were at a classical concert where you had to remain silent throughout the program.

“It’s a great vibe [playing for an Indonesian audience]. We would like to have the same audience everywhere. I love the warmth [of the audience]; you could tell that they took real pleasure in listening [to your music],” Beriolli said.

Stefano, meanwhile, said he enjoyed the positive feeling that oozed out of the audience.

“We very much enjoy the people here, [they are] so friendly. We also love the food,” Franscesco said. “Especially sayur asam (vegetables in tamarind soup) and bebek bakar (grilled duck),” said Beriolli.

Istu Septania contributed to this story.

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