Music survives and thrivesevery moment it is performed. Ithink the whole point of a musicperformance is a ‘moment’.It comes and it goes never toreturn, making way for the nextone to come and go and neverreturn. Recordings are great,but they are not a replacementof live performances.
Andthere is no ‘moment’ quite likea good blues guitar solo. And you can expect to hear plentyof sweet guitar solos at TheJakarta International BluesFestival 2011. Only some ofthem will send a tingle downyour spine, or probably evenmake your eyes well up, buteach ‘moment’ is always worth the wait..
The Jakarta International Blues Festival 2011
Only some of them will send a tingle down your spine, or probably even make your eyes well up, but each ‘moment’ is always worth the wait.. The artist line-up for this year will include Gugun Blues Shelter, Endah n’ Rhesa, and Shandy Sondhoro. The less you have heard of them, the more reason for you to go. Besides, John Mayall, whose still bluesin’ it after 70 (he might be older now but I’ve stopped counting) will also be performing for Jakarta’s blues lovers. Tickets cost Rp 150.000 for festival entry and an additional Rp 200.000-Rp 500.000 for John Mayall’s gig. So don’t miss out.
After Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, it will be Christmas dusk. It’s time to rest from your own caroling and let a professional choir and soprano sing those carols to you in Indonesia’s most beautiful concert hall, Aula Simfonia. I mean that from an aural perspective, although the place sure looks very nice too.
The Aula Simfonia Christmas Concert
The Aula Simfonia Christmas Concert will present the Jakarta Oratorio Society and Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra performing works by Brahms, Berlioz, Handel, Shaw, as well as a selection of Christmas carols. They will be led by internationally renowned conductor, Jahja Ling. The concert also features internationally acclaimed soprano, Janice Eteme.
Janice Chandler Eteme has performed across the USA with numerous opera companies and orchestras, in prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall. Jahja Ling, now a US citizen, was born in Jakarta. He began to study piano at the age of 4, assumably before he started 1st grade – which I think is a great idea. Like some other Indonesians, he went on to study at Juilliard and then Yale. Unlike any other Indonesian, he then won an award which enabled him to study with Leonard Bernstein(!!). That’s just the one in the long list of his accolades that I care to mention in my limited space. His achievements make such a long read that as I read through them to prepare this article, my eyes started to hurt. Again unlike any other Jakartan, he has gone on to become the Artistic Director of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, which at the time he started his tenure, was somewhat of a fixer upper, a challenge which he overcame successfully. And if you think that’s great, then go and see his effect on the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra.
Last but not least is Ananda Sukarlan’s
Java New Year Concert 2012
which will present 2 operas in one show, a first in Indonesia.
Both are of the opera buffa or comic opera genre, and bound to be musically and comedically entertaining. Both are based on short stories by Putu Wijaya, Indonesia’s most prolific author of short stories with over 1000 of them to his name. The first opera, Laki-laki Sejati (A true man) will be performed by soprano coloratura Evelyn Merrelita and mezzosoprano Eriyani Tenga Lunga. Its premiere in September received excellent critical acclaim. Both Eriyani and Evelyn were prizewinners in the National Vocal Award “Tembang Puitik Ananda Sukarlan” 2011 held last April in Surabaya.
This event is also the premiere of the second opera, Mendadak Kaya (Suddenly Rich), which tells the story of one requesting a witchdoctor to make him wealthy, only to then discover the consequence of his request. It will be performed by tenors Adi Nugroho and Pharel Silaban.
