"Poetic song? Is that a local genre?" asked my editor when I informed her about the Tembang Puitik Indonesia, or Indonesian Poetic Songs concert on Aug. 8 at Erasmus Huis, Jakarta.
Then it struck me: this actually is a local genre, almost unknown outside Indonesia.
The performers are also very Indonesian: Ananda Sukarlan, possibly Indonesia‘s best pianist, and Binu D. Sukaman, likely the country‘s best soprano. Add the nationalistic month of August, and voila! We have an all-Indonesian concert.
For those who are not familiar with the genre, poetic songs are musical compositions inspired by poetry. In most cases, the poem is used as the lyrics, but many instrumental works or solo vocals also fit the genre.
This is not a new concept, as biblical texts have inspired many great classical composers in the same way, such as St. Matthew‘s Passion by J.S. Bach.
To quote Ananda, musical interpretation is principally reading between the notes, just like literary appreciation can be defined by reading between the lines. Thus, he suggested to call his works "literary music" -- music that is written and appreciated like a work of literature.
Ananda‘s version of poetic songs mostly uses the original poem as lyrics, enriching it through musical arrangements. The music may give an entirely new facet to the poem, such as in Kama, performed at the concert.
This song was likely the best performance that night and, at the same time, the best representation of what Ananda and Binu were trying to do.
Kama is based on a poem by Ilham Malayu, who spent 15 years in a Bangkok prison for drug abuse. Behind bars, he stayed clean from drugs and resorted to poetry as compensation. His depression and painful sorrow have produced deep, powerful poems. Kama -- which means "desire" in Sanskrit -- tells of Ilham gazing upon the moon from his cell, longing deeply for his son.
Ananda provides a brilliant musical arrangement for this poem, adding a distinctive Javanese melody -- perhaps to add an Indonesian touch. Although the music is not really connected to the poem, it gives a new dimension.
The pentatonic tones add a sense of sorrow and tragedy, reminding of the wayang (shadow puppet) dramas.
Binu, boosting her powerful volume and intonation, perfectly translated the sorrowful mood of the poem. Although her vocal potential was a bit limited by the relatively short song, she could still find a way to switch quickly in presenting all the moods of the song.
At the end, Binu delivered a fade-out effect by leaving the stage while singing the final "Kama, kama". This reflected Ilham‘s sadness when the moon he was gazing upon -- his only link to the outside world -- slowly disappeared.
When asked about the musical interpretation of his poems, Ilham said he was amazed at seeing it metamorphose from private readings to a complete musical composition.
As for the concert, a slight correction is needed. When introducing the show, Ananda told the audience that this was not a concert, but an album launch, so everyone should relax and just enjoy the show -- which set the mood for the evening.
The show not only presented several songs from Binu and Ananda‘s Poetic Songs album, but also individuals related to the poetry featured on the album.
W.S. Rendra, a renowned Indonesian poet, shared the story of his youthful love which inspired him to write Kekasihku. Ananda provided the poem‘s musical soul, which was well performed by Binu. Rendra also recalled his Yogyakarta days with songwriter Mochtar Embut, whose works have also been honored by being transformed into music.
Trisuci Kamal, a songwriter, also witnessed the metamorphosis of her work Kepadamu Bunda, a tribute to her late mother.
Although Ananda‘s and Binu‘s effort to promote Indonesian music in the classical world is laudable, a few points need addressing.
First, we need a concert -- a real concert -- to introduce the power and beauty of this work. The Poetic Songs concert was sort of "fine-tuned" for a public audience, so it was a bit too short for serious music enthusiasts.
For example, a medley of eight or 9 of Rendra‘s works was performed that night, many of them back-to-back with different moods. It was very tiring for both the singer -- Binu was panting by the end of the songs -- and the audience, because the quick switch of mood was overwhelming.
Through a full concert, the audience could be introduced to longer and more serious pieces like Gugur Bunga or Spider‘s Ballad. In this way, the true creative superpower of Ananda Sukarlan can be presented fully, as could Binu‘s ingenious vocal interpretations.
This writer also would like to challenge Ananda to take on more serious Indonesian musicals, such as songs from the Balinese Kecak dance opera Ramayana. Robert Wilson has proven that the Bugis epic I La Galigo can be crafted into a moving, wonderful opera.
Secondly, the time is ripe for featuring some nationalistic songs like Gugur Bunga and Rayuan Pulau Kelapa, both by Ismail Marzuki, one of the founding fathers of the Indonesian music scene. It is an opportune moment to remember the patriotism of our heroes who fought for the country‘s freedom -- as amplified by Ananda‘s piano and Binu‘s vocals.
It was rather unfortunate that no patriotic songs were performed that night, as Gugur Bunga -- as recorded on the CD -- would have induced tears among the Erasmus audience.
Nevertheless, Ananda Sukarlan and Binu D. Sukaman‘s efforts to try to place Indonesia at center stage deserves the highest praise, in providing a rare "Indonesian insight" to world music.
The two are living proof that Indonesian talents have the ability to rouse respect and admiration outside the country -- and it is strongly felt that their best is yet to come.
Until then, music lovers can check out their new CD and try to guess at their next surprise.
Source: www.thejakartapost.com (15 Agustus 2007)
