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New Indonesian Operas Dream Big
Ade Mardiyati | January 04, 2012

Pianist Ananda Sukarlan, left, was born in Jakarta in 1968 but later moved to the United States, and then Europe. He has composed the music for two Indonesian operas. (Photo courtesy of Ananda Sukarlan) Pianist Ananda Sukarlan, left, was born in Jakarta in 1968 but later moved to the United States, and then Europe. He has composed the music for two Indonesian operas. (Photo courtesy of Ananda Sukarlan)
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The short stories of Indonesian playwright and poet Putu Wijaya have been championed by an admired locally born musician who will convert Putu’s work into two operas at this year’s Java New Year Concert.

The operas will be based on Putu’s short stories “Laki-Laki Sejati” (“True Man”) and “Mendadak Kaya” (“Instantly Rich”).

Prominent Indonesian pianist Ananda Sukarlan will present music he composed for this year’s concert. Both operas will be showcased in Jakarta on Sunday, and “Laki-Laki Sejati” will be performed in Surabaya on Jan. 13 and “Mendadak Kaya” in Bandung on Jan. 15.

“I am a big fan of Putu Wijaya,” Ananda said. “I’ve read his pieces for a long time, and I can say that this is a tribute to him.”

Putu, who has often been called the father of Indonesian short stories, said he felt honored.

“But I don’t see this as something that is based on what I did,” he said.

“This is something Ananda worked on to make an outstanding piece. He is such a talented musician.”

Chendra Panatan, the concert’s director and choreographer, said it was JNYC’s dream to create and stage an opera centering on the nuances of Indonesian culture, instead of an adaptation of a famous story already known and preformed on the world stage.

Ananda will try to get the audience involved in analyzing exactly who the True Man is in “Laki-Laki Sejati” through a dialog between mother and daughter.

“Laki-Laki Sejati” will be performed with Ananda on piano, along with coloratura soprano Evelyn Merrelita and mezzo-soprano Eriyani Tenga Lunga.

“Mendadak Kaya” is the story of a man who wants to be rich. But once the protagonist acquires his wealth, his life does not go the way he expects it to.

The slapstick comedy will be brought to the stage by Ananda, tenors Adi “Didut” Nugroho and Pharel Silaban and a cast of female dancers.

“The dance is more like a pantomime to support the story, so it won’t be like the dance people see in most musical concerts,” Chendra said.

Ananda added that the music he intended to play in each opera would be classical in style, with a hint of gamelan incorporated.

“But there will be no gamelan instruments used here. It can be heard through the sound of the piano and the voices of the singers,” he said.

Born in Jakarta in 1968, Ananda began playing piano when he was only 5 years old.

“At that time, we had a piano that a friend of the family gave to us when they moved to the Netherlands,” he said. “Being a little child, I just liked to make noise with the piano. That was when my mother decided to enrol me in lessons so I wouldn’t only make annoying noises.”

As he grew older, Ananda continued to sharpen his musical talent in the United States and the Netherlands. Now based in Spain, Ananda has performed with symphony orchestras throughout Europe and in international festivals.

He has been recognized as “one of the world’s leading pianists” and at the forefront of new piano music by the Sydney Morning Herald. The International Biographical Center of Cambridge has also listed Ananda in the “2,000 Outstanding Musicians of the 20th Century,” making him the only Indonesian on the list.

With his passion for Indonesian culture and literature, Ananda is also prepared to adapt the literature of another prominent Indonesian short story author, essayist and screenwriter, Seno Gumira Ajidarma, for the 2013 Java New Year Concert.

Ananda said that while the upcoming operas were adaptations of Indonesian literature, the JNYC was still accessible to non-Indonesians.

“The project is very Indonesian, but also very universal,” he said, adding that a book containing translations would be provided for foreigners. “This is a small effort to promote what I call Indonesia’s literature music.”

Java New Year Concert 2012

Jakarta:
‘Laki-Laki Sejati’ and ‘Mendadak Kaya”
Sunday, Jan. 8,
4 p.m.
Auditorium Bank Indonesia

Information and tickets: Chendra Panatan
Tel: 0818 891 038
E-mail: ycep@yahoo.com

Surabaya:
‘Laki-Laki Sejati’
Friday, Jan. 13,
7 p.m.
Gedung Kesenian Cak Durasim

Information and tickets: Amadeus Enterprise
Tel: 0816 543 0630

Bandung:
‘Mendadak Kaya’
Sunday, Jan. 15,
4 p.m.
Sasana Budaya Teater Tertutup, Dago Tea House

Information and tickets: Bandung International Music Academy
Tel: 0853 142 666 88 or (022) 423 8962

Twitter:
@anandasukarlan