Trio Recital Performance
For 100k IDR per person, I was glad to have found this via the ad on the Indonesian classical music hub on Insta, based around late last year. They often promote classical concerts that are definitely worth your time, though they are unfortunately mostly based in West Java or Jakarta, or other big cities, Surabaya mostly among the few, and I'm too broke to afford many of them, as much as I'd like to go and watch as many of them as I can.
For a conservatory recital, I'm not gonna mention which, I'd have high expectations, and they definitely delivered. It was way better than I expected them to be. These are actual professionals and I am super thrilled to know that the Indonesian classical community exists (albeit a seemingly classist pretentious one, classical music should not be for any reason at all a sign of class but that's for next time).
Professionals or not, these people do not lie about their virtuosity. They have experience and technical skills of advanced players and even with the slightest apparent flaws like over/undershooting and missed bowing, their performance satisfactorily cooked, served, ate, and left no crumbs. Being able to see a performance live like this was super thrilling - yes, even for a mere trio in an acoustic setting!
On acoustic setting, I thought it was really cool that despite being a crammed shophouse, they managed to build a basement complete with a wooden interior to suppport resonance and damping, from a tiny stage from which we can watch the performance, giving off this sort of impression of intimacy and exclusivity. It's just so crammed you can barely fit a crowd of people there, and there were indeed just about enough people to fill up the basement at the time.
The entry was greeted by what looks like a group of the conservatory students, or teachers im not sure. A mix of flamboyant, extravagant, extrinsic people, which is not surprising for artists, but in a way comforting to know that individuality is celebrated somewhere, and that somewhere is in the creative field.
I'm no music performance expert but I think the pianist played very brilliantly. His enthusiasm seeped through and his accuracy razor sharp, I think it made for a really exciting performance. The violinist also superb and concise in his expression, and the cellist an amazing balance between this ironclad ferocity and his feather-light tenderness.
A very epic performance of Beethoven's first piano trio arrangement (Opus One!!), fittingly optimistic and virtuosic for the talented young pianist, followed by Schumann's Faschingsschwank aus Wien, a silly and playful but high-octane and technically demanding piece, and finally the one performance I was looking forward to: Rach's Trio Elegiaque No.1, though unfortunately only the first movement. The recital programme was somewhat misleading with their description in a way they left out the movements they were going to play, but for what they presented it was satisfying enough.
What was unexpected was an encore of Elgar's Salut D'Amour. It was with no lie, a try not to cry challenge. As they were playing I even heard sniffles from the back, from whom I was assuming were other students or teachers, so in a way I'm glad to know people who actually knew their stuff knew exactly how heartbreaking it could or should sound, mine also in addition to the nostalgia of sentimentality I held to it back in high school.
I appreciate that the pianist gave a little context behind every piece - maybe to give the audience an idea of his intention in his choice - an impression on how the piece is supposed to sound, or a little appetizer, or a mix of both, I'm not sure. Most of it was already written on the brochure that came along with the recital programme but I appreciate the pianist's effort and additional elaboration, in English especially (considering the also international audience at the time), despite his awkward disposition.
It was one of the best recitals I have ever seen and felt, and I look forward to seeing more of it. If I ever get around to it.