A
striking musician
Public
servants in the Ministry of National Education must have had links with tourism
promoters when they supported musician Rupert Snook for a prestigious
Indonesian government award.
For the
22-year old exuberant New Zealander has a simple philosophy: “When you think something is really amazing
then you want to tell everyone else about it.”
In his
‘amazing’ basket is Indonesian culture and music. Although he’s yet to mallet a metallophone in the Republic, he’s
already vacuumed up more about the country and mastered more of the language
than many long-term visitors. If all
goes well he’s set to become an enthusiastic booster for the Archipelago.
“I fell in
love with Indonesia as a teenager when I encountered the gamelan in
Wellington,” he said. “The music is so
alive, so outrageously innovative. It
was like encountering an alien, though in a really good way.
“So I set
out to learn more by reading and talking to Indonesians who’ve been helping me
with Bahasa Indonesia. Later I’ll study
Balinese.”
Last year
he was named by the Indonesian Embassy as the best gamelan student in NZ. This year he graduated from Victoria
University of Wellington with a degree in music. In July 2012 he’ll head to Bali.
As NZ’s
only recipient of a 2012 Darmasiswa Scholarship he’ll study gamelan music at
Denpasar’s Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI – Indonesian Arts Institute) for
a year. The scholarship provides tuition fees and living expenses.
The Darmasiswa is ‘to promote and increase the interest in
the language and culture of Indonesia among the youth of other countries. It
has also been designed to provide stronger cultural links and understanding
among participating countries.’
Commented Rupert: “This is extraordinary; I’ve never heard
of a government offering scholarships to foreigners so they can study the
culture. I’ve had a privileged life in NZ and so fortunate to be going to
Indonesia.
“I don’t really know what to expect but I like being thrown
in at the deep end. As the Indonesian government has accepted me I hope it
shouldn’t be too hard.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. The
more I know of the music the more I learn of the culture. Through music we can bridge differences.”
Rupert started learning music when he was seven and living
in the South Island city of Christchurch.
He studied classical violin and piano but suffered from asthma so spent
long periods in hospital.
Others might have found this experience depressing, but
Rupert enjoyed his stays. He was so
impressed by the professionals he encountered that he decided to become a
doctor, following the example of an older brother and sister.
Then the family moved to Wellington where the teenager found
his school grades for science were average while he was scoring 100 per cent
for music.
Rupert attended Victoria University’s Young Musicians’
Program. Here he encountered
ethnomusicologist and composer Jack Body, an academic at the NZ School of Music
and manager of the Gamelan Padhang Moncar.
(The Javanese term
means ‘growing brightness’ and refers to the Wellington gamelan being the first
in the world to greet a new dawn every day.
NZ lies just west of the International Date Line.)
Professor Body, who lectured at the Akademi Musik Indonesia in Yogya, is another musician infected by enthusiasm for Indonesia. He insisted that although Rupert was enrolled for composition he had to include units in performance.
“Rupert is the kind of curious, intelligent young musician who will undoubtedly maximise all the opportunities he is offered,” he said.
“Today's cultures are largely dominated by the West. It’s very important that we in the West make the effort to understand the cultures and values that are different from our own. Studying gamelan provides a perfect entry into the Indonesian world.”
There are two gamelan sets in Wellington, one Javanese, the
other Balinese, called Gamelan Taniwha Jaya - a mix of Maori and
Balinese words meaning a great supernatural creature. (Pictured left)
Apart from the tutors the players are Kiwis. Not all are students – some have been
playing for pleasure for more than 30 years.
The orchestra has toured Indonesia in the past startling
audiences encountering foreign musicians who have mastered the nation’s
traditional instruments.
Tutor Budi Putra, who lives in NZ and is a graduate of the
ISI in Solo, has been directing the Javanese gamelan since 1996. “Rupert is
very smart and active,” he said. “I’m
optimistic about his future.”
Balinese composer I Wayan Gde Yudane agreed: “His ability and comprehension is backed by
his determination and hard work.”
Rupert joined the orchestra and found the collegiate
environment strikingly different from what he knew as a Western musician.
“It’s a real ensemble experience and you have to go with the
flow,” he said. “This isn’t something
that can be practised alone at home – you have to be with a group and aware of
others.
“There’s no conductor in the European style, though someone
may lead. It’s better not to think too
much about what you’re doing – let your hands do the talking. It’s wonderful to watch players’ hands fly
over the instruments.
“There’s no tempo – yet everyone plays together using their
peripheral vision to get cues. When we
hit as one there’s an explosion of sound.”
When the orchestra played at the Embassy to a mainly
Indonesian audience Rupert discovered an ambience different from any other
venue and great appreciation. “It was
such a pleasant experience,” he said. “Everyone was so friendly and wanted to
share – and the food was also interesting.”
Like many
NZ university students Rupert worked to pay for his education. For the past five years he’s been clipping
tickets on the city’s trains, teaching guitar and helping a student with special
needs.
“To compose
you need to be totally focussed, very single-minded, and that’s how I’m
approaching the language,” he said. “I want to be stretched to the limit.
“Getting
the Darmasiswa is a really big thing in my life. You won’t recognise me in twelve months time.”
(First published in The Jakarta Post 4 June 2012)
##
No comments:
Post a Comment