Appendix : Interview with Ananda Sukarlan

“An Indigo person (a person who has supernatural abilities) tweeted me two weeks before, asking me to meet, saying that he had something to tell me. I was confused at first, but after having some conversations with him through Twitter, we finally met each other. He told me I was also a musician in my past life. At first, I didn’t believe, but if I come to think of things that have happened in my life, I can do many things naturally without learning, especially in music. “ -Ananda Sukarlan .............................................................................................................................................. Below are some selected questions and answers from my interview with Ananda Sukarlan (both orally and written). .............................................................................................................................................. (1) Why do you call your music literature music? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: Because the tradition will be too classical if it is called classical music. But the impression of classical music in Indonesia seems to be too formidable and boring. Literature music is music that is written like a creation of literature. My music is different from jazz music. My music is written, thus if you want to play my music, there are always music scores and the notes will always be the same. Actually i made this term in Indonesia. Now in Europe there is a term “Western Concert Music”, which I am against it, because ‘concert music’ are not only for Western, and Takemitsu is not a Western. Therefore when I am in Europe I always propose “literature music”, but they prefer to call Western concert music, as they said that the music originated from the West. Then what about my work, Rapsodia Nusantara? It is not ethnic music, and it is written like literature. Shakespeare was often inspired by folktales and had created it into literature –because it is written. Thus I think the comparison is the same. It is written, whether if it is art music or not, that is a different thing. However, in fact Indonesian musicians do not like to use the term “literature music”, as they prefer Western music. But for me who live in the West, I don’t think I am Western. .............................................................................................................................................. (2) Why do you write a blog? Is there any particular reason? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: Because I like it, I try to explain my music and ideas so that people won’t misunderstand why my music, and I hope that it could help people who want to interpret my music . .............................................................................................................................................. (3) You are recognized as a pianist, a composer, a music teacher, as well as a musician. Which of them do you want to be recognized best? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: I don’t know. I want to be a hundred percent composer, but both in Europe and Indonesia, I still can not live as a composer. The payment that I earn from playing piano is still much more than being a composer. To arrange a concert I need three days, but to compose an orchestral work I need two to three months, and just a week to prepare to perform one piano concerto. They are much different. I want to be a composer, but due to financial reasons, I am a performer for now. .............................................................................................................................................. (4) Why did you come to think of composing Tembang Puitik (poetic songs)? Who inspires you? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: I have been a literature lover since I was little! Before 2005 my poetic songs were all inspired by English and Spanish poems, but since 2005 I had the chance to visit Indonesia quite often. That time, internet, yahoo messenger, etc., had also come to existence, that I became familiar again with bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian language). About my status as a successor of Tembang Puitik after Mochtar Embut (who has died in 1970s), I actually didn’t know about it. I have been living in Europe since 1987, and it is common in Europe to compose songs inspired by poetry, that I just composed without intentionally thinking of being a successor. I love works by Schubert, Britten, Mahler based on existing poems, and learned a lot from them, and because I am an Indonesian, well, it's inevitable that I do it with my own mother language! .............................................................................................................................................. (5) What do you think about music in Indonesia? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: I can say that Indonesian classical music still barely exists. Most of them (Indonesians) demand for something Western, and the classical music lovers here love to watch concerts in 114 Singapore. They will watch if it is in Singapore, although the artists performing are Indonesians. Whereas, in the contrary, they don’t watch Indonesian artists perform in their own country. Music here means the composer should be Western and should be dead, if they are still alive and are Indonesians, they don’t want to know anything. This also reflects from the classical musicians in Indonesia themselves. They have their own systems, saying “I am Western”, wanting to be somebody else, and they don’t want to be themselves. We have an identity, and Indonesia is the richest country in cultural aspect, but they think that it is nothing. Korean pop and Justin Bieber are much more “keren (cool)”, and classical music has to be Beethoven. .............................................................................................................................................. (6) What is your goal in the future? .............................................................................................................................................. AS: I want to write some opera or maybe some orchestra works. I just like to live in both Spain and Indonesia. I just want to be as Indonesian as possible.