2016
Books galore and much, much more -
Day 2
28 October 2016
How can I possibly keep this up? Now 11.30 pm and am barely going to be able to write more than a few lines tonight.
The highlight was totally unexpected - and quite ‘out of Ubud’! In fact out of this world! A musical performance on a baby grand (somehow delivered into the middle of the festival site) played by a brilliant Indonesian classical pianist, Ananda Sukarlan based in Bilbao, Spain and a young soprano, Mariska Setiawan from Surabaya who has studied in Germany. She sang sonnets from Cervantes' writings and poems of Garcia Lorca set to music composed by Ananda. A few Indonesian poems set to music too. Both are at the top of their game. World class musical performance with charming commentary by Ananda. They were sponsored by the Spanish Embassy in Jakarta. It should have had top billing at the festival, not just a little note in the program - was well attended though, and everyone was blown away. It was the stuff of the grand concert halls of Europe - or the Sydney Opera House, not a free outdoor performance on a makeshift stage in little Ubud. Ananda performed a few party-trick pieces too, to show off his virtuosity. A Bali Nocturne, composed by a Spaniard, which he played at rapid speed on the top octave of the keyboard representing the noise of crickets and frogs. Brilliant. (Just before he started playing that piece some large insect landed on his keyboard and he leapt back in horror - a local lad had to come and remove it. Ananda must have been away from Indonesia too long where everyone lives with bugs of all shapes and sizes! He has composed music for disabled players too, and played us a marvellous rhapsody solely with his left hand. A virtuoso piece for which he got a standing ovation. He finished with variations on an Indonesian folk song that I recognised from learning it when I was a student fifty years ago. The whole performance was spellbinding and full of surprises that had you jumping up in your seat!
The highlight was totally unexpected - and quite ‘out of Ubud’! In fact out of this world! A musical performance on a baby grand (somehow delivered into the middle of the festival site) played by a brilliant Indonesian classical pianist, Ananda Sukarlan based in Bilbao, Spain and a young soprano, Mariska Setiawan from Surabaya who has studied in Germany. She sang sonnets from Cervantes' writings and poems of Garcia Lorca set to music composed by Ananda. A few Indonesian poems set to music too. Both are at the top of their game. World class musical performance with charming commentary by Ananda. They were sponsored by the Spanish Embassy in Jakarta. It should have had top billing at the festival, not just a little note in the program - was well attended though, and everyone was blown away. It was the stuff of the grand concert halls of Europe - or the Sydney Opera House, not a free outdoor performance on a makeshift stage in little Ubud. Ananda performed a few party-trick pieces too, to show off his virtuosity. A Bali Nocturne, composed by a Spaniard, which he played at rapid speed on the top octave of the keyboard representing the noise of crickets and frogs. Brilliant. (Just before he started playing that piece some large insect landed on his keyboard and he leapt back in horror - a local lad had to come and remove it. Ananda must have been away from Indonesia too long where everyone lives with bugs of all shapes and sizes! He has composed music for disabled players too, and played us a marvellous rhapsody solely with his left hand. A virtuoso piece for which he got a standing ovation. He finished with variations on an Indonesian folk song that I recognised from learning it when I was a student fifty years ago. The whole performance was spellbinding and full of surprises that had you jumping up in your seat!
I actually met them before the performance - their manager Chendra is a friend of my friend Ieyse in Jakarta and she had given him my FB contact, knowing I was at the festival. He wrote inviting me to come to the performance and to meet him beforehand. He took me into the Green Room to introduce me to Ananda and Mariska. I sat chatting with them until it was time for them to go on stage, having no idea how famous they were! - I just Googled Ananda. He is REALLY famous. And I have just found that Chendra is one of Indonesia’s leading choreographers who has collaborated with Ananda often in creating ballets!
Attended three consecutive sessions this morning followed by a film that was a classic Indonesian film of the 80s Behind the Mosquito Net which I never got to see back then. Walked out though. Not only was it very poor quality (recorded off SBS TV in 1983 on VHS!) and its music track drowned out the dialogue, but it also had a pretty incomprehensible plot and way too many characters! So we fled at interval (i.e .the SBS announcement break) and Jeff dropped me at home. Should have tried to fit in another session but badly needed a rest.
Morning Highlights:
A wonderful panel on borders with a Turkish, an Indonesian and a Thai writer – the physical, cultural and psychological borders dividing us, and the means, including social media, by which we can cross those borders. Then a whole session with the brilliant interviewer, my favourite UWRF moderator over the years, Michael Vatikiotis, talking to Anastasia Lin, the activist beauty queen. He delved into her seemingly disparate worlds and tried to get her views on China not just in terms of the human rights causes she espouses (mainly organ transplants where organs are taken from executed Falun Gong and other prisoners). She was very articulate and well researched and handled Michael's diplomatically phrased delving questions well. A stunning session.
Here she is with Janet de Neefe, the founder and director of the festival (got this one off the festival’s FB page)
Attended three consecutive sessions this morning followed by a film that was a classic Indonesian film of the 80s Behind the Mosquito Net which I never got to see back then. Walked out though. Not only was it very poor quality (recorded off SBS TV in 1983 on VHS!) and its music track drowned out the dialogue, but it also had a pretty incomprehensible plot and way too many characters! So we fled at interval (i.e .the SBS announcement break) and Jeff dropped me at home. Should have tried to fit in another session but badly needed a rest.
Morning Highlights:
A wonderful panel on borders with a Turkish, an Indonesian and a Thai writer – the physical, cultural and psychological borders dividing us, and the means, including social media, by which we can cross those borders. Then a whole session with the brilliant interviewer, my favourite UWRF moderator over the years, Michael Vatikiotis, talking to Anastasia Lin, the activist beauty queen. He delved into her seemingly disparate worlds and tried to get her views on China not just in terms of the human rights causes she espouses (mainly organ transplants where organs are taken from executed Falun Gong and other prisoners). She was very articulate and well researched and handled Michael's diplomatically phrased delving questions well. A stunning session.
Here she is with Janet de Neefe, the founder and director of the festival (got this one off the festival’s FB page)
But then came another one on one conversation between Janet Steele, American journalism lecturer and Ubud stalwart, with an Indonesian woman who 20 years ago was trafficked into sex slavery in NY when she applied for a job in a hotel in the US. A harrowing tale, as you can imagine. She eventually escaped but was refused help by her consulate and by the US police and begged on the streets until some stranger took her to the FBI and had her case investigated and the brothel raided. She now lives in the US and runs the Mentari (meaning ‘the sun’ - she never saw sunshine for three years) Foundation for survivors of sex slavery. We were all shattered by the end of her story, but also marvelled at how she has overcome her past and put the experience to use to help others. She also runs a culinary training course in the US and in Jakarta to provide women with alternative employment.
You won't believe this, but Cathy and I even had the energy to go and play Trivia at the Fly Cafe at the end of this long day. Cathy is a great asset on any team. Very social group at our table, so a fun night. All teams tied so we failed on the tie-breaker question on how many bubbles in a bottle of champagne - there are 50,000,000 - count them next time you open a bottle to verify this.
Another highlight of the day was receiving the emailed pictures of Jasmin in her Halloween Mad Hattress outfit at the school party! Did not get to see her "in the flesh" alas, as she had prepared her costume at her mum's. Big sister Dewi took her for a professional makeup job after school before the party. Cathy brought up the top hat and bow tie for the outfit from Sydney! Stunning, eh?
You won't believe this, but Cathy and I even had the energy to go and play Trivia at the Fly Cafe at the end of this long day. Cathy is a great asset on any team. Very social group at our table, so a fun night. All teams tied so we failed on the tie-breaker question on how many bubbles in a bottle of champagne - there are 50,000,000 - count them next time you open a bottle to verify this.
Another highlight of the day was receiving the emailed pictures of Jasmin in her Halloween Mad Hattress outfit at the school party! Did not get to see her "in the flesh" alas, as she had prepared her costume at her mum's. Big sister Dewi took her for a professional makeup job after school before the party. Cathy brought up the top hat and bow tie for the outfit from Sydney! Stunning, eh?
Now 7.30 am as I am finishing this. Cathy has gone off to an early morning meditation session with Amanda.
Lionel Shriver today - the biggest name at the festival. And Jasmin in the kids’ book launch this afternoon - the littlest name.
Cheers from your cheery festival correspondent
Lionel Shriver today - the biggest name at the festival. And Jasmin in the kids’ book launch this afternoon - the littlest name.
Cheers from your cheery festival correspondent