| Lena
Lie reviews Penang's first ever contemporary Malaysian opera performance
 Classical
music enthusiasts in the Northern region of Malaysia were in
luck in November 09 when Johan Othman boldly shared with the
world his latest creative opus. This artistic product has evolved
from his deep affinity for music drama and literature with a
high level of spiritual and philosophical themes. Conference
of the Bird, a Farid ud-Din Attar's poem, received a modern
day interpretation in the form of a contemporary opera by Othman.
This music drama was indeed the fruit of a rare multinational
collaboration between Othman and William Radice, a renowned
British poet-writer. After a grueling three years of hard work
and deliberations through email exchanges, the original manuscripts
and libretto were successfully completed, and the opera was
finally ready for world premiere on November 21-23, 2009 at
the Wawasan Open University in Penang. The performance was choreographed
and directed by Chee Sek Thim of Five Arts Centre.
Being the first contemporary opera by a Malaysian composer
to be performed in Penang, Conference of the Birds naturally
became the talk of music circles in the country and its premiere
was most warmly anticipated by classical music enthusiasts from
near and far. The libretto, written by Radice, is an adaptation
of Attar's original poem about a journey undertaken by a flock
of birds to search for a leader, the great Simorgh. These birds
must face many challenges as they travel through the seven valleys
of love, bewilderment, quest, knowledge, unity, detachment and
poverty to find Simorgh.
When they finally reach the palace of Simorgh, all they see
there are "Themselves, the Simorgh of the world - with
awe They gazed, and dared at last to comprehend They were the
Simorgh" and the journey to enlightenment is complete.
Radice's choice of words and style of writing brought Attar's
deep spiritual messages to a higher level of dramatic effects.
And Othman, who is naturally drawn to epic poems with strong
cultural and spiritual contents, uses vivid instrumental colors,
distinct rhythmic figures and sound textures to describe the
birds' journey.
The listener is at once struck by the serious tone of the music
as the opera began. This climate of profound intensity established
the mood for the entire piece. At the onset of the prologue
and Scene 1, Othman used vibrant instrumental colors to mirror
the different species of birds that gathered for a conference.
This was followed by several solo parts which began with the
Hoopoe summoning the rest to participate in their quest to find
a leader, after which the Nightingale, the Parrot and the Owl
each took turns to give their views about who should be their
leader. The cast promptly brought out the mood in the debate
with full force when each individual bird stepped forward to
deliver its view with energy and animation. As the Hoopoe attempted
to reach a consensus on who should lead the journey to the land
of Simorgh, the music swiftly mutated into a quieter vein that
was punctuated by the woodblocks.
Homophonic textures opened the next scene and the music gradually
shifted into a mystical and more meditative realm. Here, Chee
designed an interesting sequence in which the cast were asked
to move their body in circular motion while standing on the
spot depicting the birds flying through the valleys. This fluid
atmosphere was punctuated by the sounds of bells hence injecting
the entire section with a sense of spirituality. As the Hoopoe
began its musical soliloquy the music picked up momentum and
this segment of the scene was somewhat percussive and bursting
with vigor.
 For
the following scene in which the birds were searching for the
door and the key to Simorgh's palace, Othman reflected the mysticism
of Simorgh with a clearer rhythmic structure while maintaining
a meditative mood. At the valley of death and deprivation, the
Hoopoe declared to the flock that in the divine sphere where
the present and the future dissolve into nothing, "all
identity must disappear" and become a "part of the
great ocean forever in peace". This profound message was
scored with slower and more restrained rhythmic movements at
a softer dynamic level.
The final scene began with the tolling of bells to signify
the opening of the door of Simorgh's palace. As the door opened
the birds saw the "white light", their faces glowed
as never before and peace came upon them. Their arrival at enlightenment
was musically painted with a meditative yet flowing and transparent
texture. It was at this very moment that bright, uplifting harmonic
and instrumental nuances were transmitted for the first time
in the entire opera. The stage lighting team used light as a
creative tool to express concepts in visual expressions. This
lighting technique effectively dramatized the closing scene
in which clear "white light" was utilized to illuminate
the entire stage when the birds had finally reached enlightenment.
In spite of having a cast that involved music and drama enthusiasts
with varying degrees of experience in both disciplines, Othman
and Chee took up the challenges in their stride. Lo and behold,
the cast did pull off a remarkable performance, one that was
marked by precision in movements as well as full, undivided
concentration throughout the entire opera. Chee's direction
brought out the best in the cast, for example some degree of
humor and animation were acted out with conviction at the opening
scene. Another segment that was delivered with crisp precision
was found in Scene 2 when the flock took off on their journey
and gliding high in the sky. This dance-like sequence effectively
mirrored the graceful movements of the birds in the air.
 By
utilizing computer and electronic exclusively, Othman has successfully
created a contemporary opera seria with electronic accompaniment..
His meticulous scoring techniques have effectuated a lucid musical
description and characterization which are the two most important
elements in the storytelling process in an opera. The music
has a very well designed form and this is manifested by the
strike of the gong at the end of a structural section. Conference
of the Birds is an atonal-modal piece with a moderate level
of harmonic dissonance. Its melodic lines are not as lyrical
as most operas of the 18th and 19th centuries, this is simply
due to the composer's style of harmonic language. Othman shapes
his melodies according to the natural inflection of speech;
hence, the vocal parts pose a big challenge to the singers.
Hats off to Othman and vocal coach Khoo Hooi Lay, it was their
persistent and dedicated vocal coaching over a short period
of seven months that prepared the singers for the premiere.
Although there are still rooms for improvement in the area of
vocal projection and diction, the premiere was generally reckoned
a success.
With its humble beginning, Conference of the Birds has a promising
future in the genre of contemporary operas. Othman and the production
team will bring their "conference" outside of the
island to spread the good news of enlightenment. More future
performance is already in the pipeline even before the premiere.
Othman will now consume himself in the rescoring of the opera
for a live chamber orchestra … a future indeed.
Lena P.H. Lie
Lena PH Lie is a musicologist and a lecturer at the School
of Arts, USM. The edited version of her review was published by
Off The Edge, Mar 2010 under the title "Twitter". Images courtesy of Five Arts Centre
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