On Saturday, 8th of July 2023, Steinway
Gallery Indonesia hosted the first Indonesia Steinway Youth Piano
Competition Winners’ Concert. Opening this concert edition was a very
fitting young pianist: Jennifer Chrysantha. Originally from Surabaya,
Jennifer won the first prize for the very first Indonesia Steinway Youth
Piano Competition back in 2012.
Jennifer opened the afternoon recital with
Liszt Ballade in B minor. In Jennifer’s own program notes, she wrote
that ‘this tragic ballade has no explicit programme attached to it.
However, it was frequently associated with the greek myth of the Hero
and the Leander. In this tale, Leander, a young man, fell in love with
the Hero. Every night he swims across the sea to reach Hero who lives in
a tower across the sea. However, on a stormy night Leander loss his way
and drowned in the ocean. When Hero saw Leander’s dead body, she threw
herself from the tower and took her own life.’
The tragic ballade was followed by
Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 31 No. 3 and Chopin’s popular Sonata No. 2. Many
famous pianists from around Jakarta were in attendance of the concert,
including Jennifer’s former teacher Iswargia Soedarno (Jakarta
Conservatory of Music), Randy Ryan, and Dr. Mario Santoso. In Dr.
Mario’s Instagram Story, he wrote that Jennifer’s playing had a
beautiful singing line.
At the moment, Jennifer is finishing up her
bachelor’s degree at Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of
Antonio Pompa Baldi. We look forward with excitement for what her
future brings to her.
Steinway Gallery Indonesia will also be
hosting several more ISYPC winners concert in the upcoming months. Stay
tuned to our social media as the 7th ISYPC will be announced soon!