I Love You "Dear Music", Even If You Don't Love Me Back
3E Story Blogathon Post #7 by Ananda Sukarlan
For Day 7 of the 3E Story Blogathon, the piano maestro, Ananda Sukarlan talks about the importance of stubborness (aka perseverance), passion and carrying on with one sided love, for mega success. Zapped, read it for yourself
Do you think I am gifted in music? Well, not everybody thought so. When I was at my early age, for several years I studied piano with my sister at home. We were 7 siblings, and my parents only had enough money to send one of us to a music school, so my sister had to "forward" her knowledge she learned to her brothers and sisters. She quit her lessons before I was a teenager so I took over her piano lessons at a music school in Jakarta (at that time in the late 70s, the number of music schools in Jakarta could still be counted with the fingers of one hand). One day, my mother came with me to pick up the report of my progress evaluation. I remember my piano teacher regretfully informed her that my piano playing wasn't good enough to continue the studies. I wasn't even able to repeat, I just had to leave. So it "seems that your son had no hope", a.k.a. I have a lack of musical talent....
My mother wasn't angry at the time. I wasn't disappointed either. If I wasn't talented, well that's it, right? Even by nature there are no musical talents in my family history, so it seemed logical. But I was hooked up with the piano, talented or not, so I asked my mom to continue piano lessons with a private teacher, and luckily she granted my wish. At that time I did not aspire to be a professional in the field of music, let alone classical music. I just loved, blindly loved music, works of Mozart, Beethoven, Mahler etc.. If my love were "unrequited", so be it!
My parents weren't important or rich people but they had a free spirit. My dad said that any work is honorable and decent; whether as a musician, soldier (such as his profession), teacher (my late mother was English professor at the university), businessman or a street food vendor (as it seemed that there was greater opportunity to become this latter than to be a pianist).
After graduating from high school I wanted to continue studying music abroad even though my parents were full of doubt. Becoming a musician or artist of any field, though "decent" was something unimaginable in Indonesia at that time. What happened after that of course is history; I did not become a street food vendor and having a simple and happy life with my wife and kids. Maybe my biggest talent is not music but stubbornness which made me go ahead with what I wanted. Now, with my "lack of talent", I haven't become just a pianist but also a composer! Who would have thought I would make music and work with musicians that I have always admired, and play with symphony orchestras, writing operas, music for films and working with prominent writers and artists of other fields? Not bad for "a lack of talent", eh?
My father once told me that he didn't have the key to success, but he indeed had the key to failure, i.e "trying to make everyone happy". "It was not possible", he said. We're going to get tired in making everyone happy. What is liked by one person is not necessarily liked by others, and both could be right. We just have to do what we believe in, and follow our hearts. I just knew it for a fact with my heart, not told by my piano teacher or even my parents since I was a kid, that although I am "not talented" I cannot live without music. Maybe there are people who are not happy to see my success. But, I don't have to make them happy, right?
Moreover, my success is not a facebook status, so there's no need for anyone to click "like"!
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Ananda Sukarlan was mentioned as “One of the world's leading pianists and has been at the forefront of championing new piano music” (Sydney Morning Herald). Born on June 10th, 1968 this Indonesian composer & pianist is now living in Spain, and is now the most internationally well known Indonesian musician. His more than 200 musical works embrace all fields: operas, film music, numerous works for voice, for piano, symphony orchestras and chamber works and are being performed all over the world. He is listed in the "2000 Outstanding Musicians of the 20th century" published by Cambridge, and has recorded 15 CDs, among others with the comp lete piano works of Jesus Rueda on NAXOS label and the complete piano works of Toru Takemitsu to be released later this year.
You can listen to one of his works here : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhGGGKMIApg . To hear more of his music and know more of him, you can search "Ananda Sukarlan" at appstore to be downloaded in your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch. He regularly writes in his highly popular blog http://andystarblogger.blogspot.com and he tweets at @anandasukarlan .
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