“Artist to Artist” Virtual Concert Series

In 202o Nusantara Arts and Ekalaya Arts Center brought the world a gamelan concert series broadcast from Java, Indonesia featuring some of the finest musicians in central Java. The performances, from June 15 to July 14, 2020 have been made available in their entirety for your enjoyment.

Nusantara Arts raised funds during our Gamelan Masters Guest Lecture Series for out-of-work Indonesian musicians who were struggling financially during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The “Artist to Artist” Re-imagined Online Gamelan Concert Series is the grand result!

The title of the concert series in Javanese is “Wong urip iku mung mampir ngombé,” or “Life is no more than a quick stop for a drink.” A metaphor for how short life is and how we need to appreciate it, and make the most of our time here. Each Klenengan is named after 1 of the first 5 stages of drinking alcohol, another colorful Javanese musical metaphor for gradually increased intensity and a variety of emotional states.

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  • Éka Padmasari

    Éka Padmasari

    “A Warm Feeling Inside”

    “Éka” means one and “padmasari” (the honey of a lotus flower) refers to the nice, warm feeling one has after one shot glass of a drink (you can imagine brandy if you like, but in traditional Java it was often something a bit more rough, like moonshine).

  • Dwi Maratani

    Dwi Maratani

    “Warmth Throughout the Body”

    “Dwi” is two and “maratani” refers to how after two shot glasses the feeling spreads to your entire body. This will be a classic klenengan style concert with muryraras at the end (playing a gendhing with lights off, no vocals, and energy focused on those who are sick or have recently died).

  • Tri Kawula Busana

    Tri Kawula Busana

    “Putting On Your Fancy Clothes – Feeling Silly”

    “Tri” is three, “kawula” means ordinary person, and “busana” roughly translates to fancy outfit. The title refers to how after three shot glasses one might feel the happiness and giddiness an ordinary person feels when all dressed up.

  • Catur Wanara Rukem

    Catur Wanara Rukem

    “Acting Like Monkeys, Fooling Around, Grabbing Fruit”

    “Catur” is four, “wanara” means monkey, and “rukem” the fruit from a rukem tree, referring to how after four shot glasses the group starts acting like monkeys reveling in trees and competing after fruit. Here we are featuring expert dancers and musicians from Sri Widari and around Solo.

  • Panca Sura Panggah

    Panca Sura Panggah

    “Feeling Brazen and Emboldened”

    “Panca” is five and “sura panggah” means strong and confident, referring to how someone after five shot glasses can really start to get a bit aggressive and argumentative. This performance features a wayang kulit shadow puppet show by Ki Kasim Kasdo Lamono.