“Artist to Artist” Re-Imagined Online Gamelan Concert Series
Nusantara Arts and Ekalaya Arts Center bring you a social distance Gamelan concert series broadcast from Java, Indonesia featuring some of the finest musicians in central Java.
Nusantara Arts has been raising funds during our Gamelan Masters Guest Lecture Series for out of work Indonesian musicians who are struggling financially during covid. The “Artist to Artist” Re-imagined Online Gamelan Concert Series is the grand result! Ekalaya Arts Center made sure that recordings were safe for the musicians, practicing social distancing, health screening, mask wearing, and sanitizing between shows.
These performances ran from 6/15-7/14 and are now available below in full for your enjoyment
The Javanese concert series title 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.
Concert 1. Éka Padmasari “A Warm Feeling Inside” – éka is 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 rougher like moonshine)
Concert 2. 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)
Concert 3. Tri Kawula Busana“Putting on your fancy clothes…feeling Silly” – tri is three, kawula = ordinary person/non-royalty, and busana = fancy dress/outfit, or traditional but high-quality costume referring to how after three shot glasses one might feel the happiness and giddiness an ordinary person feels when all dressed up—some also say it refers to the clumsiness of getting dressed at this stage. This concert is a giddy evening of jineman, langgam, kethoprakan, and palaran songs that a lighthearted and joyous.
Concert 4. Catur Wanara Rukem“Acting like monkeys, playng and fooling around. Grabing fruit” – catur is four, wanara = 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. This concert doubles as a dance workshop! The purpose is for us to see CONNECTION between kendhang ciblon patterns and the dance movements.
Concert 5. Panca Sura Panggah “Feeling Brazen and Emboldened” – panca is five and sura panggah = strong and confident, referring to how someone after five shot glasses can really start to get a bit aggressive and argumentative. This Performance feature a wayang kulit shadow puppet show by Ki Kasim Kasdo Lamono
A full wayang Kulit performance by dahlang Ki Kasim Kasdo Lamono. Story: KUNTHI PARWA. With simultaneous English translation.