Gamelan is the term for Indonesian musical ensembles consisting primarily of gongs and metallophones of various shapes and sizes, most typically made of bronze. They also include drums, plucked and bowed string instruments, a xylophone, a bamboo flute and singers. There is a high degree of interaction among musicians, who respond to subtle aural cues from the kendhang (drum) and rebab (bowed lute). The result is a rich tapestry of interwoven melodies, punctuated by the regular strokes of gongs and gong-chimes which marks cycles as short as 30 seconds and as long as 20 minutes.
Gamelan has traditionally been an integral component of performing arts throughout Java, from all-night shadow-puppet performances in humble villages to highly refined dances in the marble-floored pavilions of the royal courts. The pieces on this album offer a sampling of different aspects of one of the world's greatest musical traditions.
credits
released December 2, 2006
I.M. Harjito, Artistic Director (1,2,3)
Jon Rea, Co-Director (3)
Anne Stebinger, Co-Director (1,2,3)
Darsono, Guest Artist, kendhang (3)
Glenn Becker (1) Marc Benamou (2,3) Barbara Benary 93) Nicholas Brooke (1,2,3) Tiffany Brunk (3) Deena Burton (2) Nicholas Colvin (1,3) barry Drummond (1) Wayne Forrest (1,2) Stuart Frankel (1,2,3) Barry Frier (1,2,3) Vivan Fung (2) Marvin Goldman (1,3) David Haiman (1,2,3) Denni Harjito (1,2,3) Trevor Healy (2) Ronald Kienhuis (1,2,3) Peter Kirn (2) Marnen Laibow-Koser (3) Skip LaPlante (2) Matt Luker (2) Chris Miller (1,2,3) Debie Morris (1,2,3) Brian Osborne (2) Zack Paige (1) Marc Perlman (1,2,3) Anthony Plekhov (1,3) Jacob Potter (2) Ruth Rosenblatt (3) Mark Reilly (1) Leslie Rudden (1,2) Carla Scheele (1,2,3) Amy Scott (1,3) Joy Shea (1,2,3) Perry Sheffield (1) George Taylor (1) Miranda Vondurnum (2) Carole Weber (2,3) Sarah Weiss (1,3)
Mixing and Mastering - Anthony Plekhov and Jon Rea.
Design - Debie Morris and Ronald Kienhuis.
Photos - Debie Morris.
Recording - Nicholas Colvin, I.M. Harjito and Ronald Kienhuis.
Digitization - Antonius Oktaviano Wiriadjaja.
Gamelan Kusuma Laras is a classical Javanese gamelan orchestra based in New York City that performs music, dance, and
theatre from the classical repertoire of the courts of Central Java to American audiences. The instruments were created especially for the Indonesia Pavilion at the World’s Fair of 1964-65 in New York. Kusuma Laras was founded in 1983....more
Peni Candrarini is an Indonesian composer, song writer and singer. She is also a lecturer in the department of Karawitan at the Indonesian Institute of Art. She performs with Kusuma Laras regularly. Gamelan Kusuma Laras