Fall 2019 Gamelan Concert

On November 16, the Javanese and Balinese gamelan ensembles based at UH Mānoa held their annual fall concert. We have selected some pieces from the concert to highlight the enchanted evening in Mānoa.

Gamelan Java – Gamelan Bali

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Barbara Smith Amphitheater

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Gamelan Kyai Gandrung

UH Javanese Gamelan Ensemble

Byron Moon, Director

Gamelan Parisudha

Community-based Balinese Gamelan Ensemble

I Madé Sumayasa, Director

Gamelan Semar Pegulingan Taksu Gitaning Shanti

UH Balinese Gamelan Ensemble

I Madé Widana & Annie Reynolds, Directors

Gamelan Kyai Gandrung

UH Javanese Gamelan Ensemble

Byron Moon, Director

1: Ladrang Wentis Kéngis, sléndro pathet sångå (7 minutes)

A piece from the Yogyakarta gamelan repertoire, this performance of Wentis Kéngis includes an initial section performed in a lively kébar style, followed by a slower, more subdued section that includes a stop (kèndelan) to feature a brief interlude by the pesindhèn.

Gamelan Semar Pegulingan Taksu Gitaning Shanti

I Madé Widana & Annie Reynolds, Directors

This performance featured the debut of Gamelan Semar Pegulingan Taksu Gitaning Shanti. Purchased by the UHM Center for Southeast Asian Studies in order to facilitate expanded educational outreach efforts in Hawai’i and to enable a more diverse repertoire of traditional and innovative Balinese performance, the instruments arrived in Honolulu in December 2018. A notable feature of the gamelan semar pegulingan is that the instruments utilize a seven-tone scale and the repertoire is comprised of different modes from one piece to the next.

The ensemble is currently preparing for the UHM Asian Theater production of the Wayang Listrik performance of The Last King of Bali (on the Kennedy Theatre MainStage in February 2020). This Saturday evening performance featured music and dance excerpts from the upcoming theatre production, and included artists-in-residence I Madé Mojo and I Ketut Wirtawan joining directors I Madé Widana and Annie Reynolds along with a company of Balinese dance students from UH and the Honolulu community.

2: Memendet (9 minutes)

3: Dayang-Dayang (4 minutes)

4: Last King of Bali (2020) Preview (7 minutes)

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa artists-in-residence I Madé Mojo and I Ketut Wirtawan performing an excerpt from the upcoming Wayang Listrik theatre performance of The Last King of Bali opening in February 2020.