Gamelan Court of Central Java - VIII. Court Music Treasures
SKU
08-FY8119
"Court Music Treasures presents five more gendings performed inside the kraton by the excellent musicians of the STSI Conservatory (Institute of the Arts) of Surakarta, in collaboration with musicians from the court itself. The compositions are remarkable for their refinement, enhanced by the timbre of the gamelan used – the famous Kyai Kaduk Manis Manis Rengga – and by the exquisite smoothness of the performances. The first track is one of the cornerstones of the court tradition, a piece that can also be used as an accompaniment to theatre or dance. Gambir Sawit, played in a short version in this CD, is remarkable for its perfect fusion of vocal and instrumental parts. The second gending, Dhenggung Turulare, is by contrast devoid of vocals, providing the musicians with an opportunity to unleash a flourish of dynamically changing sonorities from the metallophones. The opposite occurs in Mandulpati, a piece whose timbral delicacy, vocal lyricism and subtle build-up of a special atmosphere constitute a high point of the disc. Towards the end of the piece the mood changes, when the arrival of the sesegan (fast and loud section for percussion instruments) returns us to the sound of the previous gending. On the fourth track, the rather ancient Carabalen calls for a smaller ensemble comprised of only two groups of gongs (one for melody, the other for rhythm) and a pair of drums, and is notable for its dark instrumental timbres. The CD’s closing track, Pangkur, pertains to the celebrated bedaya group of dances and calls for an ancient instrument such as the kemanak. Aside from the high level of instrumental cohesion and harmony attained by the musicians, Court Music Treasures owes much of its value to the performances of female vocalist Nyi Cendaniraras, male vocalists Darsono, Rustopo and Waridi, and not least to Suraji, virtuoso of the rebab, a bowed viol."