This is an gamelan music event held on the 17th of May 2009 from 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm at the Melbourne’s Consulate of the Republic of Indonesia.
The concert was a combined performance of different gamelan groups from all around Melbourne performing gamelan music from Java and Bali, Indonesia.
Gamelan music is a form of traditional music played in many parts of Indonesia since thousands of years ago. It originated from Java, an island of Indonesia.
This performance was a combination of both the old world and the new world. There were traditional performances accompanied by traditional dance and theatre. There were also modern contemporary composition pieces.
This are 2 videos of Mugi Rahayu at the event. Mugi Rahayu, is a gamelan group based at Eppalock, 20 minutes from Bendigo.
The group first started in 2006 by Aaron Hall after he returned from studying Karawitan for one and a half years at Institut Seni Indonesia, Yogyakarta as part of the Dharmasiswa scholarship program.They are playing Ketawang Puspawarna. This video shows a more traditional aspect of gamelan music
They are performing Tari Gembira accompanied by traditional javanese dance in this segment.
A video of Mahindra Bali, a gamelan group run by the members and friends of the Mahindra Bali community organisation, one of the largest Balinese communities in Australia. The group started about 13 years ago with a small set of instruments, and about 5 years ago acquired the entire set of gamelan.
This video shows Mahindra Bali accompanied by a group of kids performing traditional theatre. Balinese gamelan music is louder and heavier as compared to Javanese gamelan music. The rhythm and beats are more upbeat and hyper.
This last video is a video of the Melbourne Community Gamelan, a melbourne based community gamelan group formed in 1990 under the tutelage of Poedijono.This is a contemporary piece composed by the music director, Poedijono. “Sounds of Melbourne” pictured the sounds of the city, including trams, starting at sunrise and fading out by midnight was this piece of music was trying to depict.
This performance was a true gamelan fest. Showcasing both Javanese and Balinese music all in one event. Gamelan music is soothing and whimsical, a great form of music to enjoy.
