"Nila Candra" is a Wayang Kulit (traditional Balinese puppet/shadow play) performance directed by I Putu Gede Budhi Danaswara (Dalam) and musicalized by Andy Santika, for a live exhibition in the University ISI Denpasar (Bali, Indonesia).
The play features the storytelling of the Ramayana -adaptated to Balinese Hindu epic traditions-, accompanied by a Semar Peguligan Gamelan Ensemble.
The pieces show melodic but very fast and accurate kotekan (interlocking), with long instrumental backgrounds sang and spoken on top by the Dalang.
Performed in the Gamelan ensemble "Semar Pegulingan", which scale is made of 7 tones. This characteristic makes it the Gamelan of choice for melodic composers, as it gives a wider range of notes.
Also called the "Gamelan of Love and Gods" by the author Colin McPhee, the ensemble was first introduced around the year 1700, until begginings of 1900 when different ensembles (specially Gong Kebyar) became more popular.
Later that century, several composers, luthiers and ethnomusicologists worked together to reborn the classical compositions of the ensemble, and the instruments themselves after years of not being played.
Recorded in Denpasar, Bali, December 2020.
Please support downloading this album.
credits
released December 28, 2020
This is a documentary process of recording Balinese Traditional Gamelan music, started in the year 2020.
Traditions have changed over time, but ancient musical compositions are adapted to nowadays life.
Agustín Oscar Rissotti, an Argentinian student of the University ISI Denpasar (Bali), developed an idea to join as many rehearsals, ensembles and religious ceremonies as possible with small microphones and recording equipment, to document the authentique "Bali Gamelan Sound".
In Bali, live performances are meant to be performed for the Gods. There is no egoistic purpose in this performances, but to admire the beauty of this world through the eyes of Hindu Balinese religion.
As for his ears, this is "The authentique Bali Sound", full of conversations around, people passing by, laughs, music of different performances played together (as it is meant to be in several Balinese Hindu ceremonies where -more than 1- ensembles are playing music very close to each other -at the same time-), background noises, sounds of coffee cups and arak shoots, breath of ciggaretes, animals hollowing around, hundreds of motorbikes passing by, and even mother nature earthquakes.
With all my respect, this is the vision of a South Latin American guy who ended up studying Balinese Culture and living in the Island during the pandemic.
I hope this can translate you to the world I am living in.
Thankyou, I hope you will enjoy this music. Astungkara, matur suksema.
All the economic contributions made to this project will be spent in developing the Balinese Culture and Artists.