Search - Various Artists :: Bali

Exotic Sounds from the Abode of the Gods

Kean Chhay Chang | Vic, Australia | 07/25/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd contains everything (well almost) every piece of music and type of music found in Bali. I found it really enjoyable to be able to hear a sample of everything not just pure gamelan music. Other recordings including the chanting of priest and priestess during sacred or important ceremonies which deal with the life cycle. While other founds are much too familiar and could be found in other recordings which appear every now and then as a common theme or popular theme like gender wayang for the wayang kulit (shadow theatre) where the dalang (narrator) manipulates the leather puppets through dialogue and through storytelling. The humming, tinkling and jinggling sound of the gender wayang making a wonderful delicate backdrop as the story unfolds. There are also music for cremation often associated with the gamelan angklung playing their happy melodic tones while the dead corpses are sent on their final mission from earth to the heaven. The sounds are wonderful and the musician is able to capture the Balinese everyday life sounds and ceremonies which deals with the so called life-cycle. Other orchestras include what sounds like gamelan gong associated with temple rituals and is the half way mark between gamelan gong gede and gamelan gong kebyar. The compositions including the classical dance like the pendet performed by women holding offerings as they entertain the gods. The sounds are very airy because of the suling and the metallophones filling in the gaps and embellising the piece.Chanting by Jero Gede from Barong Landung is something typical of Balinese theatre and they are considered as sacred effigy. Rustic sounds of the rebab, rythmic sounds of the bamboo intermingling with the suling (flute). There's too much to explain talk about and I can go on forever... so I leave it to the listen for their ideas and opinions."