Search - Various Artists :: Gamelan Music of Bali

Jammed packed with energy and outburst of colour

Kean Chhay Chang | Vic, Australia | 10/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Gamelan Music of Bali is a interesting cd because, this is the only album that I have heard that contains two orchestras that feature in this cd, the well known and popular gamelan gong kebyar or simply known as "kebyar" and also gamelan angklung kebyar. These two orchestras are in popular demand. The keybar style developed in the late 1900s after the Dutch take over of the island of Bali after the Puputan in 1906-1908. The word puputan means "the fight to the death" by the Rajas and their royal families. It appeared in a music competition in the north of Bali and soon became popular and speaded through to the south and all over the island. The word "kebyar" means to "flare up, burst open to bloom or strike a match" and orchestra does stress on the kebyar style heard in these recordings. Each track is unique and quite beautifully recorded especially gamelan angklung with it's bitter sweet music, with the metallic ringing of the metallophones and the stuble sound of the flutes in track 1 called topeng tua a traditional Balinese masked theatre, to the crashing of cymbals, drums and booming of gongs and gong-chimes, heavy metallic ringing of the metallophones which can make it very hazy and very unusual, like most other gamelan music I have heard so far this is quite unique in it's playing style. While gamelan gong kebyar in some tracks care pretty heavy and often stresses or emphasizes especially in track 2 kebyar taruna which would be used to accompany the well known legong kebyar or taruna jaya, in which the dancers or dancer would express their moods and emotions. There can also be sudden shifts in the compositions from a slow start and a rapid build up of tempo gradually at the composition progresses which is typical of some Balinese gamelan music styles. However the cd and it's music is pretty good, yet I was a little disappointed with track 7 called Hudjan Mas "Golden Rain", it was not like in track 9, Hudjan Mas in the Morning of the World cd where it compositions styles were pretty heavy and often I could hear the loud booming of the gongs punctuating right through the compositions and with a loud ringing as the conclusion of the piece. I like the interlocking rhythmic pattern of the trompong (kettle gongs which are mounted on a long trough) giving that boppy and metallic ringing and then clattering of the cymbals creating a very unusual style in Hudjan Mas in some parts of the piece. The style from my point of view must empahsize the loud ringing of thunder and rain as the music piece is progressing in the start with the gangsa (metallophone) probably representing light rain, then thunder and a storm and then light rain and the whole cycle is repeated all over again. Also I had to turn it up the volume quite high to hear some of the tracks unlike the cd the Morning of the World and Gamelan and Kecak which was pretty loud even though I turned the volume to a minimum. I recommend the cd for anyone, and it contains historical background on the music and facts or imformation about each of the track. Good cd to have, contains some the best recording and musical compositions that I have heard so far from Bali, therefore the musician should get some credit and should be credited for the music or works that they help to produce. Just one of many cds ever produced or recorded on Balinese gamelan music"