by Jo Hilder | Aug 23, 2008 | 2008
Saturday and Sunday 23/24 August 2008 Soundings Theatre and Te Marae, Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand), 10:30am, 1pm and 3:30pm A presentation of two Southeast Asian puppetry traditions. A puppeteer from Thailand with beautiful translucently coloured shadow puppets, accompanied by four musicians; and our own Javanese dhalang from Dunedin, Ki Joko Susilo, accompanied by live music from Gamelan Padhang Moncar. Both groups performed three shows, each of 40 minutes. Joko Susilo performed short versions of three stories: Sukeksi, Gatutukaca Sungging, and Gatutkaca Gugur from the Mahabharata. The culmination of the weekend was a unique collaboration between the two groups telling the story of Rama and Sinta in English, with some Thai and Indonesian, accompanied by all the...
by Jo Hilder | Aug 16, 2008 | 2008
Saturday 16 August 2008 TSB Arena Events Centre Gamelan Taniwha Jaya performed traditional Balinese music on stage with Balinese dancer Evie Suyadnyani performing Tari Rejang (a temple dance). GTJ also performed Sekar Ginotan by Lotring and Jauk Manis. Joko Susilo demonstrated Javanese shadow puppetry (wayang kulit) in the Traditional Games area. This event featured food stalls, displays and performances from nine Southeast Asian nations – Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia,Viet Nam, Cambodia, Myanmar and Laos and attracted a large...
by Jo Hilder | Aug 2, 2008 | 2008
Saturday 2 August 2008 Paramount Theatre Gamelan Padhang Moncar played before this Wellington premiere of Florian Habicht’s film about Warwick Broadhead. A recording of Gamelan Padhang Moncar playing Ladrang Mijil Ludira is used on the soundtrack of the movie and was recorded in March...
by Jo Hilder | Jul 17, 2008 | 2008
Thursday 17 July 2008 Government House Gamelan Padhang Moncar provided music during the pre-dinner drinks for this dinner in honour of the patrons of the Asia New Zealand Foundation.
by Jo Hilder | May 15, 2008 | 2008
Thursday 15 May 2008, 7:30-8:30pm Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand) Gamelan Padhang Moncar provided music for this evening associated with the Theo Schoon Exhibition. The son of Dutch parents, Theo Schoon was born in Indonesia and came to live and work in New Zealand in 1939, aged 24. He drew on Indonesian art influences throughout his long...
by Jo Hilder | Apr 13, 2008 | 2008
Sunday 13 April 2008, 2pm Pataka Museum, Porirua Gamelan Padhang Moncar provided the music for a wayang kulit (traditional Javanese shadow puppetry) show with puppet master, Joko Susilo presenting the story Gathutkaca Gugur. “In his presentations from behind the screen where he cooks under hot lights wearing heavy Javanese clothes Joko works references to football teams, the weather and local events into the classic Mahabharata and Ramayana epics…Seeing a dexterous dalang work a collection of more than 100 whirling puppets, flashing them across the screen, dodging and receiving arrows and spears, spinning them up and down while singing the story and adding sound effects redefines multi-tasking.” Duncan Graham, Jakarta Post, Thursday 1 May 2008 A free public workshop was also offered at 11am, as well as workshops in schools. “His repertoire includes hands-on interaction with the public, handing out the perfectly perforated multi-colored puppets made of buffalo hide. He lets little kids jerk the figures’ spider limbs and finger their grotesque features while he delivers snippets of knowledge. Joko’s technique is matey, not declamatory or serious. So there’s only a sense of fun, not formal learning.” Duncan Graham, Jakarta Post, Thursday 1 May 2008 (See the full text of this article below.) This event was made possible by funding from the Asia:NZ Foundation. Follow this link for more information about Javanese wayang kulit. Joko Susilo: Puppet diplomat charms Kiwis Duncan Graham, Jakarta Post, Thursday 1 May 2008 Joko Susilo is a bit of a cheeky lad. At a big event in the South Australian capital of Adelaide last year, the Indonesian dalang shadow puppet master took a shot at monolingual Australia...
by Jo Hilder | Mar 30, 2008 | 2008
Sunday 30 March 2008, 7pm Adam Concert Room, New Zealand School of Music (VUW campus) As part of their Happiness Connection ’08 Tour of Australasia, the Gyuto Monks of Tibet presented a concert with Gamelan Padhang Moncar, in which the monks and Gamelan Taniwha Jaya (Balinese) combined for a powerful end to the...
by Jo Hilder | Mar 19, 2008 | 2008
Wednesday 19 March 2008 Adam Concert Room, New Zealand School of Music (VUW campus) Gamelan Padhang Moncar performed Gendhing Tukung as part of a farewell to Allan Thomas, on his retirement from Victoria University of Wellington. Allan was responsible for establishing gamelan at the university by bringing a set of instruments from Cirebon in 1975 and starting a teaching...
by Jo Hilder | Mar 5, 2008 | eventYear
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by Jo Hilder | Feb 16, 2008 | 2008
Saturday 16 February 2008 Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand) Renowed cross-dressing dancer and comedian Didik Nini Thowok performed traditional Javanese and Balinese dance, with live music from Gamelan Padhang Moncar and Gamelan Taniwha Jaya, as well as dancing the Maori story of Rona e te Marama (‘Rona and the Moon’) to music by Gareth Farr for both gamelan combined. This work was premiered at the 2007 Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival. Didik was joined in a newly choreographed Balinese dance by Evie Suyadnyani, a dancer visiting from Bali. They danced exquisitely to music composed especially for them by I Wayan Gde Yudane. This performance was part of the 10th anniversary of Te...
by Jo Hilder | Jul 1, 2007 | Highlights GPM, Highlights GTJ
In July 2007, Gamelan Padhang Moncar and Gamelan Taniwha Jaya travelled to Yogyakarta, Java for our second appearance at the Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival. We brought a full programme of brand new works by New Zealand composers for both Javanese and Balinese gamelan, many incorporating clarinet, baritone saxophone and flute. We were joined in performance by guest Indonesian artists we have previously performed with – kroncong diva Waldjinah, and transgender dancer Didik Nini Thowok. Waldjinah performed the old favourite “Denpasar Moon” with gamelan accompaniment arranged by Gareth Farr – to great acclaim by an enthusiastic audience. Didik danced the traditional Maori story of “Rona and the moon” to music composed by Gareth for both Javanese and Balinese gamelan combined. A highlight of the concert was the appearance of another guest – Slamet Gundono who improvised over a classic Javanese lancaran, ‘Singa Neba’, in which our clarinetist Andrzej Nowicki interacted first with Waldjinah singing a traditional song, and then with the truly amazing Gundono whose powerful vocals incorporated a wide range of influences. Our treatment of the piece transformed it from Singa Neba(pouncing lion) to Singa Edan (crazy lion). Another audience favourite was Jack Body‘s arrangement of a number of Polish Dances for Javanese gamelan and two clarinets and baritone sax. The work of I Wayan Gde Yudane featured strongly – a new work for Javanese gamelan and winds featured angular melodic lines and interesting twists on traditional Javanese forms, while his work for Balinese gamelan featured complex rhythms and a western flute. Other works were by Chris Watson, Judith Exley, Budi Putra and Anton Killin. Compositions for this festival appearance...
by Jo Hilder | Nov 20, 2005 | Highlights GPM
A compelling Inter-Cultural Meditation on Life’s Brevity for Voices, Gamelan & Dance To remember those who died before their time, particularly the victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami. 20 November 2005 Gamelan Padhang Moncar and Gamelan Taniwha Jaya combined with the choir of St Mary of the Angels, and three guest vocalists from Indonesia (Nyoman Sukerta, Muriah Budiarti, and male soprano Suyarto), to present this concert. Traditional Javanese music was interspersed with plainsong arrangements by Jack Body, compositions by Gareth Farr and I Wayan Gde Yudane, and Shen Nalin’s Wan Ge (Elegy), a setting of a poem by Tao Yuanming that Jack loved. Nalin’s piece was dedicated to Jack and is reproduced below. I Nyoman Sukerta also performed Topeng Tua (a traditional Balinese masked dance) accompanied by Gamelan Taniwha Jaya. “the setting by Wayan Yudane of a poem by I Ketut Juliarsi called A Drop of Water at the Edge of a Leaf, [was] performed with striking authenticity by a fine assembly of Indonesian singers, gamelan (orchestra) and gamelan choir…. Dancer Nyoman Sukerta’s revelatory performance of the Balinese Dance of an Old Man, however, took us convincingly into another realm, self-explanatory and universal in its meaning.” Lindis Taylor, Dominion Post, November 18, 2005 Elegy If there is life there must be death, Early or late, there is no hurrying fate. Yesterday evening we were people together, Today at dawn we are listed among the ghosts. The breath of the soul, where has it gone? A dried-up shape is left in hollow wood. My beloved children snivel, looking for their father, My best friends mourn by the coffin, weeping. Winning,...
by Jo Hilder | Oct 13, 2003 | Highlights GPM
In October 2003, Gamelan Padhang Moncar collaborated with the Indonesian kroncong diva, Waldjinah, and her kroncong ensemble, Bintang Surakarta, to present an evening of gamelan and jazz at the 7th Wellington International Jazz Festival. Trio Fracas (a saxophone trio comprising Blair Latham, Nils Olsen and Anton Wuts) also joined us for arrangements of Indonesian songs by local composers for gamelan, saxophones, kroncong orchestra and voice. Radio NZ Concert later broadcast a recording of the concert. Our CD, Campur Sari, contains studio...
by Jo Hilder | Jul 11, 2002 | Highlights GPM
27 June - 16 July Gamelan Padhang Moncar‘s second tour to Indonesia included the group’s first appearance at the Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival, performing three times at the festival and also at Sekolah Tinggi Seni Indonesia (the tertiary performing arts institute) in the nearby city of Surakarta. The group presented new works by I Wayan Gde Yudane, Leila Adu-Gilmore, Judith Exley, Megan Collins, Jane Hebberd, Leon De Lorenzo, Katie Lissette, Sue Street and Mike Jones. Sue and Mike’s work incorporated wayang figures of native birds of Aotearoa created especially for this show. A particularly special performance was a part of the traditional Javanese wedding ceremony of one of our members to his Javanese fiance. The group also spent a week in Bali attending local performances at the Bali Arts Festival and participating in workshops in Gamelan Semarandana and Selonding. Acknowledgements: Gamelan Padhang Moncar acknowledges the following institutions for their support of this tour: Asia 2000 Foundation (now Asia NZ Foundation) Victoria University of Wellington Te Herenga Waka (Vice-Chancellor’s Fund & NZ School of Music) Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia, Wellington New Zealand Indonesia...
by Jo Hilder | Mar 21, 1999 | Highlights GPM
In 1999, we celebrated 25 years of gamelan in New Zealand with an international gamelan festival which featured guests from the US, Netherlands, Australia, Singapore and Indonesia. The week included performances of traditional and new gamelan music and a programme of seminars, including a keynote lecture by Pak Hardjo Susilo. A CD of highlights was produced. “A fusion of the exotic, traditional, and contemporary, all woven into … sublime music-making from the Victoria University’s Gamelan Padhang Moncar group, beginning in fine festive style Wellington’s International Gamelan Festival.” Michael Heath, City Voice, March 25 1999 Gongs and chimes transcend cultures What: International Gamelan Festival. Gamelan ensembles, dancers, puppeteers, individual performers and composers in Indonesian traditions Where: llott Concert Chamber, Bats Theatre (evenings), Queens Wharf and Majestic Centre (lunch times) Reviewed by: Lindis Taylor Jack Body and Allan Thomas, ethnomusicologists teaching at Victoria University School of Music, are mainly responsible for staging what must be the largest international festival of gamelan and other Indonesian music, puppetry and dance ever presented in New Zealand. It also serves to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the university’s resident Gamelan Padhang Moncar. The Wellington ensemble (“gamelan” refers to the suite of instruments as well as to the body of instruments plus their players) has given music students over that period an important practical perspective on non-Western music. That has challenged the barrier between “classical”, “serious”, “fine” music (all pejorative terms) and various kinds of popular music, for these distinctions are harder to apply to non-Western music. The festival programme lists 23 groups or individuals, from New Zealand, Australia, Indonesia, other South-East Asian countries and the United...
by Jo Hilder | Dec 18, 1993 | Highlights GPM
Our first group tour to Indonesia was from December 1993 to January 1994 when the Gamelan Padhang Moncar spent six weeks in Java and Bali, led by Joko Sutrisno and Jack Body. Traveling eastwards overland from Jakarta, the group stopped at cultural and historic centers to experience the culture from which gamelan originated. Along the way we experienced all manner of social and cultural experiences, broadening our horizons and refreshing our way of seeing things. We were also lucky enough to catch performances, including: trance dance in Cirebon, an anklung village in Bandung, the Do-Lalak in Porworejo, lightbulb eating Reog Ponegoro in Surabaya, not to mention the more classical Klenengan, Wayang Kulit, Wayang Wong and Kethoprak in Central Java. We were also involved in performances and media broadcasts, including numerous TV appearances and a radio broadcast. There was quite some interest in there being a group of potato looking bules playing traditional music. First Indonesia tour programme 1994 Indonesian Tour Group Joko Sutrisno and Jack Body interviewed on TVRI,...
