Jakarta (ANTARA Jambi) - Some 200 residents of Wellington, New Zealand, attended a mini-Javanese gamelan concert staged by the Indonesian embassy on Tuesday. The audience showed special interest in a singer presenting typical Javanese tunes, embassy officials said.
They noted the collaboration with the Johnsonville Club in New Zealand, as the music performance was staged as part of deepening ties between the two countries.
Accompanied by a number of "gamelans", traditional Javanese musical instruments, players from the New Zealand School of Music (NZSM) and Victoria University, New Zealand, the singers performed in the Indonesian (Javanese) traditional "kebaya" costume, while the musicians wore Indonesian "batik" dresses.
"While the number of people in Indonesia who are interested in gamelan is declining, in New Zealand the music has become a cultural icon of Indonesia and drawn a lot of fans. Gamelan has, therefore, been chosen as a means of improving the connection between the two countries," Indonesian charge d'affairs in Wellington PLE Priatna said.
"Padang Moncar", the name of the gamelan music group of the late Indonesian ambassador to Wellington, Abul Irsan, performed, as a female singer sang in the Javanese style. "The Mother Land has given everything to human beings and prosperity to those who are loyal," sang Briar Prastiti.
The leader of Padang Moncar, Budi Putra, meanwhile, said that through gamelan "we could deepen our brotherhood so that we can know each other and finally trust each other. Gamelan can be an instrument for communicating our culture to the people of New Zealand,"
The group, based at the New Zealand School of Music, Wellington, has performed three times, highlighting the World Music and Dance New Plymouth two-day annual music event that draws up to 25,000 spectators each day.
The group has also toured Indonesia, including Jakarta, Solo, Malang and Bali since 1993.
Gamelan was first introduced in New Zealand by Dr Allan Thomas, an anthropologist and ethno-musicology lecturer from the Music School of Victoria University, Wellington. He brought a complete set of gamelan instruments from Cirebon in 1975.
The late Allan Thomas introduced Indonesian music to New Zealand and taught it as a study program in musicology at the university until 1979.(Ant)
"Sinden Diplomacy" deepens Indonesia-New Zealand relations
Rabu, 23 Oktober 2013 13:04 WIB
.....While the number of people in Indonesia who are interested in gamelan is declining, in New Zealand the music has become a cultural icon of Indonesia and drawn a lot of fans".....
