Stellar Javanese Musicians to Perform Shadow Play
3:00pm April 16, 2023 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley
3:00pm April 16, 2023 Hertz Hall UC Berkeley
3:00pm April 16, 2023
Hertz Hall UC Berkeley
Javanese Wayang Kulit Shadow Play
with guest ensemble from Java
Ki Gunarto, dalang shadow master
and musicians Sutendri Yusuf, Dunung Basuki, Angger Widhi Asmara
with Midiyanto and Heni Savitri
Hertz Hall UC Berkeley
Javanese Wayang Kulit Shadow Play
with guest ensemble from Java
Ki Gunarto, dalang shadow master
and musicians Sutendri Yusuf, Dunung Basuki, Angger Widhi Asmara
with Midiyanto and Heni Savitri
In a rare and unexpected development, the highly-regarded professional gamelan and shadow puppet ensemble Sari Laras from Java, will perform April 16, 3pm, at Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley.
There hasn’t been an opportunity to see such a group in the Bay Area since the 1990s. The UC Berkeley Javanese gamelan group Sari Raras will host these illustrious artists and join them in performance.
The tradition of Javanese music, played on gamelan, a large set of mostly bronze-forged instruments, has roots that go back over 1,000 years. Its history is entwined with shadow puppetry, an extraordinary form of storytelling performed as both sacred art and entertainment. The principal characters and stories were brought to the islands of Indonesia from India in the early centuries of the modern era. Despite this long history, this beautiful art form is still so much in demand in Indonesia that popular musicians rarely have time to perform elsewhere. UC Berkeley is lucky to welcome puppet master Ki Gunarto and musicians Sutendri Yusuf, Dunung Basuki, and Angger Widhi Asmara for this performance, along with Javanese musicians Midiyanto, longtime gamelan teacher at UC Berkeley, and star vocalist Heni Savitri.
The story on April 16 will feature a classic portion of the Indian Ramayana epic: the Rescue of Sita. This wayang kulit shadow play is immensely popular throughout Java and Bali, where a performance would last all night, with the audience moving around to watch the puppet master, musicians, and shadow play from many angles. As the flickering light and intricate shadows dance on the screen, the ancient stories and characters come to life in the hands and voices of the shadow master, in an enchanting performance that is at once ancient and current, traditional and improvised, solemn and funny.
The performance at UC Berkeley will feature an approximately 2 hour slice of this magic with English supertitles. Audiences in the Bay Area already familiar with the Balinese gamelan music tradition will have a chance to experience the very different sound and style of a Javanese gamelan.
The performance will take place on Sunday, April 16 at 3 pm in Hertz Hall, on the UC Berkeley campus.
Tickets are $16/general admission, $12/seniors, UCB students/$5
There hasn’t been an opportunity to see such a group in the Bay Area since the 1990s. The UC Berkeley Javanese gamelan group Sari Raras will host these illustrious artists and join them in performance.
The tradition of Javanese music, played on gamelan, a large set of mostly bronze-forged instruments, has roots that go back over 1,000 years. Its history is entwined with shadow puppetry, an extraordinary form of storytelling performed as both sacred art and entertainment. The principal characters and stories were brought to the islands of Indonesia from India in the early centuries of the modern era. Despite this long history, this beautiful art form is still so much in demand in Indonesia that popular musicians rarely have time to perform elsewhere. UC Berkeley is lucky to welcome puppet master Ki Gunarto and musicians Sutendri Yusuf, Dunung Basuki, and Angger Widhi Asmara for this performance, along with Javanese musicians Midiyanto, longtime gamelan teacher at UC Berkeley, and star vocalist Heni Savitri.
The story on April 16 will feature a classic portion of the Indian Ramayana epic: the Rescue of Sita. This wayang kulit shadow play is immensely popular throughout Java and Bali, where a performance would last all night, with the audience moving around to watch the puppet master, musicians, and shadow play from many angles. As the flickering light and intricate shadows dance on the screen, the ancient stories and characters come to life in the hands and voices of the shadow master, in an enchanting performance that is at once ancient and current, traditional and improvised, solemn and funny.
The performance at UC Berkeley will feature an approximately 2 hour slice of this magic with English supertitles. Audiences in the Bay Area already familiar with the Balinese gamelan music tradition will have a chance to experience the very different sound and style of a Javanese gamelan.
The performance will take place on Sunday, April 16 at 3 pm in Hertz Hall, on the UC Berkeley campus.
Tickets are $16/general admission, $12/seniors, UCB students/$5
