Friday, April 26, 2019
8:00PM
Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley
Betara Kala
Wayang Kulit Shadow Play
Shadow Puppet Master Ki Midiyanto accompanied by the musicians of Gamelan Sari Raras, with singer Heni Savitri, present the story of Betara Kala, the Javanese god of time and destruction.
Breathing life into a cast of intricately-carved leather puppets, animating and layering ornate patterns of light and darkness, Midiyanto defies the confines of the two-dimensional screen on which the drama unfolds. Midiyanto sends warriors and their weapons flying, tossing, and tumbling in legendary battle scenes. He sings ancient Sanskrit poems invoking the majesty of royal palace gatherings, and evokes pathos and laughter with the subtle (or not so subtle) gesture and turn of voice.
Metal clapper at his foot and wooden knocker on his puppet box, Midiyanto directs the ensemble of over 20 bronze gongs and metallophones, drums, strings, and singers. Music erupts into a thundering war march, calms into a tranquil meditation, or sinks into a sorrowful lament at Midiyanto’s whim. The ethereal and enchanting voice of Midiyanto’s wife, Heni Savitri adorns the richly-textured, interwoven melodies.
Midiyanto’s craft is true to the Javanese artistic and philosophical wayang kulit tradition in which he'd been immersed from earliest childhood, and yet is infused with the flavor of living and teaching three decades at UC Berkeley and elsewhere in the United States. Midiyanto and Heni are renowned artists in Java and internationally, and they frequently perform sold out shows and teach as guests with gamelan ensembles across the country.
Midiyanto’s multi-lingual performance in Javanese, Indonesian, and English reveals for Bay Area audiences the drama, philosophy, and humor of this Javanese art form that is both centuries old and modern, where audience, musicians, and current events are woven into the journey.
Sink into a dream as you watch mystical shadows from the main theater seating, or make your way on-stage to see Midiyanto and musicians conjure magic from behind the screen.
Metal clapper at his foot and wooden knocker on his puppet box, Midiyanto directs the ensemble of over 20 bronze gongs and metallophones, drums, strings, and singers. Music erupts into a thundering war march, calms into a tranquil meditation, or sinks into a sorrowful lament at Midiyanto’s whim. The ethereal and enchanting voice of Midiyanto’s wife, Heni Savitri adorns the richly-textured, interwoven melodies.
Midiyanto’s craft is true to the Javanese artistic and philosophical wayang kulit tradition in which he'd been immersed from earliest childhood, and yet is infused with the flavor of living and teaching three decades at UC Berkeley and elsewhere in the United States. Midiyanto and Heni are renowned artists in Java and internationally, and they frequently perform sold out shows and teach as guests with gamelan ensembles across the country.
Midiyanto’s multi-lingual performance in Javanese, Indonesian, and English reveals for Bay Area audiences the drama, philosophy, and humor of this Javanese art form that is both centuries old and modern, where audience, musicians, and current events are woven into the journey.
Sink into a dream as you watch mystical shadows from the main theater seating, or make your way on-stage to see Midiyanto and musicians conjure magic from behind the screen.
photo credits: Lisa Ho
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