37 – Pangkur One

This is the first of two coordinated albums in Yantra’s collection of gamelan music of Central Java. The two programmes, which complement each other, show the regenerative capacity of the music of ‘Pangkur’, a classic theme in Javanese tradition. The roots are set back in sung poetry, a genre called måcåpat. Through a transformation process of various pre-existent melodies the theme can be performed within different musical forms and with various vocal and instrumental formations. In this first volume, ‘Pangkur’ is presented with the full gamelan orchestra in four performances, each one characterised by different style and intonation.

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