Bali: Music from the Morning of the World
Album DescriptionFull Title – Bali Music From The Morning Of The World. The sound of the Balinese orchestral style known as Gamelan Gong Kebyar is justly famous, for in no other music does one find such shimmering brilliance & tempestuous rhythms. But is less widely known that Gamalan Gong Kebyar is only one of many beautiful musical styles found in Bali, which in its small area contains a cornucopia of artistic wealth which would do honor to a country ten or twenty times in s. . . More >>
A lovely recording of very beautiful music. Put it on, sit down and close your eyes, and let your mind wander. . . .
Rating: 5 / 5
Having played Balinese gamelan for a few years and visiting the island last summer, I’ve come to appreciate the large variety of music you find there. I was partial to the gong kebyar style, now I love it all. This CD serves as a good introduction to the different kinds of music from Bali. The excerpt of Baris is good and including the kecak, gender wayang and angklung gives you idea of the vast differences in style. Though, it does help to have some context for the music, like gender wayang is used primarily for shadow puppetry, angklung for funeral ceremonies, and kecak was created specifically for tourism. I have the orginial issue of this CD and not sure, but hope, the reissue has notes on the pieces. It’s a good thing Nonesuch has been reissuing these world music recordings, they are really well done.
Rating: 5 / 5