Ensemble Gamelan Semar Pagulingan - Music from Bali

The music of Bali is group music par excellence, that is, there is no soloist to be accompanied, but at most soloistic instruments that nevertheless fulfill a particular musical function within the whole. Gamelan semar pagulingan belongs to the group of court gamelan forms that originated in the fifteenth century. The repertoire of this recording is taken from two different categories: Pengawé is an instrumental piece from the semar pagulingan repertoire, in which the trompong (a melody instrument with thirteen small tuned bossed gongs) is used. The other pieces on the CD are taken from the lègong repertoire, music played for ceremonial occasions, sometimes with dancing, using two gendèr (gendèr telulas with thirteen bronze keys) as melody instruments. The CD was awarded the Quarterly German Record Critics' Award!