Right before the Gamelan Shockbreaker concert at Riksscenen, everyone is invited to join in a deep dive into gamelan music with Ismet Ruchimat, artistic director of the SambaSunda Performing Arts orchestra.
In gamelan music, large ensembles use metallophones, drums, and other forms of percussion to create intricate, intense, and hypnotic patterns. The music has ancient roots and is constantly evolving; it has sometimes been described as Asia’s answer to Western classical orchestras. However, gamelan music is best understood and appreciated on its own terms—as a form of interplay and coordination unlike anything found in other types of music.
Gamelan music has also exerted a tremendous influence on Western music over the past 150 years. This influence spans from the French Impressionist composer Claude Debussy and post-war American minimalists like Steve Reich and Philip Glass to art-rock pioneers such as Brian Eno, Talking Heads, and King Crimson—not to mention countless electronic artists and jazz musicians.
In Gamelan Shockbreaker, musicians from the SambaSunda Performing Arts orchestra join forces with Norwegian jazz musicians. The conversation with Ruchimat offers a great opportunity to delve even deeper into the craft and history of this musical form — explained by an outstanding performer and orchestra leader.
