Ladrang Pangkur molak-malik laras sléndro pathet manyura / laras pélog pathet barang

The Javanese Gamelan Group Lindhu Raras in Concert

Special Guests:
Caillan Crowe-McAuliffe, Anne Ivana Samanhudi, Steven Tanoto, Xin Wei Thow, Gerrit Wendt

Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia
House of Indonesian Cultures - Rumah Budaya Indonesia
Berlin, July 27th, 2024

Ladrang Pangkur is a standard piece in the Javanese gamelan repertoire and is often performed in
a variety of contexts, from concerts to shadow puppet plays and even as an accompaniment
to dance. There are also countless versions and arrangements of this piece, in various pathets. The
version that is performed at this concert includes lively chorus vocals composed by Ki Nartosabdo
in the fast kébar sections.

Furthermore, this piece is performed molak-malik, meaning that it switches tuning systems and
pathets halfway through. When the music suddenly switches from pathet sléndro manyura to pathet
pélog barang, the melodic contours are adjusted and adapted, with the sweetness and
brightness of the new pathet slowly permeating across the gamelan. This stark transition also
has a visual component as one will see most players in the gamelan quickly shift their positions to
play the instruments in the other tuning system. In this way the listener can see and hear
the same piece in two different pathets, and hopefully gain an appreciation for the variety of
colors and textures expressed in Javanese gamelan.