Fired Up About Gamelan (Sunday People)

First published in New Sunday Times
21 July 2008

Fired up about gamelan
MAX KOH

After 11 years, contemporary gamelan troupe Rhythm in Bronze has snagged four awards at the recent BOH Cameronian Awards and finally got its own gamelan set. MAX KOH talks to the women of bronze

JUST like the unwavering tone that is made when the ‘gamel’ (hammer) hits the bronze bowl, the women performers have kept their eyes on an unswerving artistic goal since Rhythm in Bronze was started in 1997 – to make good music for today’s audiences.

Their joy and passion for the music are reflected in their eyes and the way they play the music.

Relentless. Poetic. Graceful, yet powerful.

RiB was incepted by Sunetra Fernando (currently on sabbatical) in 1997. A former lecturer at University of Malaya, she got her friends together to form a new kind of gamelan performance, one which brought the traditional instrument to a contemporary concert stage.

Fusing traditional Javanese, Malay and Sundanese musical elements, they brought the instruments to new audiences by commissioning the works of local composers such as Hardesh Singh, Saidah Rastam, Michael Veerapen, Mond Nasir Hashim, Jillian Ooi, Susan Sarah John, Ben Pasaridu (Indonesia), Gareth Farr (New Zealand) and Sunetra herself.

Through much hard work and toil, the RiB has managed to carve a niche following in the local music scene with its brand of contemporary gamelan music.

The women write and play new compositions for the instruments as well as fuse it with theatre for a different kind of musical experience.

After 11 years, the group has finally got its own gamelan set, sponsored by the HSBC in the Arts programme.

I met RiB at its weekly practice session in Kuala Lumpur recently. The room was filled with an assortment of gamelan instruments.

RiB spokesman Sharmini Ratnasingam quickly apologises: “I’m so sorry that it’s stuffy in here. We are just temporarily using this place to store our instruments thanks to a friend.”

All around the room were the shiny new instruments: the gongs (ah, the big bronze plate that lets out a big boom when hit), the gambang (xylophone), the suling (bamboo flute), celampung (plucked zither), demang, slentem and saron (metallopohones, on which I had the pleasure of playing with the ladies after the interview. Big smile and achievement for me).

My eyes traced the intricate designs carved on the wood instruments. They seem to leap out of the wood as the music emanated from the metal.

Seated around the room were other RiB members including Adilah Junid, Christine Yun-May Yong, and musical directors Seow Lai Fong and Susan.

The room was small and hot, but that did not douse the high spirits of the troupe.

“Having our own gamelan set is truly a pride and joy for the group,” says Sharmini.

“It certainly makes practice much easier for us as we had limited time to practice when borrowing other people’s establishments and instruments to perform.”

“Now we can have a say on what we want to do in our performances,” adds Yun, the youngest addition to the troupe, with a beam.

The new gamelan set was specially commissioned by the ensemble when Sharmini and Sunetra went to Solo, Indonesia to meet the gamelan makers.

“There are no gamelan makers in Malaysia and also no ready-made ones sold in stores.

“Following tradition, we had to travel to Solo to specially commission a gamelan set to be made and that is truly our own. No two gamelan sets are alike,” explains Sharmini.

It took several months for the gamelan set to be completed before it was sent to Kuala Lumpur. So are the women excited?

“It had been two years since we got the money before we finally decided to get our own gamelan set. We were a bit nervous. The excitement slowly sank in when the instruments finally made their way here,” recalls Sharmini.

Susan adds: “I guess the climax happened during our first rehearsals with our new instruments. It was like, wow, they are finally here and they are ours!”

Although RiB’s style is contemporary, the troupe had a traditional buka panggung (opening) ceremony at UM’s Department of Southeast Asian Studies in May.

“We had Pak Nasir (a renowned wayang kulit practitioner) bless our instruments,” recalls Sharmini, smiling. “Then we performed for the first time with our new instruments for an audience.”

With their new gamelan set, the women are ready to further explore musical boundaries and create ground-breaking performances.

In the works is a three-year plan where RiB plans to restage Alih Punggong in the international arena and another music concert, Gamelan Myths, by the end of the year — if there is enough funding.

Coming up soon is the Terengganu World Gamelan Festival next month and also the Rhythm in Bronze in the Community Project for Abused Women.

“Hopefully, we will be able to come up with a second album in the future,” adds Sharmini.

RiB’s first album called Rhythm In Bronze – New Music for the Malaysian Gamelan was released in 2001 and featured original compositions by local composers such as Sunetra, Veerapen, Tan Sooi Beng and Suhaimi Mohd Zain.

RiB’s music spring from diverse collaborative collaborations: Malay, Javanese and Balinese gamelan, Carnatic music, Chinese percussions, Malay and Sufi poetry.

Its achievements are the successful development of a new repertoire, regular concert series, the production of its first CD, and the ensemble’s use of contemporary theatre.

RiB has collaborated with Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) associate conductor Kevin Field and The Song Company’s Roland Peelman from Australia.

In 2005, RiB received three BOH Cameronian Awards — Best Group Performance (Instrumental), Best Group Performance (Voice), Best Musical Direction, for the Wujud Antara concert at the Dewan Philharmonik Petronas.

That year, RiB worked with the late thespian Datuk Krishen Jit to create the first gamelan music theatre — a new form of theatrical performance solely by gamelan musicians — called Monkey Business.

The 2007’s Alih Punggong continued to explore the new form and helped RiB bag another four awards at the 2007 BOH Cameronian Awards — Best Group Performance (Instrumental), Best Musical Direction, Best Original Composition and Best Production Value.

With a new gamelan set in hand, rest assured that we will be hearing more from the women with instruments of bronze.

The Extensive Language of Kam

First published in New Sunday Times
6 July 2008

The extensive language of Kam
MAX KOH
He is young but his fingers can mesmerise you on the black-and-whites with a repertoire that swings from baroque to modern. MAX KOH finds out more about HSBC Classics Piano Festival 2008 featured soloist and judge Matthew Kam

HE is said to be a rising star in the classical world of music. All of 27, Mathew Kam’s lyrical performances on the piano have captured the attention of critics and composers alike.

One critic described him as an “engaging young pianist (who) rises above the note-spinners; an interesting musician... who shows a winning potential to take you further into challenging music.” The Kuching-born Kam’s interpretation of Rautavaara’s Fire Sermon has even caught the attention of the renowned Finnish composer who called his rendition “perfect”.

With such praise, and armed with a resume that is sure to make every aspiring musician green with envy, it is no wonder that Kam has been invited to perform at, and judge for, the HSBC Classics Piano Festival. For one night, Kam will play two Scarlatti sonatas, Beethoven’s Sonata in E-Flat Major op 81a Les Adieux, a Faure piece and Carl Vine’s Piano Sonata.

Garbed in jacket and jeans, the Australian-based pianist explains his choice of repertoire for the night: “I have chosen such encompassing pieces of music from different eras because I want to show how versatile the piano is. “With Beethoven, the piano acts like an orchestra while with the modern pieces, I am able to demonstrate how lyrical the piano is as a solo instrument.”

Choosing Scarlatti and Beethoven is a given, but what is sure to raise a few eyebrows is the choice of Faure and Australian composer Vine.

“I revere Faure’s compositions because they are close to what I like to express in my heart. In essence, I love the French-playing tone that rings true and just comes from the heart,” Kam explains.

“Vine is a contemporary Australian composer who writes mainly for dance. But I find his Piano Sonata energetic and lyrically infused with rhythm. In it there are jazz harmonies and syncopations as well.

“I have heard his music many times in Australia and felt it was time to include it in my repertoire,” says Kam who won First Prize in the 2004 Australian National Piano Awards. Kam says that it is important to tap into the richness of the music and cites Romantic composers such as Schumann and Brahms as his favourites while Scarlatti stands out from the Baroque period.

Kam began learning the piano at the age of six.

“I went for music classes at a local school,” he recalls, speaking in a melodious voice with an Australian accent. Kam moved with his family to Australia in 1992. When he was 16, Kam decided to get serious about the piano and discovered the repertoire that he was able to perform.

Max Cooke, one of Australia’s leading pianists and professors who formerly trained with Alfred Cortot in Paris, recognised Kam’s talent and decided to accept him as one of his protégés. The rest, as they all say, is history.

Kam went on to win numerous awards and has performed around the world. Kam has also made numerous live and recorded broadcasts and recorded a commercial CD of solo works by Brahms, Faure and Rautavaara in December last year.

Kam moved to Britain in 2005 when he received a scholarship to further his studies at the Royal Nothern College of Music, where he is currently a Junior Fellow in Solo Piano. Since September last year, he has been occupied performing in recitals, auditions and international music competitions in Britain, Australia, South Korea and Belgium.

But Kam says he is glad to return to Malaysia, and recalls fondly his former teachers including Elizabeth Chew. He also remembers how he was first was drawn to classical music.“I was just attracted to the depth of the classical music which is so rich in expression and content. There is just so much wealth of meaning in the music that doesn’t only evoke emotional response but also instigates an intellectual process in the listener.

“It’s like a building where you are able to study its architecture and dissect it by brick to brick. It is my passion to absorb it and refine it as a performer.”

With the night’s repertoire, Kam hopes to express the various styles and establish the intimate relationship that the composers have from period to period. “Although they may differ in styles, I want to focus on the similarities of the musical structures that they share.”

• Catch Kam’s performance on July 10, 8.30pm, at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre, Sentul. The HSBC Classics Festival 2008 runs July 7-13. Other concerts include Elizabeth Tan, Michael Veerapen Trio, Toh Chee Hung, Dennis Lee & KLPac Simfonietta. There is also the HSBC Piano Competition which features the finest young pianists in Malaysia, of which Kam is a judge. Workshops and masterclasses are also available. For tickets, call 03-40479000 (KLPac) or 03-20949400 (The Actors Studio @ BSC). For more details, visit www.klpac.com.

Pop art with a local touch (NST Sunday People)

First published in New Sunday Times
30 June 2008

Pop art with a local touch
MAX KOH

Zul (left) and Adam at The Super Sunday shop

Television personality Juliana Evans in her PopRina outfit for Anugerah Bintang Popular 2008

Ell, one half of PopRina

A group of youth turns to Andy Warhol and the quintessential Malaysian fruit, durian, for inspiration in their T-shirt designs. MAX KOH talks to the founders of PopMalaya and PopRina

The motto on the T-shirt says it boldly: “Pakai buang, suka hati korang” (Wear it or throw it away, it’s up to you).

Another has a picture of a durian with the line, “Eating durian is not a crime.”

The T-shirt designs are the brainchild of Azizul Abdul Latif (Zul) and Izham Fazely Pakhorarazi (Ijam).

Bored with their daily daytime jobs, they started PopMalaya two years ago, an independent T-shirt label designed to grab people’s attention.

And they certainly did, with most of their initial designs sold out just through word-of-mouth and on MySpace.

Independent musicians also took to wearing the designs.

The duo was inspired to come up with PopMalaya by the 80s M. Nasir film, Kembara Seniman Jalanan.

“The image of M. Nasir wearing a headband just resonated with us and we wanted to channel that carefree, hippie attitude in our designs. I mean, we didn’t know there were hippies in Malaysia,” said Zul.

The duo then added the provocative tagline, Pakai buang, suka hati korang, that is sure to turn heads on the street. “I know it sounds a bit arrogant but that is the spirit that we want to channel to our buyers. The confidence. The carefree attitude,” adds Zul.

Together with two other core members – known only as Adam and Azyzeer – PopMalaya was formed in July 2006.

What sets them apart is that they try to inject local flavours into the designs.

“We didn’t want to be another street wear label but one that reflected local culture and flavour. So our designs are eye-catching and modern but they also have local elements like the durian and sardine tins,” says Zul.

One of PopMalaya’s earliest popular designs had a girl in a corner of the T-shirt and the label PopMalaya spelt out in Jawi.

Another had the silhouette of P. Ramlee with the tagline Takkan Pop Malaya hilang di dunia? (Surely Pop Malaya won’t disappear from the world?)

It is this unique combination of old Malay themes and modern kitsch art that continues to keep the brand chugging along. Add to the mixture the group’s creative marketing methods.

“We sell most of our T-shirts at gigs and events. We also roped in independent band Free Love as our ambassadors. We try to get our brand out there as much as possible,” says Zul who works full-time for a shipping company.

PopMalaya also has a sister brand called PopRina, which is headed by another dynamic duo – Nurul’alam Mohd Yaakub (Ell) and Noor Khairiah Baizura (Keri).

Ell is an old college friend of Zul. “Just like PopMalaya, we wanted to merge the traditional Malay aesthetics with modern designs,” says Ell.

She uses traditional textiles such as batik and songket and comes up with designs that are modern and hip. The colours are bright and most dresses have batik prints on them.

“With PopRina, I want to draw people back to their roots. Nowadays, people seem to wear the same designs over and over again. PopRina offers something different by presenting Malaysian cultural tastes with the latest designs for women,” Ell explains.

And just like PopMalaya, PopRina also has an equally provocative tagline: Awak terok! (You suck!).

Ell explains: “We just want to show that PopRina is for the girl who is confident and outspoken.”

Ell says she got started by watching her grandmother sew, back in her kampung.

“I used to watch my grandma sew when I was a kid in Kota Kinabalu. My mother also taught me to sew baju kurung. What I try to do is to incorporate these old tailoring styles and modernise them for the youth today,” says Ell who makes all the clothes by hand.

“We also make special designs for certain occasions and customers.”

However, PopRina’s focus is still on street wear and the label tries to emphasise functionality, avoiding unnecessary elements like frills in the designs.

Both brands are fast getting recognition as they have been featured in Razaisyam Rashid’s independent film Konsekuensi.

PopMalaya was also featured in KAMI- The Series on 8tv while actress Sherry Ibrahim can be seen wearing PopRina batik dresses in Renjis on Astro Ria.

“We were having a photo shoot in a club when Sherry saw our designs and liked our vibrant colours. She loved it so much that she wore it for the show,” says Ell with a beam.

PopRina also made its red carpet debut when actress Juliana Sophie Evans wore one of its designs to the Anugerah Bintang Popular recently.

The brands showed their designs at a recent Pecha Kucha night organised by British Council at The Annexe Gallery, Central Market, KL. The British Council is currently looking for its International Young Design Entrepreneur of the Year, who will go to Britain to network with design industry preofessionals.

Both brands are trying to save enough capital to open their own retail stores.

“We hope to develop a full-fledged clothing line that will offer cardigans and jackets in addition to our T-shirts,” says Zul.

For now, these T-shirts retail for RM30-35 and can be found in Dolls Store, The Super Sunday Store, Push Skate Shop and Defy Store at The Summit.

PopRina can be found at Super Sunday and OSixNine in Subang Jaya and retails from RM25-40. You can also order them through www.myspace.com/popmalaya or www.myspace.com/poprina.

Both brands have been touring as part of “Angkatan Baju Malaya”, a collective of independent clothing brands which is going across the nation to promote independent bands and clothing brands.

Its previous stops were Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Kuala Terengganu and will end in Johor Baru on July 5.

If you’re wondering what PopMalaya is all about, make sure you make a stop in JB! For more information, visit www.myspace.com/angkatanbajumalaya.

A Stirring Performance (Sunday People)

First published in New Straits Times
8 June 2008


Masaka Ono


January Low


A stirring performance
Max Koh

THE first night of female dance performances offered four talented danseuses from four countries — January Low from Malaysia, Masaka Ono from Japan, Mitali Devi from Britain, Madhavi Mudgal from India.

They not only captivated the audience at Malaysia Tourism Centre in Kuala Lumpur, but transported us to another world.

What a stirring night it was. Stirring Odissi — International Odissi Festival 2008, organised by Sutra Dance Theatre, is a three-week festival that celebrates the passion of the classical Indian dance form. It brings some of the world’s foremost exponents, visuals artists and scholars to this extensive exposition.

With a hall that is almost filled with audiences, local dancer January Low began the night by performing Surya Staka, a piece that pays homage to Surya, the Sun God as Remover of Darkness and Source of Light.

Wearing a resplendent orange saree, she blew us away with her energy and graceful poise as she interplayed her movements to the music of the band onstage.

Also adept in bharatanatyam, Low is also one of Sutra’s principal dancers and has won the Best Solo Performance (Dance) Award at the Kakiseni BOH Cameronian Wards in 2003 for her bharatanatyam performance in Profound Grace.

With her graceful demeanour and dainty movements, Masako Ono’s performance was a sight to behold. How rare to see a reifujin from Japan performing odissi.

With her poise and precise gestures, Ono came across like a geisha who has mastered the arts of the Indian dance form.

In truth, she has. She started learning odissi at India in 1996, after initially learning hip-hop and modern dance in Tokyo. She trained in Orissa under many gurus including Kelucharan Mohapatra and Ramani Ranjan Jena, and is now based in Bhubaneswar as an odissi dancer and yoga teacher.

Ono is now choreographing her own works which are a blend of tantra, yoga and Indian classical dance. Her first performance of the night was strictly Pallavi, a pure dance that is set to the raag of Kirvani.

With a repetitive motif and movements that flowed throughout the piece, Ono was able to set it apart from the other performances that night.

It was nothing short of spell-binding proving Ono to be one of odissi’s best-kept secrets in the dance world.

A stark contrast from Pallavi, Ono then performed Ashtapadi (Kuru Yadu Nandana) which is a raag raamakari taken from the 12th Century love poem Gita Govinda of Jayadeva.

Making the piece uniquely hers, she began by telling the story through expressive languid movements aided by a voice-over in English.

This is helpful for those not familiar with the language and ancient texts. The piece tells the love of Lord Krishna and Radha who experienced physical separation but are finally united in spirit.

All the way from Manchester came Mitali Devi who performed Mangalacharan (Shanta Karanam) and Ahe Neela Shaila.

The Mangalacharan is an invocation with verse dedicated to Vishnu who is seen as the endless Universe resting on the mighty snake, Sheshanaga.

Mitali’s performance was powerful.

Ahe Neela Shaila is an old Oriya song written by the Sufi mystic poet Salabaga which describes Vishnu as the saviour of the Elephant King, Draupadi and the child Prahlad.

Mitali’s stoic performance deftly conveyed the imagination stirred by the ancient words.

Last but not least came an experienced dancer from New Delhi, India.

Madhavi Mudgal clearly showed her deftness and poise in odissi, having learnt under some of the most respected gurus including Guru Hare Krishna Behera.

Madhavi is recognised internationally for her contribution to the medium and has received prestigious awards such as the Sanskriti Award and the President of India’s Award, among others. She teaches at Gandharva Mahavidhyalaya, one of the oldest music and dance institutions in the world which was founded by her father, Pandit Vinay Chanda Maudgalya.

She blessed the audience that night with a performance to an Oriya song that portrays the anxiety of a heroine who is separated from her elusive lover.

Garbed in a beautiful black and maroon saree, her performance accompanied by musicians on stage was moving.

Madhavi ended the night with Nataraja, an invocation to Shiva-Nataraja, the Lord of Dance which was excellent.

Stretching two-and-a-half hours, the night did not feel long at all with the exquisite performances by all four danseuses.

Sutra’s founder Ramli Ibrahim, after all, promised to give the audience the opportunity to watch the “cream of the crop” in odissi when he came up with the concept of Stirring Odissi. And on that night, he delivered.

* You can catch Janhabi Behera (Bhubaneswar), Ranjana Gauhar (New Delhi), Sharmila Biswas (Kolkata) and Bijayini Satpathy and Surupa Sen (Bangalore) tonight at Malaysia Tourism Centre, 109, Jalan Ampang, KL. Tickets start from RM38. Call 03-92354848 or visit www.mtc.gov.my or www.stirringodissi.com. The festival ends June 14.