Gendhing bonang Imawinénda kethuk 4 awis minggah 8 laras sléndro pathet nem

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
A gendhing is a large-form piece usually having a long gong cycle. Unlike other gendhing,
where the rebab and soft instruments play the role of melodic leaders, a gendhing bonang
is only played on the “loud” metallophone instruments and the role of the melodic leader goes
to the bonang.
In Central Java it is common to start an evening of gamelan concert music with a gendhing
bonang. The gendhing is often begun prior to the arrival of guests so as to welcome and accompany
guests as they enter the concert space.
As this gendhing is composed in the pathet sléndro nem it utilizes the lowest notes of the gamelan.
The form of this piece, kethuk 4 awis, is also one of the largest with gong cycles often spanning
more than five minutes between single gong notes. The gong cycle is further subdivided into quarters
that are marked by a smaller instrument called the kenong. To heighten the importance of these
events, the whole gamelan briefly pauses before each gong and kenong note.
This gendhing opens with a solo introduction by the bonang and then proceeds with the gamelan
through a slow and delicate section called the merong. Eventually the drummer signals a
tempo change that brings the piece to the next section called the inggah, where the tempo
and intensity of the playing, little by little, increases. An interesting aspect of this performance
to observe, is that the single peking instrument is being played simultaneously by two
players. In the merong section, the typical peking part is divided among the two players.
As the piece enters the inggah section however, the peking part becomes more virtuosic with
the two players generating dazzling patterns of interlocking notes. In the inggah, the unison texture
from the previous section starts to blur and transform as the slenthem begins to follow the
other instruments at a delay. Eventually the tempo and loudness increase to a high degree as
the music rushes forward before collapsing at the final gong.