Gamelan Padhang Moncar/Gamelan Taniwha Jaya

Produced by Jack Body, featuring compositions from New Zealand School of Music students and alluni Megan Collins, Briar Prastiti, Anton Killin, Annika Naschitzki, Tristan Carter, Jason Erskin, Gareth Farr, Jack Hooker, NAGA: New Music For Gamelan is another beautifully presented Rattle release. It documents the work of two Wellington-based Gamelan ensembles. In mid-2013 these ensembles toured six Indonesian cities.

The compositions range from “directed improvisations” to dance scores, pieces for small ensemble and voice and non-Gamelan instruments such as musical saw. There are haunting textures and deep, hypnotic passages. There’s hints of European classical music, the tuned percussion of Cliff Martinez’s soundtrack work and even the modern post-rock and gothic variations of metal and rock music.

These enchanting performances are sometimes spooky, constantly exhilarating. These pieces were specifically commissioned and composed for the 2013 tour. They are captured here on this album.