Turning Javanese

Have drums, will travail…

t was as though Steve Reich had been reborn as a very frustrated milkman…

The soothing, repetitive chimes of the Javanese Gamelan that took over the Hot Spot on Sunday afternoon, March 13th 2016, wafted over the quite possibly stoned crowd.

Formed in 2014 by Dr. Peter Moran, the National Concert Hall Gamelan Orchestra was formed after The Sultan of Yogyakarta – that’s Sri Sultan Hamegkubuwono X to you, pal – gifted Dublin’s National Concert Hall (with a little help from the Indonesian Embassy in London and the Provincial Government of Yogyakarta) a complete set of Javanese gamelan instruments.

A set of bronze instruments which will accommodate up to 30 players, these particular instruments with the NCH gang were purpose-built by expert Yogyakarta artisan Pak Poniman.

So, now you know. Just see if you can remember all that, and become the hit of every Greystones dinner party for the next six months.

We recorded just a glimpse of this hypnotic music, just to let you all know what you missed.

Just the kind of strange and wonderful art that should be happening around Greystones on a Sunday afternoon – here’s hoping the National Concert Hall Gamelan Orchestra pass our way again soon…