Gamelan Batel Wayang Ramayana

From cremation ceremonies to a tooth filling at the local dentist, Balinese gamelan ensembles provide invaluable musical accompaniment to an endless variety of secular and religious activities; the island's many dance and theatrical performances based on the Hindu Ramayana epic are some of the most important. The gamelan batel specializes in accompanying the shadow (wayang) theater shows based on various parts of the Ramayana text (a tradition dating back over 1,000 years). This stellar CMP recording from 1989 features the batel group Kusuma Sari in a live Ramayana performance, taped at an open temple pavilion in Sading, a town just north of the Balinese capital of Denpasar. The program includes musical backdrops for everything from sorrowful scenes to the monkey dance of Meganada — there's even some music to accompany patrons while they exit the theater. Even if you already have a few gamelan titles, this wayang Ramayana recording will certainly make a nice addition to your world music collection.