Building U.S.-Indonesia Mutual Understanding Since 1994

Special Events Notice: CULTURAL FUSION: THE GAMELAN EXPERIENCE and MIGUEL COVARRUBIAS AND COLIN MCPHEE: THE INFLUENCE OF BALI IN WESTERN ART

USINDO is delighted to provide notices on two unique cultural events in Washington in January. These special events form part of the celebration of the 70th Anniversary of US-Indonesia relations in 2019:
“Cultural Infusion: The Gamelan Experience” - a special program By the PostClassical Ensemble, to be performed January 23 at the National Cathedral
Miguel Covarrubias and Colin McPhee: The Influence of Bali in Western Art” - a special film and discussion program January 10 on the transformational influence of Balinese music and art in Western Art.
Notices on these two highly recommended special programs are below. Please RSVP or purchase tickets per information in the notices.

David

David Merrill

USINDO

Wednesday, January 23, 2019 | 7:30pm
POSTCLASSICAL ENSEMBLE
Experience gamelan—the traditional ensemble music of Java and Bali in Indonesia, made up predominantly of percussive instruments performed by multiple performers at once—in the sacred space of the National Cathedral. Gamelan has by far been the non-Western musical genre that has most impacted the Western classical music tradition, beginning with the 1889 Paris Exposition. This program explores its influence across the past 120 years.
Indonesia boasts two different styles of gamelan. Both can be heard in this program, which also celebrates Balinese and Javanese music and dance in its pure form.
Program
  • JAVANESE GAMELAN & DANCE
  • Pagodas – Claude Debussy
  • BALINESE GAMELAN
  • Ceremonial Dance – Colin McPhee
  • Vallee des cloches - Maurice Ravel
  • Sonata for two pianos mvmt 1 — 5 - François Poulenc
  • Vision de l’amen mvmt 1 — 5 - Olivier Messiaen
  • Black Toccata –Bill Alves
  • Intermission — Balinese gamelan
  • Suite for Piano & Orchestra – Lou Harrison
  • Piano Concerto – Lou Harrison
Personnel
  • Benjamin Pasternack and Wen-Chi Su, pianos
  • Netanel Draiblate, violin
  • Balinese and Javanese gamelan with dancers
  • PCE conducted by Angel Gil-Ordonez
  • Commentary by Bill Alves and Joe Horowitz
Ticket Prices
Premium Seating $65
Standard Seating $45
Students (with valid ID) - Premium Seating $15
Students (with valid ID) - Standard Seating $10
Tickets purchased now will be mailed to you. Click here for purchase.
Venue
3101 Wisconsin Avenue NW
Washington DC 20016

 
As a prelude to PCE’s Jan. 23 National Cathedral concert, the Mexican Cultural Institute presents an evening of film and discussion exploring the transformational influence of Balinese music and art on:
–The Canadian-American composer COLIN McPHEE, a precursor to Philip Glass
–The Mexican artist MIGUEL COVARRUBIAS, famous for his Vanity Fair portraits
Excerpts from two exceptional films — Colin McPhee: The Lure of Asian Music and La Isla de Bali, filmed by Covarrubias himself — will be discussed by PCE’s Joe Horowitz and by Mexican curator Inbal Miller. McPhee and Covarrubias were colleagues on Bali in the 1930s. Both were captivated by the beauty and mysticism of Balinese ceremonial music and art. Both meticulously documented what they saw and heard. Inbal Miller will highlight Covarrubias’s Pacific murals and his book La Isla de Bali, with such memorable images as this cover:
Joe Horowitz will sample archival films of Balinese music and dance, as well as McPhee’s fragrant transcriptions and compositions. McPhee’s odyssey was extraordinary: In his reminiscence House on Bali, he memorably evokes the androgynous complexion of Balinese arts (he fled the island when the Dutch banned homosexuality there).
To hear McPhee and Benjamin Britten perform McPhee’s Balinese Ceremonial Music CLICK HERE
The two films that will be excerpted are:
La Isla de Bali, (1998) by Miguel and Rose Covarrubias and edited by José Benitez Muro
Colin McPhee: The Lure of Asian Music, (1985) by Michael Blackwood
We invite you to an exploration of how two Western visionaries discovering a new world of artistic expression.
Venue
2829 16th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20009