This CD presents music by Çudamani, one of Bali's most vibrant new sanggar, or private arts organizations. It was formed by a family of young musicians in the village of Pengosekan, a rich center of gamelan music, dance, painting and sculpture. The virtuosic musicians of Çudamani, led by Dewa Putu Berata, play on an unusual type of hybrid gamelan orchestra created in the 1980s. With seven tones rather than the usual five, this gamelan semara dana allows the freedom to play in unusual modes, derived from older court and ritual gamelan. Combined with the powerful resources of modern kebyar style, this special gamelan has inspired the Çudamani group to create and re-create a wide range of music and dance works—from Taruna Jaya, an explosive early 20th century dance, to Geregel, a seven-tone instrumental work that has opened entirely new vistas in contemporary gamelan music.

Çudamani is the result of a long process of collaboration and planning with the group's members. All the artwork, from the cover to the disc surface, was created by Çudamani musicians. The works were chosen for their balance, contrast, and representation of the group's repertoire. The recording was done in the largest courtyard area of the Dewa family's compound—an outdoor space of perfect acoustic characteristics for gamelan sounds.

Tracks include:

• Geregel (12:33)
• Pengastung Kara (8:15)
• Legong Candra Kanta (26:30)
• Topeng Tua (7:30)
• Taruna Jaya (17:09)

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