Pesta RayaMalay Festival of Arts

by

YASUHIRO MORINAGA ENSEMBLE(JAPAN, INDONESIA & SINGAPORE)

5 AUG 2016, FRI, 8PMESPLANADE RECITAL STUDIO

Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts 2016is made possible with the generous support of:

Sponsor

Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Network for Electronic Transfers (Singapore) Pte Ltd

Official Payment Card

Mediacorp Pte Ltd

Supporting Media

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

Supported By

About Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Board Members

1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981 Tel: 6828 8222 Fax: 6337 3633Customer Service Hotline: 6828 8377 SISTIC Hotline: 6348 5555

Esplanade’s Community Programmes are supported by Tote Board Family, comprising Tote Board, Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club.

Mr Lee Tzu Yang (Chairman) Mr Benson Puah (Chief Executive Officer)

Mrs Rosa Daniel Ms Kathy Lai

Mrs Christine Ong

Mr Ramlee Bin Buang Ms Saw Phaik Hwa

Mrs Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei

Mr Yap Chee Meng

Dr Ming TanMrs Valarie Wilson

Mr Andre YeapMr Kenny Powar

Esplanade is Singapore’s national performing arts centre and one of the busiest arts centres in the world. Since its opening in 2002, the centre has presented more than 31,000 performances, drawing an audience of 22 million patrons and 84 million visitors. This architectural icon, with its distinctive twin shells, houses world-class performance spaces complemented by a comprehensive range of professional support services. Its two main venues are the 1,600-seat Concert Hall and a Theatre with a capacity of 2,000. In March 2014, Esplanade’s Concert Hall was listed as one of the “world’s 15 most beautiful concert halls” by Hamburg-based building data company Emporis.

Esplanade’s vision is to be a performing arts centre for everyone and it seeks to enrich the lives of its community through the arts. The centre’s programming is guided by its mission – to entertain, engage, educate and inspire. Its year-long arts calendar of about 3,000 performances presented by Esplanade, its collaboration partners and hirers cater to diverse audiences in Singapore and span different cultures, languages and genres including dance, music, theatre, visual arts and more. More than 70% of the shows that take place each year at the centre are non-ticketed. In May 2015, Esplanade was chosen as one of SG Heart Map’s 50 special places.

Esplanade regularly presents world-renowned companies and artists that attract international attention and add to Singapore’s cultural vibrancy. The centre is also a popular performance home for arts groups and commercial presenters who hire its venues to stage a wide range of programmes. These carefully curated presentations complement Esplanade’s own diverse offerings for audiences.

Esplanade works in close partnership with local, regional and international artists to develop artistic capabilities, push artistic boundaries and engage audiences. The centre supports the creation of artistic content and develops technical capabilities for the industry nationally.

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is operated by The Esplanade Co Ltd, which is a not-for-profit organisation, a registered Charity and an Institution of a Public Character.

Visit www.esplanade.com for more information.

Dr Jennifer Lee

Esplanade is a proud member of

Association of Asia Pacific Performing Art Centreswww.aappac.net

All rights reserved. UEN: 199205206G Information correct at time of print.Please note that photographs and videos of patrons may be taken at this event for use in our archival and publicity material.

MESSAGE FROM THE MUSIC DIRECTOR

I am very honoured to present Message from a Medicine Man at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. This piece is very important to me because it gave me an opportunity to conduct fieldwork and sparked my interest in exploring the connections between music cultures across Asia, from Japan to Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, Borneo and Singapore.

This piece attempts to create a cultural bridge between the Japanese, Indonesian and Malay archipelagos through digital media. I hope you will be able to experience and share in this musical connection.

Yasuhiro Morinaga

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ABOUT THE WORK

Japanese sound designer, explorer, and music director Yasuhiro Morinaga conjures up a sacred space with music, spoken word, and mesmerising ambient lights, inspired by the traditional and contemporary music and soundscapes of Indonesia.

At times otherworldly, at times explosive, Message from a Medicine Man weaves field recordings with atmospheric effects and voice, string and piano instrumentation, and experimental techniques of musical composition using recorded sounds as raw material.

Founder and artistic director of music label and sound production company CONCRETE, Morinaga records ritual spaces and practices, religious chants, as well as natural environments around the world. This collaborative multimedia project between him and artists from Indonesia and Singapore features Indonesian hip hop and rap pioneer Marzuki Mohamad (aka Kill the DJ) from Jogja Hip Hop Foundation, keroncong singer Endah Laras, and voice recordings of the late Indonesian puppet master Slamet Gundono and Singapore multidisciplinary artist Rizman Putra.

Morinaga teams up with Singapore lighting and production designer Andy Lim and sound engineer Jeffrey Yue to create this ritualistic space.

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Q & A WITH YASUHIRO MORIGANA

HOW DID MESSAGE FROM A MEDICINE MAN COME ABOUT?

This piece was originally developed for contemporary dance piece, To Belong – cyclonicdream, for which I was the music director.

Before it, I was based in Tokyo and Paris and was researching musique concrete (electroacoustic music made in part from acousmatic sound, or sound without an apparent originating cause), one of the music genres that employ “concrete” sounds from the everyday, the environment, and the digital. Musique concrete is historically and aesthetically associated with cinema and has been a huge interest of mine since I was a film student. When I took on music direction for To Belong – cyclonicdream and had the chance to visit Indonesia a number of times, I observed the sounds of car horns, bird songs, the wind, and insects on the road, and imagined mixing them together in a track. It felt like a musique concrete track waiting to happen, and the sounds that I could use came from everywhere. From then on, as you can imagine, my interest shifted into the music and soundscapes of Southeast Asia.

In the beginning, I thought of creating music that leaned towards a film soundtrack. But it was not about making film music or creating a score; I was more interested in creating a narrative that could engage on different levels, where each sound continues simultaneously with other sounds and tell different stories, just like the way different visual keys tell different stories in a film. In other words, I might say that I was interesting in creating layers of different sounds that on their own tell different stories but when woven together become one single narrative.

Once I figured out how I should create and present this piece, the rest was not difficult. Although the Japanese musicians and I had a series of arguments, we thoroughly enjoyed the process of creation, just as I believe the artists from Indonesia enjoyed it too. It took more time for me to understand each of their personalities than artistic practice. Spending time together is the most important thing during a collaboration, and that was what I did with Endah Laras, Marzuki Mohamad, and Slamet Gundono separately; I drank and ate with each of them quite often. Through this experience, they certainly left me with a better understanding of what Javanese music culture is.

Reflecting on my experiences in Indonesia and Japan, this piece came about organically. It is like a huge sonic tornado made up of layers of different sounds that is grounded yet has the transcendental quality of a ritual.

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Message from a Medicine Man is the result of the collaboration between Japanese and Indonesian artists. In this special performance, I am able to work with amazing Singapore artists like Rizman Putra, Andy Lim and Jeffrey Yue. These collaborators have contributed their artistic impulses and helped forged a stronger connection with this cultural archipelago.

TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR ENCOUNTERS WITH INDONESIAN MUSIC.

While creating this work, I visited Indonesia several times to better understand its music culture. Although the country is made up of many islands and diverse cultures, this piece has a deep focus on Javanese music.

The first thing I did when I visited Jakarta was wander about a street called Jalan Surabaya in search of music stores, so I could get my hands on secondhand records and cassette tapes. I was amazed by the number of Indonesian records that have been produced over the past 50 years. Some of them were very expensive and cost more than 200USD because of their rarity. Obviously, I didn’t have that much money to buy all the recommended ones, but at least I managed to get quite a number of them. I discovered that Indonesian rock music of the ’60s and ’70s is very interesting because of its politically-charged lyrics and combination of traditional and modern sounds.

FOR THIS PRODUCTION, YOU WORKED WITH SEVERAL INDONESIAN ARTISTS WHO ARE ICONS IN THEIR RESPECTIVE FIELDS. HOW DID YOU MEET THEM?

On meeting Slamet GundonoI was in Solo to meet Slamet Gundono, who passed away later on in 2014. The first time I met him, I was so amazed and shocked by his size and voice that I immediately put my sound recorder near his mouth. He had a powerful voice, and listening to him sing was like listening to the Delta Blues from Mississippi. As I recorded him—and because I held my recorder so close to him—I ended up with much of his saliva on my face and fell sick the next day. I will never forget the day we met. During my visit, I spent as much time with him as I could and even asked him if he would allow me to record and produce a CD for him. Although it took awhile, we became friends in the end and made a very memorable recording together. Unfortunately, he passed away right after I completed this work and released the CD. Since then, every time I play it, I would imagine him performing live.

On meeting Marzuki MohamadWorking with Marzuki Mohamad was different from how I worked with Slamet and Endah Laras. I got to know about his group through my filmmaker friends, so when I first heard his music, I was very impressed. I was introduced to him via my friends and was quite scared at first as rappers can be very fierce and rough. But Marzuki was very nice in person and extremely interesting to talk to as he knows his hometown,

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Yogyakarta, very well and is very knowledgeable about Javanese mythology, history, social issues and political problems. He taught me a lot about Javanese culture, and the input from him enabled me to strengthen this piece. Some friends call him “Zuki-pedia” because he knows so much! After getting to know each other better, Marzuki passed me his music and allowed me to re-mix his tracks for this particular production.

On meeting Endah LarasIn addition to Slamet and Marzuki, my memories of Endah Laras are also unforgettable. Like my meeting with Marzuki, I had the chance to be introduced to her through a filmmaker friend, when she was preparing for her theatre production. At our first meeting, she immediately introduced her sister, a popular singer. I wondered why she avoided me at first but found out later that she thought I was there to meet her sister instead. Well, she was wrong. That was when Endah realised that I am more serious than the local Javanese. We spent some time talking, drinking and eating together and eventually became good friends, embarking on a series of collaborations. We first produced a CD that documented her performing traditional keroncong songs at her father’s workshop. We also collaborated on the music for To Belong – cyclonicdream before working on this production.

WHAT CAN YOUR AUDIENCE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS PRESENTATION?

There are really no borders in music. This work is about the importance of staying connected, whether it is with our history, our selves or one another; and I want to convey that to the audience. I hope they will be able to immerse themselves in the work and go on an inward journey that will be memorable!

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PANTUN (four-lined poetic verse) Khazanah Pantun Melayu Riau / Tenas EffendyPublisher: Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2007.

Pantun 1Permulaan… wujud… tamat…

Pantun 2 & 10Anak orang baru beranak,Hendak menebang batang resau;Anak kumbang baru berjinak,Hendak terbang ke langit hijau.

Selamat mati bertikam,Mati di padang paya buluh;Peganglah amanat dengan pesan,Ada batang cendawan tumbuh.

Permulaan… wujud… tamat…

Pantun 3Pinang serangkai dua rangkai,Tiga rangkai dengan tampuknya;Ilmu apa yang tuan pakai,Siang malam kami dimabuknya.

Sekali adik merambah,Seratus batangnya rebah;Sekali adik bersumpah,Seratus kali abang sembah.

Pantun 4Bintang tujuh tinggal enam,Satu tercampak ke Majapahit;Batang tubuh demam tak demam,Air liur ditelan pahit.

Beginning… existence… end…

A child having just been born,Wants to cut down the Resau trunk;Baby beetle having just been tamed,Wants to fly to the green sky.

Stabbed to death,To die in a meadow of marsh reeds;Hold on to your mandate with a message,Where there is trunk, mushroom will grow.

Beginning… existence… end…

One set of nuts two sets of nuts,Three sets of nuts with its flower;What knowledge did you use,Morning and night we are drunk in it.

Little brother chopped once,A hundred trunks fell to the ground;Little brother swore once,Older brother worships a hundered times.

Seven stars left with six,One was thrown to Majapahit;The trunk of the body in fever not a fever,Saliva swallowed is bitter.

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Pantun 5Anak geroda meninggi hari,mati di tembak dalam buai;Banyak muda dapat di cari,Gelak di mana kan sesuai

Kalau di ambil kayu di paya,Padi ladang boleh di tugal;Kalaulah adik mahu ketawa,Mati pun abang tidak menyesal.

Malam Jumaat malam mengaji,di waktu subuh di katamkan;dendam kesumat mengukir janji,di pintu kubur di selesaikan.

Pantun 6Rotan peledas, lengkung daunDi belah tidak bertepiJerai untuk berbebas tahunBaru semalam masuk mimpi

Cik Ayu apa mimpinyaMimpi bertemu lengan bajuKalau kaya sama tingginyaDi mana angin hendak lalu

Kalau lalu ke telok rotanriak nya sampai ke mengkuangbagai emas di balut peraksitu kasih akan terbuang

Petong mana akan terbuangPetong condong ke masjidJong mana tuan menumpangJong tuan baginda khatib

Tuan Khatib mandi di ombakMandi di ombak laut ke tamanBudak kecil di beri ombakOmbak menjadi sapu tangan

Baby eagle flies high as the day,Dies after being shot in the cradle;You can find many young people,Laughing wherever is suitable

If wood is taken in the swamp,The rice field can be drilled;If little brother wants to laugh,Even at death brother bears no regret.

Eve of Friday night is the night of Qur’an recitation,At dawn it is completed;Vengeance and hatred inform your promiseWhich you fulfill at the door of your grave.

Javensis cane, curved leafSplit without sidesThe ficus plant is for years of freedomJust last night entered a dream

Cik Ayu what was the dreamA dream meeting with the sleeveIf rich then of the same high positionWhere the air passes by

If passing by the cane bayThe ripples reach the pineLike gold wrapped in silverThere love will be thrown away

Throw where will be thrown awayThrow in the direction of the mosqueWhich junk did mister rideThe junk of mister lord preacher

Mister Preacher bathes in the wavesBathing in the sea waves to the gardenA small child is given a waveThe wave becomes a handkerchief

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Pantun 7 & 8Limau manis di tepi hutanTanaman anak batang nilaHitam manis gelak bersetanItu membuat hati ku gila

Tidak nila di buat nila,ikan terbuang di bawa lantaitidak gila di buat gilabulan mengambang hendak di capai

Mentangguh pepatan tiangmendengung di pukul ributbintang timur mengarak siangadik tinggal dalam selimut

Tebu liat si tebu lanjutdi kilang di panas mentariJatuh berderak tangga anjungkerana abang pulang dinihari

Banyak orang menjerut rusasudah lupa meniup apibanyak orang berbuat dosaSudah hidup lupakan mati

Pantun 9Kayu belukar banyak sesaknya,Mati belukar tandanya layu;Kayu terbakar nampak asap nya,hati terbakar siapa yang tahu.

Kalau berkain pergi mandi,Jangan menyesah di tepian;Kalau bermain tidak jadi,Jangan menyesal kemudian.

Makin di rendang semakin meresikitu membuat apinya menyalamakin di pandang semakin asyikItu membuat hati menggila

Bukan nyala sembarang nyalaNyala berlesau terbakar diri

Sweet lime at the edge of the forestThe child planted an indigo trunkThe black sweet laughter of the demonThat makes our hearts mad

No indigo is made by indigoThe fish is thrown onto the floorNo crazy is made by crazyTo touch the full moon

The firm truncated poleBuzzes at the hour of the stormThe east star carries the dayLittle brother is left in the blanket

The wiry cane is the old caneIn the factory in the scorching sunThe porch stairs creaks as it fallsBecause older brother returns today

Many people who capture deersForgets how to blow the fireMany people sinHaving lived forgetting death

Thicket wood is very dense,The death of the thicket is a sign of withering;When burning wood smoke is seen,When the heart burns no one knows.

If you clothe yourself when you bathe,Do not whip over the edge;If your play time is cancelled,Do not regret afterward.

The lower it hangs the more it rustlesThat makes its fire burnThe more I look the more I loveThat makes the heart goes crazy

A flame as of no other flamesThe crackling flame burns itself

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YASUHIRO MORINAGA (Japan)

Music Director

Yasuhiro Morinaga is a Japanese music director, sound designer and explorer. He is the artistic director of sound production company and music label, CONCRETE [www.the-concrete.org].

Morinaga has worked on multiple projects in film, contemporary dance, installation, and the performing arts. He creates field recordings that document ritual chants, folklores, and the traditional and contemporary music of different regions in Southeast Asia.

Morinaga’s eclectic works for film and other media have been presented at festivals such as Cannes Film Festival, Venice Art Biennale, Venice Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival etc. His collaborative works in installation and performance have also been presented at museums such as Pompidou Center (France), San Francisco Contemporary Museum (USA), Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (Canada), etc. Morinaga produced sound and music for SONY’s monolithic design exhibition at Milano Salone 2010. He has been collaborating with Singapore artist Ho Tzu Nyen since 2009. His other collaborators include film director Sion Sono, Choreographer Saburo Teshigawara, Keiichi Tanaami, choreographer Akiko Kitamura, etc.

Currently, Morinaga is directing an experimental theatre work called Marginal Gongs, which will premiere at Spiral Hall Tokyo in November 2016.

BIOGRAPHIES

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ENDAH LARAS (Indonesia)Singer

Born in Solo, Central Java, Endah Laras is a professional soprano singer for Javanese traditional music and shadow puppet theatre. She has worked on various projects with Indonesian composers such as Anjar Any, Manthous, Mus Mulyadi, and Cak Diqin.

Endah performed as a vocalist, dancer and musician in the play Opera Jawa, written and directed by Garin Nugroho. It was performed at the 100th anniversary of the Tropen Museum in Amsterdam, in the Musee du quai Branly in Paris, and in Solo, Yogyakarta and Jakarta. In 2012, she appeared in Garin Nugroho’s latest film, Soegija, which brought her international recognition.

In 2013, Endah was invited to perform Japanese contemporary dance To Belong – cyclonicdream. She has also released a CD produced by Yasuhiro Morinaga and distributed around Japan.

MARZUKI MOHAMAD aka KILL THE DJ (Indonesia)Rapper

The leader of internationally-acclaimed hip hop group, Jogja Hip Hop Foundation, Marzuki Mohamad, also known as Kill the DJ, is the son of a farmer and religious teacher from Prambanan. When asked about his religious beliefs, he would claim to be a progressive animist. Marzuki is the founder of Performance Fucktory, Parkinsound, Re: Public Art, United of Nothing,

Whatever Shop, and Jogja Hip Hop Foundation. His Poetry Battle trilogy features hip hop lyrics adapted from the original text of Fiber Centhini. Marzuki works closely with Javanese opera singer Soimah Pancawati.

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SLAMET GUNDONO (Indonesia) Voice excerpts

The late Slamet Gundono was one of the finest and most innovative puppeteers of his generation. He was a multi-disciplinary artist who drew on and explored the long traditions of Javanese and Indonesian culture. A composer, musician, actor and a good dancer, his expression extended beyond the world of puppetry. His works engaged his audience with humour and satire.

He was a brilliant puppeteer who was not bounded by rules or limitations of equipment and technological requirements. Gundono employed local idioms through simple means, and demonstrated how traditional cultural forms can be powerful vehicles for contemporary expression.

He collaborated with choreographer Mugiyono and composer Dedek Wahyudi for the Chan Mu International Festival 1995 in Seoul and the Indonesia Dance Festival 1996 in Jakarta, and with the South Bank Gamelan, London, England. Other works include performing wayang at the WOMAD festival in Reading and the Royal Festival Hall, London in 1997 during the Contemporary Indonesian Performing Arts tour of England; Opera Java – Garin Nugroho ufor 250 Mozart; and his last collaborative project was Naitangale, with Indonesian artists and Ducth. In 2005, Slamet Gundono received The Prince Clause Award for developing the traditional arts.

RIZMAN PUTRA (Singapore)Voice excerpts

Rizman Putra graduated with a Master of Arts (Fine Arts) degree from LASALLE College of the Arts in 2007, and has been active in performance, visual arts and music for the last decade. Winner of Japanese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI) Singapore Foundation Arts Award 2005 as part of the artistic initiative Kill Your Television (KYTV), he is the co-founder

of the now-defunct arts collective, KYTV, as well as the front man of indie music group, Tiramisu. Rizman has performed and exhibited his works in Australia, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, United Kingdom and Vietnam. He was one of the four artists selected for the President’s Young Talents Exhibition (2005), and was included in the Fukuoka Triennale (2005). He received the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology’s (RMIT) Most Outstanding Award 2002-2003. He has also exhibited his works at the inaugural Singapore Biennale 2006. Rizman is currently an Associate Artist with Cake Theatrical Productions.

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ANDY LIM (Singapore)Lighting & Production Designer

Andy Lim is a designer who has worked extensively in and out of Singapore. His work spans from drama to dance, music to film; from the intimate black box to the large theatre main stage; and from site-specific installations to unconventional outdoor stagings.

His work has been seen locally and in major international performing arts festivals, including Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and Singapore International Arts Festival (Singapore), Kunsten Festival Des Arts (Belgium), Wiener Festwochen (Vienna), Theatre Der Welt (Germany), 54th Venice Biennale (Italy), and Festival/Tokyo (Japan). He has received awards for Best Lighting Design in Singapore and Malaysia in 2013–2015.

In 2014, Andy started ARTFACTORY, a company which recognises the importance of supporting artistic creations and who works closely with artists, curators, producers and art institutions to push boundaries.

JEFFREY YUE (Singapore)Sound Engineer

Jeffrey was awarded the Glaxo-Wellcome/EDB scholarship to pursue a degree in technical theatre at the prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. With a focus on theatrical sound design, production engineering and programming, Jeffrey has worked in Singapore and all over the world. Recent notable works include The LKY Musical by Metropolitan Productions and Singapore Repertory Theatre; Senang, Farewell by Drama Box, directed by Kok Heng Leun; Next to Normal and Rise of the Little Voice with Pangdemonium!; Garden Rhapsodies at the SuperTree Grove, Gardens By the Bay; Ten Thousand Tigers and Pythagoras & No Man with acclaimed visual artist Ho Tzu Nyen; Lightseeker and Voyage de La Vie at the Festive Grand, Resort World Sentosa; and Lear Dreaming, directed by Ong Keng Sen at the Theatre de la Ville, Paris.

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CREDITS YASUHIRO MORINAGA ENSEMBLE

Music Direction: Yasuhiro Morinaga

Sound Engineer: Jeffrey Yue

Lighting & Production Design: Andy Lim

Singer: Endah Laras

Rapper: Marzuki Mohamad aka Kill the DJ from Jogja Hip Hop Foundation

Voice excerpts by : Rizman Putra / Slamet Gundono

Piano: Maiko Ishii

Violin1: Natsume Saiki

Violin2: Taeko Kobayashi

Viola: Hidemi Takemoto

Cello: Hiroki Taniguchi

Electronics + Field Recordings: Yasuhiro Morinaga

Producer: Satoshi Takata

Production: Concrete

Special thanks to: Yap Seok Hui / Neo Kim Seng / Kana Ote / Akiko Kitamura / Honggo Utomo / Ifa Isfansyah / Kamila Andini / Ken Takiguchi / Neopa.Inc

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A5.pdf 1 19/5/16 4:40 pm

Pesta RayaMalay Festival of Arts

by

YASUHIRO MORINAGA ENSEMBLE(JAPAN, INDONESIA & SINGAPORE)

5 AUG 2016, FRI, 8PMESPLANADE RECITAL STUDIO

Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts 2016is made possible with the generous support of:

Sponsor

Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Network for Electronic Transfers (Singapore) Pte Ltd

Official Payment Card

Mediacorp Pte Ltd

Supporting Media

All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.

Supported By