Peni Candra Rini — Wulansih
Wulansih
Peni candra rini
Release date: July 12, 2024
On Friday, July 12, 2024, Peni Candra Rini, the Indonesian composer and performer whose musical practice encompasses a wide range of traditional and experimental Javanese styles, releases her new album Wulansih via New Amsterdam Records. Kronos Quartet's David Harrington, a frequent collaborator of Rini, recently called her “one of the world's greatest singers”, and on Wulansih she places her voice in conversation with a wide array of experimental and traditional musicians, including Andy McGraw, Lester St. Louis, Shahzad Ismaily, John Priestley, Curt Sydnor, and many others. Produced by Ismaily at New York's Figure 8 Recording, Wulansih creates a world all its own.
The 8 songs on Wulansih exert a deep sense of spiritual calm and act as, in Rini’s words, “a reminder that you are still human, listening to expressions of other humans.” Her music is deeply inspired by the poetry of Rumi and Hafez, Wayang Kulit (Indonesian shadow play), and Serat, the tradition of Sufi thought in Central Javanese court poetry. Rini says that Wulansih aims to “express my inner feelings, my soul, to provide inspiration to younger Indonesian composers, and to introduce Indonesian new compositions to new global audiences.”
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The 8 songs on Wulansih exert a deep sense of spiritual calm and act as, in Rini’s words, “a reminder that you are still human, listening to expressions of other humans.” Her music is deeply inspired by the poetry of Rumi and Hafez, Wayang Kulit (Indonesian shadow play), and Serat, the tradition of Sufi thought in Central Javanese court poetry. Rini says that Wulansih aims to “express my inner feelings, my soul, to provide inspiration to younger Indonesian composers, and to introduce Indonesian new compositions to new global audiences.”
Wulansih is a small encyclopedia of Indonesian music. Rini explains: “The album mixes a wide range of materials, including traditional Javanese gamelan singing, Balinese chant, stringband music of the 1960s, and intercultural improvisations, bringing them all together through my contemporary compositional approach. We created experimental ensembles, and even experimental instruments and tunings to create an album that, whatever you think of it, sounds like nothing else.”
Rini’s lyrics are poems, strongly inspired by Javanese Sufism, with a deep emphasis on love and the inner self. Estu explores the idea of “love as a sacrifice; it takes a commitment to put one’s heart in the right place. It requires the seriousness of an artist,” while Warahsih explores how “always through understanding and sincerity, teaching Love to those who study the ways of life, through the ages.”
The music on Wulansih transforms these poems of love and compassion into open and lush sonic spaces that are crafted using synthesizers, traditional Indonesian instruments, Rini’s wide vocal range, guitars, and Ismaily’s production.
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ESTU
JENANG GULA (Lyrics by Andjar Any)
PENDAR-PENDAR (Lyrics by Cempe Lawu Warta, Composed by I Wayan Sadra)
RAJAH
WARAHSIH *
MANIK JEJANTUNG
NANGGAL SEPISAN
ESEMU
Credits
Peni Candra Rini: Voice
I Gusti Putu Sudarta: Voice, Gamelan
Andy McGraw: Pinjo, Cello, Kalimba, Gamelan, Steel Drum
Lester St. Louis: Cello
Shahzad Ismaily: Moog, Guitar
John Priestley: Guitar
Curt Sydnor: Synthesizer
Nat Quick: Cak*
Clover Dosier: Cuk*
Robert Andrew Scott: Fiddle*
Brian Larson: Percussion*
Jessica Zike: Bass*
All lyrics by Peni Candra Rini unless otherwise noted
Indonesian translations by Peni Candra Rini
English translations by Peni Candra Rini and Andy McGraw
Compositions by Peni Candra Rini, unless otherwise noted.
Arrangements by Peni Candra Rini and Andy McGraw.
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