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This is the original live recording CD of the gamelan ensemble that is played as the background music of the Barong Dance of Bali. It is recorded at Singapadu Village - Bali.
Track 1: Prologue (16:06) Barong: The Sacred Lion Barong appears accompanied by brilliant gamelan music.
The dance begins with a bold and lively dance. Monkey and Barong: Comical exchange between a mischievous monkey and the Barong. Monkey and clowns: Three masked clowns appear and attempt to catch the monkey. They are in turn teased by the monkey.
Track 2: Legong Dance (7:02)
The music changes and two beautiful girls appear on the stage dressed in identical costumes. They perform a dance in the Legong Style, the supreme manifestation of Balinese womanï¾’s dances.
Track 3: The Servants and the Witch Kalika (6:15)
Queen Kuntiï¾’s Servants Punda and Wijiru appear and explain mournfully why Prince Sahadewa has to be sacrificed to Rangda. The evil witch Kalika suddenly appears with scary voice. The two servants are scared, expressing their fear through comical exaggerated gestures. The Minister appears and dances his grief of the pitiful prince.
Track 4: Queen Kunti and Prince Sahadewa (9:07)
The Minister is followed by Kunti with her servants and Prince Sahadewa. They discuss how the prince might be able to escape being sacrificed but unable to find a solution. Kunti finds herself unable to sacrifice her son although she already make an oath to do so. Rangdaï¾’s apprentice Kalika puts a spell to Kunti from behind. Kunti suddenly changes her mind and asks the Minister to take Prince Sahadewa to the forest where Rangda dwells. Reluctantly, the Minister obeys Kuntiï¾’s command. Kalika then puts a spell on the Minister that changes him into an ogre and takes the prince to the forest and binds him to a tree.
Track 5: Prince Sahadewaï¾’s Grief and the God Shiva (11:19)
Unable to move, the prince laments his ill fate. The God Shiva then appears and takes sympathy on the prince, granting him the power of immortality. The Witch Rangda appears with her servants and attacks the prince. However, she is unable to kill him. Realizing her failure, Rangda asks the prince to return her spirit to heaven. The prince then buries her in heaven with a single flower. Kalika then asks the prince to do the same for her. But the prince refuses. This angered Kalika and she has a fight with the prince. She is transformed into a pig with the princeï¾’s power. She is later captured and cut into pieces by the king.
Track 6: Prince Sahadewa and Garuda (10:57)
Kalika then metamorphoses into a strange bird called Garuda and attacks the prince. As the last attempt, she then metamorphoses as her mistress Rangda. The prince then metamorphoses himself to become Barong. The fight between those two characters reaches its climax. A dozen or so men armed with keris (a kind of dagger) appear and attack Rangda. But Rangda defeats them. Priests then appear to offer prayers and sprinkle holy water over the men. Barong exercises his sacred power to unlock the magical spell. However, the fight between Barong and Rangda comes to an indecisive conclusion. |
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The Barong Drama is based on the tale of Prince Sahadewa, the youngest son of King Pandu, as it appears in the Mahabharata Epic. The drama begins with the story of Queen Kunti, who promises to sacrifice her son to the sorceress, Rangda. The legend of Rangda, who was regarded as the cause of disease and disaster that strucked the villages, dates back to the reign of the Javanese King Erlangga in the eleventh century. Underlying the Barong Drama in the unique Balinese cosmology in which the universe is regarded consisting of the two opposing principles of good and evil. The Balinese do not worship only the sacred Barong; they also have a strong feeling of awe to his evil counterpart, Rangda. The power of those two characters is in constant equilibrium, and it is through that balance that the cosmic order is maintained. |
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