I was very surprised when I found myself not enjoying the concert as much as I thought I would. I feel really bad admitting this. I usually love indigenous music and alternative styles, but somehow I did not love it. At least the sounds of it.
However, I can appreciate the cultural meaning of it. I love that they play the instruments on the ground and with their shoes off to show respect for the sacred and blessed instruments. I thought it was incredibly interesting (and rare) that the music had two separate melodies that contrasted each other. But I think my favorite thing about Gamelon music is how the endless circle of rhythm in each song reflected the cultures religious beliefs.
The belief of reincarnation in Hinduism has always been a fascinating subject to me and I respect it very much. I love the idea that we have multiples lives. The concept of having multiple life-long chances for doing good and multiple chances for improvement is a beautiful thing. This was symbolically shown in the music as the melody constantly circled around and around again throughout the song. It made it sound like a repetitive dream soundtrack, which is cool to think about in relation to reincarnation as a bunch of repetitive dreams.
ashleyandruski 