LEOPOLD GODOWSKY JAVA SUITE Gamelan • Wayang-Purwa • Hari Besaar • Chattering Monkeys at the Sacred Lake of Wendit • Boro Budur in Moonlight • The Bromo Volcano and the Sand Sea at Daybreak • Dances • The Gardens of Buitenzorg • In the Streets of Old Batavia • In the Kraton • The Ruined Water Castle at Djokja • A Court Pageant in Solo Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes by Johann Strauss – No. 3: Wine, Women and Song Konstantin Sherbakov, pianoRegistrazione del 2005This cycle is more than just a souvenir: here, we have the rare and (always) fascinating amalgamation of two completely different musical and harmonic worlds. Interestingly, Godowsky not only describes places (such as the Bromo plateau or the Kraton in Yogyakarta) but also noises (the chattering monkeys) and even the alien music itself (Gamelan). The result is a magnificent panorama of Indonesia in late colonial times. Highly recommended.
