Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010

Courtesy of Conversation & Company, Ltd.

The complex polyphonies of Balinese gamelan music are renowned in Japan—thanks, in large part, to repeated tours by virtuoso orchestra Suar Agung. One of Bali’s most potent gamelan ensembles, the group has been touring Japan for years, even participating in a concert to highlight the environmental problems facing Mt. Fuji. Formed in 1982, Suar Agung play not the clanging metal instruments that most people identify with gamelan, but the gentler-sounding bamboo instruments of western Bali that produce a type of music known as jegog.

Aug 6, 7pm, ¥2,000-¥3,500. Tokorozawa Civic Cultural Centre Muse. Tel: 04-2998-6500; Aug 7, 5pm, ¥4,500 (A)/¥5,500 (S). U-Port Hall, Gotanda. Tel: Ticket Space 03-3234-9999.