Drummer and composer Stewart Copeland, along with the Dallas based percussion ensemble, D'Drum, and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, have combined their talents to present the world premier of "Gamelan D'Drum", a 3-movement, 35-minute concerto for world percussion.
Performances are scheduled for February 3 - 5, 2011 at the Morton Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas, Texas. The performance lands on the same weekend as Super Bowl XLV in nearby Arlington, Texas so book your travel plans now.
Stewart Copeland is best known as the drummer and founding member of the rock band, The Police, but he has enjoyed a lengthy career as a composer of operas, ballets, chamber music pieces, and some of the film industry's most innovative and groundbreaking contemporary scores.
Near the conclusion of the 2007-08 world tour of The Police (the third highest grossing tour in history), Stewart was introduced to the music of D’Drum by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in search of a composer for a commissioned work to feature the group with the orchestra. He immediately accepted the invitation and traveled to Dallas to begin his collaboration with the group which is currently ongoing.
Gamelan Music
A gamelan, originating from Indonesia, is a set of predominantly percussion instruments including various xylophones, metallophones, drums, gongs and more. The term "gamelan" can also refer to the musicians performing these instruments, and can include vocalists and bamboo flutes as part of the ensemble. Gamelan music has a long history as part of Indonesian culture and art and represents a native art form of the region, dating before Hindu and Buddhist influences. Western composers and performers from all disciplines have been inspired by the music of the gamelan, including John Cage, King Crimson, and Philip Glass.
