Satu Rentak (One Melody)

Yesterday I went with a trainee friend to watch Satu Rentak, a traditional Malay assemble with a medley of dances at the Malaysian Philharmonic. On normal days I wouldn't have thought of going to such event because I don't consider myself as culturally inclined to traditional music. However I wanted my friend to experience it because it should be an eye-opener to a foreigner compared to a local.

I must say at the end of the concert, I definitely got more than what I expected from my RM10 ticket. I remembered the last time I had watched a traditional music performance was in my uni days, which were 3 years ago. There were the occassional traditional performances on tv but I usually switched the channel after several minutes of watching.

Yesterday's almost 3-hour performance was entertaining, creative and full of colours. The first segment of the concert showcast traditional medley dance performances such as Mak Yong and Tarian Asyik. The beautiful dancers, clad in colourful traditional constumes topped with golden head accessories were enchanting to the eye.

My favourite was the final performance of the first segment, which highlight a group of young men preparing a kenduri in a kampung. They made music using their daily cleaning and cooking tools such as the penyapu lidi (broomstick), parang (long chopping knife), wok, and huge baldi (pails). The music is fun, innovative and reflected the comradeship in the village.

The second segment of the concert showcast a mixture of contemporary and traditional music. The music was a combination of Western instruments like the violin, trambolin, flute and drums, with traditional Malay music tools such as seruling, kompang and gong. The effect is a West-meets-East tune, accompanied by beautiful voices of choir.

This event made me realised again how important it is to not allow my perception and impression to make judgement. Never make a conclusion based on what I already know, because there are always areas that are yet to be discovered.