Going Green
Malaysian composers go deep forest with works that celebrate all things green, from rainforest to bamboo.

1. From The Rainforest - Neo Nai Wen
2. Distant Voice of the Rainforest - Ng Chong Lim
3. Bamboo Forest - Teh Tze Siew

Stephanie Griffin In Concert
American-based violist Violist Stephanie Griffin premieres Chong's Metamorphosis I at the Argento Advent Lutheran Church on 17 Dec 2007- in an earlier concert A SEA Musical Offering she performs the works of Tony Prabowo and Chong alongside Bach

1. Music For Multiple Violas 1999 - Tony Prabowo
2. Ke Erse - Tony Prabowo
3. Canon from A Musical Offering - JS Bach

Stephanie Griffin, viola
Chris Mannigan, saxophone
Jacqueline Kerrod, harp

Between The Clouds
The music of Thai composer Anothai Nitibhon and works by the new generation of composers from Rangsit University Conservatory of Music (Read the composers' bios).

1. Prelude to Till Dawn - Wiboon Trakulhun*
2. Between The Clouds for sakuhachi, yang qin and percussion - Anothai Nitibhon
3. Prayer's Cave for viola, strings and piano - Anothai Nitibhon
4. Piano Concerto - Denny Euprasert*
5. Voiceless Sketches for flute and ensemble - Anothai Nitibhon
6. Stretch - Boonrut Sirirattanapan
7. Circular Rain for Piano Trio - Anothai Nitibhon
8. Fire - Jiradet Sathaparn

*Rangsit Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Denny Euprasert

Shadow Play & Romance in South East Asia
American Oboist Keri McCarthy tours South East Asia with new commissions from composers from Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. Yii Kah Hoe provides McCarthy with a thrilling take on wayang kulit forms with his Gongan for oboe and piano.

1. Romance for oboe - Nguyen Phuc Linh (Vietnam)
2. Duet 2008 - Tony Prabowo (Indonesia)
3. La Folia - David Johnson (US)
4. American Fiddle Tunes - traditional

Keri McCarthy, oboe
Jeffrey Savage, piano
Andrew Scheef, mandolin
recorded in Singapore, 12 April 2008

Hearing Voices
A focus on the choral music of our region beginning with performances of works by two of young Malaysian composers, accompanied by music by Indonesia's Tony Prabowo, New Zealand's David Hamilton and Japan's Hiroyuki Yamamoto. >> read the feature article

1. Ng Shyh Poh (Malaysia) - Science Fiction
2. Tony Prabowo (Indonesia) - Serambi - Music For Multiple Voices
3. Ng Shyh Poh (Malaysia) - A Land Far Away
4. Hiroyuki Yamamoto (Japan) - Sonor Aquae
5. David Hamilton (New Zealand) - Holy Night
6. Tony Prabowo (Indonesia) - Linastranisi
7. Tan Zi Hua (Malaysia) - Pearl of the Orient

La Voce Choir (1),
Dithyrambic Singers (3),
Opus (Epsom Girls' Grammar School) (5)
Ubiet (2, 6) from the album "Music For Solo Performer - Ubiet Sings Tony Prabowo"
Penang State Chorus (7)

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Asian Elegies
In the wake of recent tragic natural disasters in Sichuan and Myanmar, it is perhaps fitting that we offer our thoughts to the victims both surviving and perished, along with the consolation of music by three South East Asian composers. Thai composer Narong Prangcharoen's Sattha for strings, piano and percussion and Indonesian composer Tony Prabowo's Psalms are both memorials to the Boxing Day Tsunami tragedy of 2004, whie Chong Kee Yong's Lost Psalm Of The Abyss is dedicated to the victims of 9-11.>> read the feature article

1. Narong Prangcharoen - Sattha for strings, piano and percussion
2. Tony Prabowo - Psalms for piano and orchestra (Nicholas Ong, piano)

The New Minimalism - Contemporary Piano Music From Asia Pacific
New Zealand composer and pianist Ross Carey performs his programme of new minimalism by composers from across Asia, from New Zealand to Japan. Carey has taken his programme around the region to Chengdu, Beijing, Singapore and Indonesia. This particular concert took place in Yogya on 14 February 2008 and includes works by Indonesian composers Slamet Abd Syukur, Michael Asmara and Sinta Wullur.

1. Ayuo (Japan): When illusion looks like reality, then reality becomes just a fantasy
2. Gareth Farr (New Zealand): Love Songs (2001)
3. Sinta Wullur (Indonesia): Aqua Piano (2007)
4. Alfredo Avotta Jnr. (Brazil): Meditaciones (1999)
5. Luca Vanneschi (Italy): Per Pianoforte (1996)
6. Slamet Sjukur (Indonesia): Svara (1979)<
7. James Rolfe (Canada): Idiot Sorrow (1990)
8. Michael Asmara (Indonesia): The River (1986)
9. Kate Moore (Australia): Melodrama (2007)
10. Encore - Elena Kats-Chernin (Australia): Eliza Aria (2006)

Ross Carey, piano

Total Duration: 1 hr 30 min

Sita's Liberation - A Gamelan Opera by Sinta Wullur
Listen to the premiere of Indonesian-Dutch composer Sinta Wullur's groundbreaking retelling of the Ramayana epic for gamelan orchestra, string quartet, bass clarinet, percussion and a cast of mezzosoprano, tenor and chorus.

The story so far: Rama and Sita are banished for 14 years from their kingdom, and they wander through the forest with Rama's brother Laksamana. The evil Rawana takes the opportunity to lure Rama and Laksamana away with a golden deer, leaving Sita vulnerable to his powers. He disguises as a mendicant and abducts Sita to his palace in Lanka. With the help of Hanuman and his army of monkey warriors, leading to a fierce battle in which Rama finally defeats Rawana. However, the liberation of Sita is bittersweet, as her faithfulness during her captivity is questioned. To prove her innocence, Sita is forced to go through a trial by fire....more information in the feature article

Total Duration: 50 min

50cents Jazz Club Live at The Actors Studio
Enjoy the best moments from the explosive concert by Hardesh Singh's 50cents Jazz Club at Actors Studio Bangsar in 2005. The concert features brand new compositions by Singh that is a heady mix of Malaysian, Jazz and World music

1 The People Are Ready - Cruise Control
2. Balindia
3. Whispers Of The Green Lord
4. Our Song
5. Cool Chews (On The Ball)
6 Tickle My Funny Bones

Total Duration: 1 hr 18 min

Hardesh Singh, guitar, samples
Rozhan Rahman, bass guitar
Az Samad, guitar
John Thomas, drums
Tok Khon, keyboards
Julian Chan, saxophone

"From esoteric atmospheric to GRP-influenced fusion funk to Malaysian-Indian-Indonesian fusion, Hardesh and cohorts certainly dared to take jazz to a territory few attempt - The Star"

Contemporary Music Ensemble Korea in Concert
CMEK is one of Korea's most exciting mixed ensembles performing avant garde music on traditional Korean instruments. The group is headed by Yi-Jiyoung on the Gayageum, together with the daegeum (Korean bamboo flute), the piri (Korean bamboo oboe), sengwhang (Korean mouth organ), traditional drums and a cello, clarinet and classical guitar.

1. Huimun - Kim Dae-song
2. One Thread - Stefano Bellon
3. Canti di bocca chiusa e melisma - Koo Bonu
4 Transformation for Clarinet, Changgo and Percussion - Park Yong Nan
5. In C - Terry Riley

Total Duration: 1 hr

Rising Suns
The sound of Asian instruments and Asian composers
In this premiere programme on Malaysian Art Radio we showcase a colourful array of soundscapes from Malaysian and Asian composers.

Hiroyuki Yamamoto (Japan)
Forma for solo piano
This work won the prize of the 13th competition of Japanese Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM Japanese section)
Duration 4 min

Adeline Wong (Malaysia)
Waktu (Time)
Wong based her chamber work written for the Bang On A Can Summer Festival 06 on a poem on "time" by the Indonesian poet Rendra.
Duration: 9 min

Tony Prabowo (Indonesia)
Ke Erse for saxophone and viola
Violist Stephanie Griffin arranged Prabowo's work for alto saxophone to be performed at the Argento concert "A Musical Offering From South East Asia" in New York in 2007.
Duration: 7 min

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