Mak yong and Mozart share the stage 09 Jul 2006 DENNIS CHUA Traditional Kelantan theatre, shadow puppet play and musical tributes to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are among the highlights of the Kuala Lumpur Festival 2006 being celebrated this month. DENNIS CHUA speaks to someartistes involved.
NO celebration of cultural diversity in Malaysia is complete without involvement of the "Palace of Culture", better known as Istana Budaya. Istana Budaya in Jalan Tun Razak in the capital city is hosting the Kuala Lumpur Festival 2006, which runs for the whole of this month. The cultural centre is staging its first wayang kulit show, also a tribute to Kelantan's mak yong, and a classical music extravaganza celebrating the 250th birthday of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Two wayang kulit shows conducted by Kelantanese tok dalang Eyo Hock Seng and Abdul Wahab Othman, who is a musician with Istana Budaya, were held on Friday and Saturday. Eyo, better known as Pak Chu, has 27 years of experience performing the wayang kulit. He was a student of the late Dollah Baju Merah, one of the most revered of tok dalangs. His show, The Legend Of Bayang Gerna (Legenda Bayang Gerna), tells of the Hindu epic Ramayana's character, Hanuman the White Monkey, in a fairy tale adventure. Ratu Seri Lakluh's daughter Puteri Rana Udang, who is engaged to Bayang Gerna, is abducted by Raden Lakjuna. He puts her under Hanuman's protection. A duel ensues between Bayang Gerna and Raden Lakjuna. Abdul Wahab, whose parents Pak Su Cabang Empat and Che Mas Merak were mak yong exponents in Kelantan, has 10 years' experience in wayang kulit, as well as in dikir barat and main puteri. His show on the second day, The Legend Of Dewa Kertapati (Legenda Dewa Kertapati) tells of Dewa Kertapati who asks his superior in the heavens, Dewa Bentara Guru, to send him into the human realm. There he becomes Jintan Emas Indera Rupa, and travels to Bota Gelang Gelita, where a princess is transformed into a flower by a fairy and kept in a box, guarded by Jin Doha. Whoever defeats Jin Doha and turns the princess into her normal self will marry her. Jintan Emas succeeds in this quest, but is soon found out by Bentara Guru, and turned into a tiger. Seri Rama transforms him back into Dewa Kertapati, and he in turn allows Seri Rama's assistant Raden Lakjuna to wed the princess, because she cannot marry a heavenly being. Abdul Wahab said while that while there have been individuals who have requested that the traditional shadow play theatre be conducted in Malay, it was not feasible as the magic of Wayang Kulit lies in its use of the Kelantan Malay dialect. Mozart's birthday anniversary is celebrated with the Classical Concert Mozart's Greatest Hits, a performance by the 26-member National Symphony Orchestra led by conductor Mustafa Fuzer Nawi, at 8.30pm tonight and tomorrow night. Mustafa, who studied music in Holland and Germany, has also performed with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Asia Japan Symphony Orchestra. He said the tribute to Mozart was a celebration of the musical genius of one of Europe's greatest classical composers whose works include the operas The Marriage Of Figaro and The Magic Flute. Classical-trained Syafinaz Selamat will give a solo performance of Mozart's songs. The mak yong show Dewa Indera, Indera Dewa will be at 8.30pm on Friday and Saturday. Directed by Fatimah Abdullah, the sister-in-law of the late mak yong legend Khatijah Awang, it is a story of two brothers, Dewa Indera and Indera Dewa, who go on a hunting trip, and end up fighting over Puteri Selindungan Daun. However, blood is thicker than water, and the brothers make peace to fight an evil monster out to kidnap the princess. The elder brother, Dewa Indera, eventually marries her. Istana Budaya performers Rosnan Rahman and Siti Norhabsah play Dewa Indera and Indera Dewa respectively. Fatimah, who has been performing mak yong since 1969 and is a lecturer with the National Arts Academy, described the story as one which instils family values. She said that the description mak yong originates from the word mak hiang which means the "spirit of rice". Combining dance, comedy, performance and music, it has long been supported by the Kelantan palace, particularly since the reign of Sultan Muhammad IV from 1900 to 1920. "Mak yong features traditional musical instruments such as the gong, drums and most importantly the rebab," she said. Istana Budaya director-general Azhar Abu Bakar said their focus on traditional performances would help expose youths to these increasingly scarce art forms. "We are proud to have our very first wayang kulit show, and it will be held at the Laman Nyiur stage outside the main building," he said. Istana Budaya would host an average of three cultural shows to celebrate the annual Kuala Lumpur Festival. The mak yong and wayang kulit shows are free, but guests at the Mozart tribute concert have to purchase RM20, RM30, RM50, RM70 or RM100 tickets. Mustafa will also lead the orchestra in The Evolution Of Malaysian Music, a concert at 8.30pm on July 18. 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