Wulansih

Peni Candra Rini is a Javanese singer whom I first saw performing with Kronos Quartet in their last London show in October. The purity of her voice is exceptional, along with her sculptural poses, as well as the beauty of the music. Kronos’ David Harrington has described her as “one of the world’s greatest singers.” This third album absolutely reveals that she is an artist worthy of international attention. She was at the Edinburgh International Festival this month. Rini sings traditional Javanese vocals called sindhen, customarily accompanied by gamelan instruments. Here she updates the music slightly by adding guitar, pinjo (banjo), lovely fiddle on ‘Warahsih’ and synthesizers, all from different contributors. But with her Sufi-inspired lyrics, mostly about various forms of love, for another person, for the Earth and love as a sacrifice, time seems to stop as gongs and chimes ring around her gorgeous pentatonic melodies. Her voice has a wide range from low to high registers, often acting like a balm with the softest breath. The opening track, ‘Estu’ (Truly) is like a devotion or a prayer to the creator, ‘Singing always / loving always.’ With electronics, it builds to an expectant climax. ‘Jenang Gula’ (Caramel), which follows, is much more playful and energetic with the soft guitar of Shahzad Ismaily playing something like the fast layer of a gamelan, with tapped wooden percussion beating beneath. The romantic lyrics are about remembering how your lover helped you when times were harder. ‘Pendar-Pendar’ (Phosphoresence) is another moment of stillness and devotion with gamelan-like sounds. All eight tracks are beautiful, but ‘Rajah’ (Talisman), an out and out love song, has a stand-out catchy riff: ‘You and I / have been marked by destiny / lover and beloved, promising love.’ It jingles with gamelan chimes and Rini’s voice just hangs in the air as a vocal shimmer. It’s a shame we encounter so little Indonesian music in the UK. So much of it is outstandingly beautiful. There is a wealth of talent and so many styles of traditional and contemporary music. On a couple of tracks, Rini sings with I Gusti Putu Sudarta, presumably an elder male singer, perhaps a mentor, but Peni Candra Rini is definitely a name we should get to know.