Palapa
A Musical by Dwiani Indraningsri
Palapa, is a one-of-a-kind musical theatre piece that tells the tragic story of 14th century Gajahmada of Majapahit. The idea of this musical was born when Dwiani was living in Washington, DC, in 2019, and was involved in the local Indonesian art community. The plan was to have it performed in 2020, but cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2022, Dwiani studied music production in Vancouver, BC, and decided to record the songs from this musical as her final project. This started epic long-distance collaborations, as Dwiani invited talented musicians from both Indonesia and Canada to lay down some tracks. With this piece, this composer hopes to share her love of beautiful Indonesia with the world.
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Plot
The story takes place in 13th century Nusantara (now Indonesia). Instead of one big country, there were dozens of kingdoms spread within thousands of islands. One of the kingdoms was Majapahit, led by King Hayam Wuruk and his right hand man, General Gajahmada. One day Gajahmada decided to unite all the kingdoms in Nusantara, and he took a vow to restrain from tasting spice and having pleasures until his mission is done. This vow was later famously known as the Palapa Oath. The Gods in Khayangan (heaven) were impressed by Gajahmada’s noble plan that they tried to help him along the way. All except one, the Goddess of War. She hated peace and unity, so she tried to sabotage Gajahmada’s plan. With her influence, wars broke throughout his mission to unite Nusantara, however, Gajahmada still managed to conquer most of the kingdoms.
While Gajahmada was away on his mission, King Hayam Wuruk fell in love with Princess Dyah Pitaloka Citraresmi of Sunda. He proposed and she accepted. Gajahmada was happy about this marriage because he saw this as a political opportunity, especially since the kingdom of Sunda still has not joined his union at that point. He then returned to Majapahit to attend the wedding. Unfortunately, the Goddess of War sneakily influenced Gajahmada to start a battle on the wedding day. As the result, many Sunda royals were killed, including the bride. Gajahmada was then arrested by King Hayam Wuruk, and the same thing happened to the Goddess of War in Khayangan. Both Hayam Wuruk and the Goddess of War were about to be heavily punished, but the Goddess of Peace intervened, because she believed that it will do more damage than good. In the end, both Gajahmada and the Goddess of War were forgiven.
About the Composer
Coming from magnificent Indonesia, Dwiani Indraningsri arrived in Vancouver with mountains of experience. With broad influences from pop, rock, jazz, classical, and world music, her music is anything but ordinary. The artist’s rich and vibrant music has been heard internationally, and now she is ready to win the hearts of the Canadian audience.
Dwiani grew up in a multicultural world. In addition to piano, guitar, and flute, she also learned gamelan, gondang Batak, and angklung when she was young. After graduating high school, Dwiani went on to study composition and music education, and her music career began. She wrote compositions and arrangements for orchestra and choir, and she also conducted some of her original works.
In 2015, Dwiani self-published Petualangan Lila dan Zio, which is a musical written in the form of illustrated children's book. Another highlight of her career was composing for Combating Marine Debris, which is a video game that was presented at the UN’s World Ocean Conference in New York back in 2017. This artist is also a huge Broadway fan, and her passion to tell stories through music can be heard in all of her works.
Visit Dwiani's website
Credit List
ONE
Music and Lyric: Dwiani Indraningsri
Orchestration: Dwiani Indraningsri
Gajahmada: Anindya Pramadhyana
Choir: Dwiani Indraningsri, Tarra Sitorus, Astrid Anggraeni, Zak Agraraharja
Cello: James H.
YOU’LL SEE
Music and Lyric: Dwiani Indraningsri
Orchestration: Dwiani Indraningsri
Goddess of War: Tarra Sitorus
Electric Guitar: Glen Wilson
Electric Bass: Zak Agraraharja
DEAR PRINCESS
Music and Lyric: Dwiani Indraningsri
Orchestration: Dwiani Indraningsri
Hayam Wuruk: M. Nur Indrasetiawan
Dyah Pitaloka Citraresmi: Tanti Nur Fajri
Violin: Achi Hardjakusumah
Electric Guitar: Radhin Agil
BATTLE OF BUBAT
Music and Lyric: Dwiani Indraningsri
Orchestration: Dwiani Indraningsri
Goddess of War: Tarra Sitorus
Gajahmada: Anindya Pramadhyana
King Prabu of Sunda: Vitogama Kaparang
Dyah Pitaloka Citraresmi: Tanti Nur Fajri
Hayam Wuruk: M. Nur Indrasetiawan
Choir: Dwiani Indraningsri, Tarra Sitorus, Astrid Angraeni, Zak Agraraharja
Kecak: Dwiani Indraningsri, Dmitri Kristalinsky, Janine Ferreira, Camryn Skeeles, Tatiane Bangambee, Layla Kuk
IN HARMONY
Music and Lyric: Dwiani Indraningsri
Orchestration: Dwiani Indraningsri
Goddess of Peace: Dwiani Indraningsri
Choir: Dwiani Indraningsri, Tarra Sitorus, Astrid Anggraeni, Jacob Foan, Dmitri Kristalinsky
Mixing and Mastering:
Dwiani Indraningsri
Special thanks to:
Adam Fulton, Kevin Kowal, Zak Agraraharja, Areza Riandra, Jacob Foan, Dmitri Kristalinsky, and all the instructors, staff, and students of Langara Digital Music Production program