A unique magical musical meeting between Paris and Bali is set for Sunday, 18 February 2024, when “East meets West” in a concert featuring internationally acclaimed French pianist, conductor, and composer Laurent Couson and one of Bali’s leading Gamelan groups – Semara Ratih performing on the stage of the Plumeria Grand Ballroom at The Padma Legian Resort at 7:00 p.m.
Laurent Couson – Pianst Composer
Frenchman Laurent Couson has worked across several music industry sectors over two decades in a distinguished career as a composer, pianist, and orchestra conductor.
Remarkably talented, Couson graduated from the Music Conservatoire of Tours (France), followed by the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris and Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. Over time, he created and conducted his works at Radio France, Salle Pleyel, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Théâtre de la Ville, and Carnegie Hall in New York.
For five years, he was the Associate Music Director of Three Cultures Orchestra and Chorus, based in Rabat and Seville. He also worked as the assistant conductor for Marc Minkowski and Les Musiciens du Louvre.
From 2015 to 2018, he served as Music Director and Conductor for the South Asia Symphonic Orchestra and Bangkok Chamber Orchestra. He is also the CEO of South Asia Music Production and Studio in Bangkok, where he made over 50 recordings.
As a conductor, he has directed his own works and classical repertoire with musicians of Radio France, Paris Opera Symphonic Orchestra,
Orchestre Lamoureux, National Orchestra of Prague, London
Symphonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Bulgarian Radio, Bucharest
Symphonic Orchestra, Orchestre National de Bordeaux, Sarrebrucken
StadtOrchester, Orchestra of Budapest, European Camerata,
Orchestra of Andalusia, Beijing Symphonic Orchestra, and Bangkok
Symphonic Orchestra.
A man of boundless energy, Couson has arranged music and conducted for leading artists, including. Charles Aznavour, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Didier Lockwood, Francis Lai, Régine, Liane Foly, Anggun, Gerard Manset, Michel Fugain, Marc Lavoine, Marianne James, Arielle Dombasle, Sylvie Joly, Louis Bertignac, Cecilia Cara, and André Ceccarelli.
He has composed several critically acclaimed musicals, including
“Anges et Démons”, “Romeos et Juliettes” or “Monsieur Luxure.”
Several major feature films have musical soundtracks composed by Laurent Couson.
Gamelan Semara Ratih
Widely regarded as one of Bali’s top traditional musical groups,- Gamelan Semaya Ratih was founded in 1988 as a gathering place for top musicians, composers, dancers, and choreographers from southern Bali, including many esteemed graduates of the Fine Arts Academy in Denpasar.
Over the past three decades, Ubud-based Gamelan Semara Ratih has performed worldwide, winning first-place honors in Bali’s annual gong kebyar and praise on the international stage as ambassadors of Indonesian culture and music. Semara Ratih has won rave international reviews via performances in Denmark, Japan, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, the USA, and Canada. The group is the first non-Western group to perform at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen – an evening that ended only after nine curtain calls.
Laurent Couson and Gamelan Semara Ratih will make their second joint appearance in Bali in three years at the 18 February program at The Padma Legian.
Youtube Excerpt from 2019 Laurent Couson Concert in Bali
Semara Ratih Sampler from YouTube
Ticket Prices
Presale Rp. 500,000
Regular Rp. 550,000
Student Rp. 150,000 (Student ID must be presented at the Door)
Link for online ticket purchase
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