Richard Kaal was born in Nijmegen, Holland. In 1955 his
family emigrated to Australia for work prospects and a better
life for the children. Richard grew up in various parts of
Australia – from the Snowy Mountains to the Hunter Valley,
from Lismore to Sydney. His father was an engineer and so
the family moved constantly following work assignments. There
were five boys in the family (or, as Richard puts it, four
sparring partners). After his mother died when he was 15,
Richard moved to Kings Cross in Sydney where his adult education
really began. He spent years as a professional musician performing
all over the world. Richard and his family eventually settled
in Desa Sarinbuana in Tabanan, on the slopes of Mount Batukaru
beside the island’s only completely natural national
park.
What is your professional/educational background?
Life and my father became my educators. My brothers and I
all followed our father in engineering. I completed school
in tool-making at tech college in 1969, then launched myself
on a musical career with roles in musicals such as Hair and
Jesus Christ Superstar in which I played various singing parts
including Jesus. I come from a musical family. My father played
the cello, my brother played violin, while I studied formal
violin and theory for 10 years starting from age five. We
all played music often as a trio. Those many nights playing
music led to a career in music.
Have you traveled to many places around the world?
I recorded for EMI in the early ‘70s. My music career
allowed me to travel extensively throughout the ‘70s
and ‘80s. I saw most of Europe, from Sweden to France
and Greece, traveling in a Combi van; I also visited New Zealand
and Asia, and journeyed throughout the South Pacific on my
sailing boat Cadenza.
Why and how did you first become interested in Bali?
A surfing trip with friends in 1970 was the beginning of my
association with Indonesia. I did many stopovers in Bali on
the way home after trips to Europe. I also sailed in an early
1980s Darwin to Ambon race. I found the people in Bali especially
friendly with a good attitude to life and a great culture.
What made you decide to live in Bali?
We decided to live near a traditional village in Bali mainly
because of the Balinese people, their values, beliefs, attitudes,
culture, religion and their appreciation of the arts. We were
also attracted to the fantastic lifestyle full of adventure,
wonderful food and interesting people. Life in the West had
become too homogenized for us.
What work have you done in Indonesia?
In 2003, I started a project recording traditional music in
order to create a library of Balinese classical music. I’ve
so far recorded 42 CDs. I’m also a consultant for two
foundations or yayasan. Yayasan Suara Dana, meaning “the
gift of music”, is directed by I Ketut Suardana of Celuk,
Gianyar. In this yayasan, I record, produce and write collaboration
fusion music with members. I’m also involved in Yayasan
Bali Kharisma, directed by I Nyoman Sumartana of Megati in
Tabanan, in which I help set up a school for locals, offering
courses such as English, computing, traditional dance and
singing.
What work are you involved in now?
Recently, the collaboration music has been my main focus.
We took a fusion group, blending Balinese traditional and
Western music, to the Wintermoon festival in Queensland, Australia.
We have also played at numerous festivals here in Bali and
our response to the music has been encouraging. I am building
up an informative website for the music and recordings at
www.musikaal.com. We’re also in the process of completing
the building of a music retreat in the mountains. We’d
like to share this beautiful location, the wonderful people
and traditional experiences with our guests.
What makes the music you create special?
A creation of any type should be honest and from the heart.
This ensures the creation will be unique to the person, a
product of who you are at that moment of the journey. This
includes any genre from classical to world music, from Bach
to Dylan.
What do you like about Balinese music?
Balinese music is part of the culture. As a violinist I found
it difficult at first to unlearn my conditioning, especially
in tuning and tempo. But the more I learned, the more amazed
I have become about the complexities of Balinese music.
Why is Balinese music worth preserving?
I feel all music has the power of subliminal message and the
ability to raise the consciousness. In this way music can
bring peace. All traditional music worldwide should be preserved.
The loss of each of our musical traditions is akin to the
extinction of each of the species that inhabit the planet.
What is the rarest Balinese music you’ve ever captured?
The recordings of the gambang and selunding from the Majapahit
era are becoming very rare in Bali.
What are the most challenging aspects of your work?
Having to deal with noisy onlookers, motorbikes and dogs during
a recording session. Also finding an adequate and reliable
power supply.
Do you have any future plans, either personally or professionally?
I’d like to expand my recording work to cover other
parts of Indonesia and perhaps invite people to join me in
some of these trips. Also continue and widen our collaborative
music projects, promote Bali through its music and dance internationally
by touring festivals and in schools. The costs have been steep
so I would also like to find some sponsors in the future.
Where can one learn more about your music and
your retreat?
For the music: www.musikaal.com
Email: richard.kaal@gmail.com
For the retreat: www.balimountainretreat.com
Email: rebecca.kaal@gmail.com
For anyone interested in being considered for Siapa, please
contact: <pakbill2003@yahoo.com>
