ERWIN GUTAWA ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE:

A STUDY IN POPULAR CULTURE

Author:
Ranti Rachmawanti
Sekolah Tinggi Musik Bandung (STiMB)
Email: ranti02@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

This article discusses the Erwin Gutawa Orchestra performances, which are examined from a
popular cultural perspective. Erwin Gutawa Orchestra is one of the orchestra that developed
and has the consistency of production in the music industry in Indonesia. Erwin Gutawa
Orchestra which was established since 1993 brought the format of Pops Orchestra. Erwin
Gutawa orchestra performances featuring various types of music, such as pop, kroncong,
dangdut, even collaboration with traditional music are packed in a flexible and attractive is
able to seize the attention of various circles of society. The presence of Erwin Gutawa
Orchestra became a phenomenon that quite hit the showbiz world and orchestral music
performances in Indonesia, and this became an interesting phenomenon to be studied. The
method used is qualitative and analytical descriptive research method. The approach used is
ethnography and multidisciplinary between musicology, cultural studies and social sciences.
The result prove that Erwin Gutawa Orchestra performances consists of several aspects,
namely the selection of compositions and musical works that focus on Indonesian pop songs
or traditions, with arrangements or orchestras created directly by Erwin Gutawa. The
involvement of musicians, artists, and artistic usage and the stage has become a unified whole
of show production from Erwin Gutawa Orchestra. This is done as a logical consequence of
the existence of Erwin Gutawa Orchestra located in the music industry, thus making Erwin
Gutawa Orchestra has different characteristics with other orchestral performances.

Keywords: Erwin Gutawa, Orchestra, Pop Culture