AT THE opening of the performance, the audience is seized with a feeling of deep sadness as the four-hole flute almost sounds like someone calling for help. The call of the flute, played by Syahrial Tando, was answered by two groups of saluang ensembles repeatedly playing monotonous melodies, followed by sampelong, an eight-hole flute, adding to the sense of grief.

For a quarter of an hour the audience was immersed in the gripping sound of the sal