Echoes of Peace: Gates of Jerusalem in Black Swan Rises
A mesmerizing fusion of jazz and orchestral brilliance, Black Swan Rises captivated with transcendent harmony. (Image by Abdullah Bugis)
As the last note of Gates of Jerusalem echoed through the revered halls of Dewan Filharmonik PETRONAS on February 19, 2025, a profound silence descended upon the audience. In that ephemeral moment, time itself felt momentarily stilled, as if an invisible bridge had emerged between the storied stones of Jerusalem and the vibrant pulse of Kuala Lumpur. More than just a musical piece, this composition—performed as part of Black Swan Rises—was a transcendent odyssey, a rich tapestry woven with threads of history, culture, and humanity’s unyielding quest for peace.
The evening commenced beneath an aura of expectancy as spectators filled the opulent concert hall, their whispered exchanges forming a harmonic prelude to the performance. Black Swan Rises, the magnum opus of composer, producer, and virtuoso bassist Rodin JS Kumar, was heralded as a “Neo-Gen music concert,” an intricate fusion of jazz improvisation and contemporary classical compositions. Under the masterful baton of conductor Prof. Hanafie Imam, the night unfolded as an artistic reckoning—one that mirrored human resilience, transformation, and the ceaseless dialogue between conflict and harmony.
The concert featured a 20 piece Malaysian orchestral ensemble, accentuated by guest musicians Damon Brown and James Ryan from London and Sydney, respectively and VJ Thison who played the drums. The three of them had played on Rodin’s albums. Together, they embarked on an evocative sonic journey through 12 of Rodin’s original compositions, among them Life’s Like a River, Black Swan, Black Swan Rises and Apotheosis- A Stairway to Heaven, his magnum opus. Apotheosis- A Stairway to Heaven was both a vocal version sang by Dato Dr. Aljafri Majid as well as the magnificent instrumental closing song. And of course, the magisterial Gates of Jerusalem—a piece that would come to define the night’s philosophical and artistic resonance.
The Essence of “Gates of Jerusalem”
Among the compositions, Gates of Jerusalem stood as the evening’s spiritual and emotional fulcrum. It was not merely a piece of music; it was a narrative—a sonorous meditation that transported listeners through the sacred city’s labyrinthine streets, each note imbued with the weight of history and the fragility of coexistence.
The composition’s architecture was an exquisite interplay of orchestral grandeur and electronic depth. It began with a plaintive string motif, a solitary voice steeped in introspection, whispering the forgotten echoes of civilizations past. Gradually, the piece unfurled, with percussive elements rising like distant footsteps upon ancient cobblestones, guiding the listener through an unfolding sonic mosaic. The confluence of traditional orchestration and avant-garde electronic textures forged an auditory landscape both ethereal and grounded, conjuring the layered history of Jerusalem itself.
The very title, Gates of Jerusalem, alluded to the storied portals of the sacred city—each an entrance to both past and present, each a sentinel of its people’s sorrows and aspirations. The music mirrored this pilgrimage through nuanced shifts in tempo and key, reflecting the convergence of diverse faiths and cultures that have shaped Jerusalem’s soul. Its crescendos embodied moments of collective triumph, while its diminuendos whispered the grief of centuries.
Rodin JS Kumar’s compositions are known for their ability to transcend musical boundaries, and Gates of Jerusalem was no exception. The infusion of Eastern melodic structures with Western harmonic sensibilities paid homage to the city’s identity as an eternal crossroad of civilizations. It was a requiem and a resurrection—an invocation of suffering and a hymn to reconciliation.
Middle East’s Struggles and Aspirations
Yet, beyond its artistic brilliance, Gates of Jerusalem bore a deeper philosophical and humanitarian gravity. It was a tribute to lives lost in conflict and a beacon of hope for those still seeking solace amidst turmoil. For Rodin and James Ryan, who was the arranger for this song as well as most of the other songs, this was not merely a composition but a meditation on Jerusalem’s role as a microcosm of the Middle East—where beauty and devastation waltz in an unending cycle.
The delicate interweaving of harmony and dissonance in the piece mirrored the precarious balance between division and unity in the region. Middle Eastern maqam scales that closely aligns with the Phrygian dominant scale, whispered through the orchestration, entwined seamlessly with Western progressions, exemplifying Rodin’s profound ability to bridge seemingly irreconcilable worlds. The result was a dialogue—one spoken not in words but in the ineffable language of sound.
As the final cadence subsided, an overwhelming stillness gripped the concert hall before erupting into a thunderous standing ovation. The applause was not just for the music, nor merely for the musicians—it was an exaltation of a shared moment, a fleeting dissolution of geographical, religious, and political divides. In that transient instant, music transcended the temporal and became a unifying force, an ephemeral yet profound gesture toward understanding.
Art as a Testament to Hope
To attend Black Swan Rises was to engage with something beyond performance—it was to witness the power of art as a catalyst for empathy, dialogue, and change. While political resolutions remain mired in complexity, artistic expression, as this concert so eloquently proved, wields the extraordinary ability to touch the human soul in ways that discourse often cannot.
Through the evocative brilliance of Gates of Jerusalem, Rodin JS Kumar illuminated music’s potential to transcend borders. His composition did not seek to provide answers, nor did it impose narratives. Instead, it extended an invitation—to listen, to reflect, and to imagine a future where discord gives way to harmony.
In an era defined by division, moments like these remind us that art endures as humanity’s most profound instrument of unity. Like a black swan rising against the tide of expectation, this concert defied the ordinary and gestured toward the sublime. And as we navigate the fragmented landscapes of our time, it is in such symphonies that we may yet find the echoes of reconciliation, waiting to be heard.
The concert was sponsored by The BrandLaureate in conjunction with their 20th anniversary.
By: Abdullah Bugis
Journalist and Writer, Specialist in Arab and Southeast Asian Affairs, Based in Kuala Lumpur
