Imaginary Intersections: Raga & Raj

Description

In its Season Concert III -- "Imaginary Intersections: Raga & Raj" -- the Baroque Festival plans to take its audience on an imaginary journey back to late 18th-century India. In the mysterious Kingdom of Oudh near Calcutta, the fashion of the 1780s turned toward the ‘Hindostannie Air’, leading British musicians to perform amorous melodies and dance tunes of North India on European instruments.

Barry Phillips, a Ravi Shankar trained composer/performer of classical Indian music, has created a new work for early instruments which re-imagines this historical East-West encounter (world premiere). The fruits of this unique project will be premiered by the Baroque Festival's resident ensemble Lux Musica on early European instruments (flute, violin, viola da gamba, harpsichord), together with Barry Phillips on cello, accompanied by tabla (traditional Hindustani drums), tambourine, and finger cymbals.

The development and presentation of this project has been made possible by a grant from the Creative Work Fund of San Francisco, jointly awarded to the Santa Cruz Baroque Festival and Barry Phillips as collaborating artist.

Artist Statement: "For fourteen years now I have assisted Ravi Shankar compose and notate his Indian classical music for western instruments in both western and Indian notation, along side training in Hindustani performance on the cello. My new piece called "Eight Ragas" is an experiment in overlapping time frames and music experiences. In particular this piece is a reflection of the musical encounters of eighteenth century Europeans in India with their harpsichords, flutes and fiddles with Indian musicians, but also it is from a modern perspective that includes Ravi Shankar style "fusion" and then anything else that came to mind composing, such as a touch of Bollywood and a touch of Beatles. So I see it as mixing old and new, east and west in a free style all set on a framework of the eight times of the day from pre-dawn till late night."

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