This astonishing new series; Musical Explorers; makes available often for the first time, a valuable range of historical films and audio recordings gathered from all over the world...
Included in this bundle:
EUCD2730 Musical Explorers - The Colours of Raga (CD + DVD)
Yehudi Menuhin presents Deben Bhattacharya’s film Raga, made in 1969, as the world was discovering Indian music thanks to Menuhin and the Beatles. The film and accompanying CD include rare performances by classical masters in the first of this Musical Explorers series (curated by Simon Broughton).
EUCD2745 Musical Explorers - Krishna in Spring (CD + DVD)
Filmed in 1969 in Mathura and Barsana, Uttar Pradesh, India, Deben Bhattacharya’s film presents scenes from the Holi festival and its various extraordinary rituals (e.g. women beating men with sticks). The pieces on the CD were recorded in 1954 and 1968 in Vrindavan, Krishna’s home village and in Jodhpur and Jaipur. This is the second release of the Musical Explorers series (curated by Simon Broughton).
EUCD2758 Musical Explorers - Music of Tibet (CD + DVD)
Deben Bhattacharya’s film, Echoes from Tibet, was shot in 1979 in Ladakh, (often called ‘Little Tibet’), Darjeeling and Dharamsala. Here many Tibetan exiles and the Dalai Lama (who appears in the film) are based. The music on the accompanying CD was recorded in 1975 and 1979 in the refugee communities of Ladakh, Himalchal Pradesh, Sikkim and Darjeeling, and also in Sarnath, close to Varanasi where the Buddha gave his first sermon.
EUCD2773 Musical Explorers - Taiwan Silk & Strings (CD + DVD)
The recordings on this album were made in Taiwan in 1973 when mainland China was undergoing the destruction and upheaval of the Cultural Revolution. Musical Explorer Deben Bhattacharya was fascinated by the traditional Chinese culture he found in Taiwan. The accompanying film includes not just music, but other traditional arts and crafts.
EUCD2791 Musical Explorers - Waves of Joy - Bauls of Bengal (CD + DVD)
The film Waves of Joy was shot at the Kenduli Mela in West Bengal in 1973. It’s a huge musical and religious gathering. The songs on the accompanying CD were recorded in nearby Shantiniketan in 2001. Baul music and poetry are amongst the greatest expressions of Bengali culture and, as a native, Deben Bhattacharya was really able to appreciate and bring to us their profound truth and beauty. Waves of Joy co-curated by Jharna Bose-Bhattacharya.
