Pt. Vijay Raghav Rao - Live, In Concert : SYMBIOSIS

 SYMBIOSIS presents four selections from live concert performances by the celebrated Pt. Vijay Raghav Rao. Each selection highlights distinctive, synergetic beauty born from the melding of diverse, characteristic note patterns and traditional forms used as a basis for improvisation. In keeping with his reputation as a pioneer advancing the realm of Indian classical music into the modern era, the performances shine with novel expressions evolved from frameworks of traditional Indian classical and folk music.

“A gem of melodious tone, spontaneous creativity, imagination and fresh ideas. Originality and innovation blended into subtle form with facile control over technique.” - A.N. Dhaneshwar, Times of India

"Music of peculiar charm all its own. Hypnotizing sweetness with a perfect balance of melody, harmony and rhythm." - Mohan Goel, The Listening Post

1. Surya Kauns         

This performance is Panditj’s paean to Surya, the Sun, the resplendent entity that is the cause and sustenance of existence. Using a rarely known composite scale melding Raga Malkauns* of the Hindustani classical tradition with Raga Surabhi of Carnatic music, Panditji’s composition exemplifies emotions of gratefulness, joy and heartfelt celebration in the knowledge that we - of any species, anywhere, everywhere - are one under the benevolence of our Sun. Surya Kauns also literally alludes to the metaphor of our sun shining in the dark of night: it remains steadfast at all times, our overseer, unaffected by the limits of our horizons as we live through days and nights. The composition reiterates - musically and emotionally - Panditji’s abiding belief in the universality of the human experience amidst divisiveness: a theme that permeates all his music. 

Composition in Jhap Taal (cycle of 10 beats)

Tabla: Pt. Giridhar Prasad Jaipurwalle

* For an acclaimed rendition of Raga Malkauns, do listen to Malkauns, featured in Pt. Vijay Raghav Rao, Masterpieces: Contemplation (2008), published by The Red & Green Company, available worldwide.

 

2.   Puriya Kalyan 

This selection is an elaborate improvisation on a popular symbiotic scale that seamlessly melds Raga Puriya from the Marwa family of scales with Raga Yaman from the Kalyan scale family. Panditji’s compositions in the performance elucidate the stately aura inherent in the collective elements of Puriya - recognized as the king of all Ragas* - amply tinged in the tone of joyous fortitude exemplified by the mood embedded in Yaman. A thoughtful composition in the measured style of an adagio (Alaap & Khayal-styled Vilambit) builds a structure describing unique artistic sentiments. A brisk allegro (Drut) follows, highlighting yet other facets of beautiful expression inherent in the interpretation of the emotive edifice that is Puriya Kalyan as performed by an artist par excellence. 

Alap; Vilambit and Drut Compositions in Ek Taal (cycle of 12 beats) 

Tabla: Pt. Giridhar Prasad Jaipurwalle     

* For an invigorating delineation of Puriya, do listen to Puriya - An Exposition In Three Movements, in Celestial: Pt. Vijay Raghav Rao In Concert (2019), published by The Red & Green Company, available worldwide.

 

3. Dhun Misra Bhairavi 

This selection is a rare and exemplary improvisation on the specified note pattern for Bhairavi, a traditional and characteristic set of note intervals - performed in the manner of Indian folk music. The stylistic elaboration is firmly rooted in the rustic environs of villages nestled in the fertile northeastern plains of India, beside the river Ganga. By design and exposition, the performance adds subtle variations to the classical structure of Bhairavi as known, both in the form of tonal notes and expressions characteristic of folk music. The result is exhilarating, even as it preserves the unique mood of Bhairavi - steeped, as it is meant to be, in devotion and longing for divinity. 

Composition in Madhya Laya, Kehrawa Taal (cycle of 4 beats) 

Tabla: Pt. Giridhar Prasad Jaipurwalle 

 

4. Tappa Yaman (Encore) 

As an encore to a collection of live performances, this selection presents Panditji’s interpretation of Yaman - a popular and traditional Raga - in the Tappa style, a rare and fading musical mode that combines speed and rolling note cascades in complex formations. Tappa Yaman encapsulates Panditji’s technical prowess succinctly, even as it is an enthralling miniature that entertains and opens our ears to the pleasures of progressive Indian classical music. 

Drut Composed in Teen Taal (cycle of 16 beats) 

Tabla: Sanjay Kumar

Pt. Vijay Raghav Rao - Live, In Concert : SYMBIOSIS

Recordings of live performances in Pondicherry, Madras, Bombay - India, & Springfield, VA - USA 

Special thanks to Smt. Lakshmi V. Rao 

Liner notes by Steve Elchuri

CD Album manufactured by Bison Disc 

Sound Executive : Dr. Vijay Vardhan Elchuri  Executive Producer : Sanjay Kumar 

© 2023 by Pt. Vijay Raghav Rao & Family 

From The Red & Green Company