(This article is sponsored by Sounds of India)

Nehru’s famous phrase, "Tryst with Destiny" has been used by Dr. Raghavendra as a theme to create a soothing medley of melodies that draws from different world music traditions. The music, composed by Dr. Raghavendra and arranged by V.K.Raman of Bridgewater, MA, floats between the oft repeated familiar tunes and seamlessly glides on to new idioms. The theme is centered around the cycle of life – birth or "Beginning", followed by high energy life activities climaxing in the “Dance With Joy”, moving on to difficult times of conflict in the “Tryst with Destiny” ,ending in the sorrowful “Lament” and finally moving on to “Lullaby” signifying rebirth.

The first composition aptly titled “The Beginning” is a rendition of the famous Sanskrit verse “ Sahanavavatu”. The use of the Veena to bring the “Vedic Chanting” feel adds a special touch to the piece. “Caravan” which draws a little from Arabic music comes next and reminds us of Deserts and Caravans. The next song “Nature” aptly begins with the sound of chirping birds. Ringing of temple bells and the sound of the flute fills us with the peaceful feeling of dawn. Mysore Nagaraj’s beautiful violin playing along with interesting Guitar effects adds a special dimension to this piece.

M.S.Sheela begins the next piece “Beautiful” with a short alapana. The rhythmic nature of the piece with Morsing, Konnakol Sollukattu and the short Tarana makes it an interesting piece for dance. “Forest” follows. Based on the Ragam Sindhubhiravi, it starts slowly with notes on Veena, followd by Violin. It then moves into a fast paced climax adding a touch of Jazz.

The next pieces “Waves” and “Seashore” are based on Fisherman folk tunes. "Happiness" is a joyous fusion of Jazz and Carnatic music

“Dance of joy” is an interesting variation of his very popular number “Shiva Ganga”. “Tryst with Destiby” the theme piece of this CD, begins with the notes of Vedic chants. Dr. Raghavendra’ s playing style gives it a “Gambiram” or Dignity. M. S. Sheela ends the piece with a lovely alapanai. The mood changes into "Shoka" in “Lament”. Mysore Nagraj’s violin playing brings out the very essence of this “Rasa”. The last piece is “Lullaby”and M.S Sheela with he "Jo JO" reminds us of a beautiful rebirth.

The orchestra featured very talented musicians. Mysore Nagraj , M.S.Sheela and V.K.Raman are well known Carnatic musicians whose musical renditions have created the right touch to bring out the appropriate feelings. B.S.Arunkumar.S.V.Balakrishna,K.Deva,Anoor A.K.Sharma,Ravindra Yavagal,G.Omkar and S.Prashanth contributions to the Rhythm section is excellent. B.Gopi on the Bass Guitar, Venkatram Harish and Praveen D. Rao on the Keyboards, brings an interesting touch to the music. Special effects by B.Kahsyap and vocal renditions by Shankar Shabogue are excellent.

Dr Raghavendra, a former bio-physics teacher, who started playing Veena professionally 11 years ago. He lives in Bridgewater , MA along with his wife Dr. Uma Shama and eight year old son. He has performed extensively in the US and India.

To order a copy of the CD please send mail to anil@lokvani.com.

|