Program Notes
Blaze is a work in progress. The audio below is the first iteration of an ongoing exploration with violinist Shalini Vijayan and tabla player T.J. Troy. While I’ve written extensively for the violin, tabla writing is new to me, and this is just the beginning of my exploration of the vast possibilities of solo writing for this incredible instrument.
Blaze is in Raag Vibhas – an incredible pentatonic raag that I heard for the first time in Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s “Taa Deem“. I love how this raag can shift between the most ecstatic and darkest worlds in just a few notes. The solo violin recontextualizes the raag, shifting into different harmonic spaces, and yet always sliding back into sync with the tabla’s ‘sa’.
Recording
Special Performance Requirements
The tabla in this piece will require amplification, unless in a very small space. Please check with your tabla player about their amplification requirements, as it is usually a standard practice to amplify in Hindustani music.
If you are not familiar with the tabla, here is a beautiful introduction to the instrument by Shawn Mativetsky. Shawn has worked with many Western classical musicians to build works for the tabla, and is beautifully able to explain tabla theory and practice to those coming from a Western musical context.
Premiere/Performances
This piece was commissioned by violinist Shalini Vijayan. It was premiered on November 12, 2019 at MonkSpace in Los Angeles by Shalini Vijayan and T.J. Troy.
Press/Reviews
“…a seductive duet for violin and tabla…”- LA Times
