Program Notes
(forthcoming)
Recording
See video above.
For Beyond, a full length album of bhajan arrangements performed by Saili Oak and Salastina Music Society, composed by participants of the Shastra Summer Collaborative, click here.
Special Performance Requirements
This piece requires a Western classical string quartet, and a Hindustani singer.
The piece is relatively challenging for the string quartet, so a student ensemble would only be able to handle it at an extremely high level.
For Hindustani singers, the piece works like a standard bhajan (with the exception of a sargam section at the end that will need to be memorized, as the quartet will be imitating you in a jugalbandi style — you are the sawal and they are the jawab).
This piece is not written with the Western classical voice in mind. However, the score does provide a notated version of the bhajan (in simple notation – you would need to listen to the recording, available here [LINK to the Spotify link of Mag Rehna] to get the nuances in each phrase. Especially if you are familiar with pronunciation of Indian languages, it is certainly possible for the intrepid Western classical singer who wants to try something a little different! (Bear in mind, the Hindustani voice is often lower than the western voice – so it will fit better in the mezzo/alto range)
Text
(forthcoming)
Premiere/Performances
This piece was commissioned by Saili Oak for her album Beyond. It was premiered on May 10, 2019 at Oak’s album release, Beyond LIVE! at Rosebud Coffee in Pasadena, CA