Kichlu, Vijay
Gyan - Educational Series of Indian Ragas Vol. 2 - 2 CDs & Booklet
Ragas Bhairav, Kalingra, Ramkali, Ahir Bhairav, Kafi, Bhimpalasi, Bageshwari, Rageshwari & Barwa
ID: DG-CD-003/004
Gyan means knowledge and vocal music is the foundation of all classical raga music. This CD series conveys the essence of selected ragas by presenting vocal compositions, sung by renowned singer Subhra Guha, and spoken explanations by Vijay Kichlu, himself an accomplished singer, scholar and teacher.
Every CD deals with a group of related ragas, showing their common ground as well as their differences.
CD 1: Bhairav, Kalingra, Ramkali, Ahir Bhairav
CD 2: Kafi, Bhimpalasi, Bageshwari, Rageshwari,Barwa
Each album contains two CDs with nearly three hours of instruction. Each CD contains Aaroha-Avroha-Pakad, Chalan, Aalap, Sargam, several Bandishes and Palta of four or five ragas either emerging from the same scale or melodic structure or very close to each other. The ragas have been explained in details together with demonstrations which can be easily picked up by students of music.
The albums have been designed to be useful for all levels of musicians - from beginning students to young performers who need clarity of the interpretation of two similar ragas. Each raga is explained right from its most elementary stage and developed gradually and systematically to its advanced level. Commentary with appropriate demonstrations unfolds the mystery of each raga. Finally a complete movement of the raga called "chalan" is demonstrated grammatically so that an elementary student is also able to understand the ragas movements appropriately. Several beautiful compositions in each raga improve a students repertoire.
The booklet contains the notation of each composition used in every raga, some other useful information and a glossary of all the technical words used in the commentary apart from.
The entire series has been prepared in one voice of Subhra Guha and on one pitch (G sharp) which she has used through out in each CD to maintain a uniformity of pitch. Subhra Guha is acknowledged as one of the finest thumri singers of the Poorab Ang and as a khyal exponent of the Agra gharana. She was a scholar at the SRA and became a guru there later on.
Narrator Vijay Kichlu is a renowned vocalist of the Agra gharana. He has been director of the Sangeet Research Academy (SRA) in Calcutta, a unique professional Indian music training centre in the old teacher-student tradition, for several years since its founding in 1977. More about the SRA and a lots of background info at www.itcsra.org
Tabla accompaniment is played by Samar Saha and Ananda Gopal Bandopadhyay.