Hridayaragam- Melodies of the Heart
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Film Overview

	Release Date: 2007-07-19 Running Time: 1:00 Content Rating: not yet rated
Genres: Music >> General Music :: Music >> Classical

Synopsis

'This is a new and exciting venture with Indian Classical music in Sitar and Tabla. The melodies and the footage of nature and culture of Kerala bring about a fresh feeling and a new dimension to the presentaion of the traditional music of India. The recording was done live in Cochin, Kerala, South India in January 2007.
The philosophy behind this project:
The rhythm and tone of life can be felt through the omnipresent elements of nature around us. For an artist, the constant challenge is to imitate the beauty that surrounds us and relate to it through the myriad forms of expression. For me, I was so inspired by the vibrations and the warmth of the nature and culture I discovered in Kerala that I felt compelled to reciprocate through the soulfulness and peace of classical Indan ragas.
There are three segments:
1) Raga Bageshree:
Solo sitar introduction to the melody.
Composition in a seven beat cycle, then the tabla joins the sitar creating a soulfully inspiring mood.
Composition in a fast rhythm of sixteen beats.
The finale is a very exciting and elating piece.
2) Raga Kirwani:
Solo sitar elaborating the mood of the raga.
Composition in fast sixteen beat cycle.
The meditaive mood changes into an expression of rhythmic energy.
3) Raga Hameer:
The tune is based on a Bengali song. The meaning of the lyrics are conveyed through the emotion of the music with the sitar and tabla.
Abot the music:
The essence of the Indian Classical music is spontaniety based on structure. This has evolved for thousands of years. The raags(melodies) were created to express the emotions evoked from nature and life and were composed to the taals(rhythmic cycles).
The artists improvise constantly (similar to jazz) yet keeping the rules of the rhythm and melodic srtucture intact.

Cast

Sitar: Alif Laila
Tabla: Nitin Mitta

Crew

Producer: Alif Laila | bio
At a very early age, Alif Laila entered the study of Indian Classical music. She was trained in Dhaka, Bangladesh, by the late Ustad Mir Qasem Kan, nephew of the legendary Ustad Alladdin Khan, in Nazrul Academy. After sometime, she was taken under the wings of her Ustad, to be taught in great depths on a 'one to one ' basis for eight years. In this method, Alif Laila was taught the intricate techniques and compositions that embody the school of music called the 'Senia Maihar Gharana' started by Ustad Alladdin Khan. Alif has a passion for the arts beyond music alone. During her final years of training, she attended the College of Fine Arts in Dhaka, where she graduated in 1981 with a bachelor's degree and received several prestigious awards for her water color painting. Alif's mind opened to the world of true art as she painted the moods of life with both color and melody.
In 1988 she moved to the United States, far away from the origins of her music and culture. She found the fortune of many eminent Indian Classical musicians and teachers who guided and influenced her music . Her intense study of music continued with teachers like Partha Chatterjee and Krishna Bhatt. She has also received blessings and guidance from Sur Samrat, "the king of melody" and a legend in Indian Classical musisc, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.
Alif Laila has performed in concert at places such as The Smithsonian in Washingtn DC, Rubin Museum in New York, The Detroit Museum of Arts, The Kerala Arts Society,The National Museum of Bangladesh accompanied by tabla virtuoso, Pandit Anindo Chatterjee, and other venues throughout the world from Hawaii to Switzerland to India and elsewhere. she has recorded with world renowned tabla artists like Pandit Anindo Chatterjee and Ustad Taari Khan. Hridayaragam (Melodies of the Heart) is a creative music project of Alif Laila. This audio/visual production was recorded in Kerala, South India, in January 2007. Her latest music video is 'Strings of Resonance' recorded in Kolkata , India in January 2009.
In the words of Krihna Bhatt "She is one of the most impressive female sitarists, who brings out the emotion of the ragas with great depth of feeling".
To know more about her, please visit www.aliflailasitar.com

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