Release Date: 28 May 2021
Label: NMC Recordings
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5023363026529
Genres: Classical Contemporary
Description
For the first time, Param Vir's music comes together in an album solely dedicated to his works.
'[His] music is resounding in my heart as messages of great inner wealth. It is like a new idea of beauty and grace and has all the strength and the energy of great art.' Hans Werner Henze
Param Vir freely draws from mythology, art and literature in his work. The title track of this release, Wheeling Past the Stars, sets the poems of Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and in these four song settings, Patricia Auchterlonie (soprano) and Ulrich Heinen (cello) explore the themes of love, politics, nature, and the rejuvenating effect a child can have on their grandparents.
The Austrian contemporary music specialists Klangforum Wien with Enno Poppe join forces with British Indian virtuoso sarod player Soumik Datta for the part notated, part improvised Raga Fields. It is not a work that imitates Indian music but instead 'harnesses rich, contemporary harmonic techniques that facilitate the confluence between the two rich and diverse musical traditions.' (Paul Conway). Through close collaboration with Param Vir over many months, Soumik brings his artistry, insight and imagination to the improvised sections creating an organic development to the music.
Param turns to evocative imagery for the other works in this collection. Before Krishna takes inspiration from the images around the birth (and the unusual events preceding it) of Krishna, the most popular and loved of the Hindu gods. Utilising serial techniques, the 'Krishna Row' twists and turns in the hands of the London Chamber Orchestra and conductor Odaline de la Martinez, who draw out the expressive detail in Param's carefully crafted sequences. In Hayagriva, Vir chooses not to retell the story of the horse-headed incarnation of Vishnu but instead to explore the aspects of the character's supernatural powers. Commissioned and performed by the Schönberg Ensemble, the piece was first formulated during a visit to Peter Maxwell Davies's studio on Orkney Island and quotes an unpublished work by Max, a fitting tribute to a friend who helped guide Param Vir's early career.
Tracklisting
Martyn Brabbins, Daniel Pioro, Anna Dennis, Andrew Gourlay, Elena Schwarz
Freya Waley-Cohen, Manchester Collective, Heloise Werner, Katie Bray, Fleur Barron, Tamsin Waley-Co
Slide Action
Siwan Rhys
BBC Concert Orchestra, BBC Singers, Alice Farnham
Lisa Illean, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, GBSR Duo, Juliet Fraser, Explore Ensemble
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins, Andrew Davis
BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, London Sinfonietta, Ryan Wigglesworth, Huw Wa
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
Various Artists
