Musicians of the group Oma Moy from the island of Halmahera in the Moluku province, the eastern part of Indonesia,
perform under the direction of A. R. Limatahu on violin, lute jak and two tifa drums old–fashioned Togal music that is
only rarely to be heard at weddings or circumcision ceremonies – mewanwhile it is superseded by pop music from the
capital roaring out of ghettoblasters. The biola is a small vertically-held fiddle with three metal strings and no f-holes
(but a small soundhole in the middle of the body); it is the melody instrument for the instrumental mares, marches,
while lagu, songs, are dominated by the suling flute.
recorded by Philip Yampolsky on 8-9 September 1997 in Desa Malapa
from Music Of Maluku: Halmahera, Buru, Kei (Music of Indonesia 19; Smithsonian Folkways SFW CD 40446)
© Smithsonian Folkways 1999; www.si.edu/folkways
licensed from Smithsonian Folkways
1-9 Gaguik Mouradian & Claude Tchamitchian (Armenia|France): Voix, Part 1 5:30
(M: Gaguik Mouradian / Claude Tchamitchian)
Gaguik Mouradian, kamancheh | Claude Tchamitchian, double bass
Gaguik Mouradian (* Erevan, 1954) was during Soviet times a member of Armenia’s National Folk Song & Dance
Ensemble. After he left, he founded a number of small ensembles. He relocated in France in 2000 where he journeyed
on into the world of improvisation but also continued to popularise the tradition of the achoughs, the Armenian
troubadours. He met Paris-born Claude Tchamitchian (1960) rather by chance, though – in Erevan. Tchamitchian grew
up with John Coltrane and Albert Ayler. Impulsively he invited Gaguik Mouradian to a studio session – an innovative
meeting of two instruments that had never been combined before.
recorded at Studios La Buissonne, Pernes-les-Fontaines, 25 April, 2002, by Gérard de Haro
from le monde est une fenêtre (émouvance émv 1018)
© émouvance 2003
licensed from émouvance
1-10 Mr Muean, Ms Aet & Ensemble Sak Som Peo (Cambodia): Srey Sroh Mien Thrung 3:01
(trad.)
In Cambodia the two fiddles tro ek and tro u plus the small cymbals ching form a typical village string ensemble
(khrueang khasae). The title of this verbal exchange translates as ‘Beautiful Woman’. The song was recorded in 1930
and released as a single (Columbia GF 675, WLI 313).
1-11 Huo Yonggang (China): Quinqiang 4:35
(M: trad.)
When aged six Huo Yonggang, born 1967 in Lanzhou, discovered an erhu – and could play it right away! Today he is
professor for erhu at the Shanghai Conservatory (and much in demand as a pop singer for film music!). Here he plays
on a banhu, though, an also two-stringed but higher-pitched erhu relative with a wooden body from northern China
where it is mainly used in the local operas; quinqiang is the style to be found in Xian, capital of the province Shaanxi.
recorded by CHIME and Teddy Wu on 24 April 2005 in Shanghai
from Voice Of The Dragon (CHIME 92804)
© CHIME 2005; http://home.wxs.nl/~chime
licensed from Frank Kouwenhoven/CHIME
1-12 Leonid Oorzhak (Tuva): Igilge Ayalgalar > Sygyt 5:52
(trad.)
Leonid Oorzhal was, until his untimely death in 1996 the igil player to the Tuvan Ensemble Ay Kherel (rays of
moonlight; today’s band of the same name has nothing in common with the old quartet). Igilge Ayalgalar is a medley
of solo tunes for the igil.
recorded live at The Music Gallery, Toronto by Ann MacKeigan for CBC Canada
© Paradox 1994
licensed from Pan Records and CBC Canada
previously unreleased
1-13 Adun Sattakun (Thailand): Butsaba Siang Tian 4:36
(trad.)
Adun Sattakun, saloo | Rat Jinawong, süng klaang | Sombat Janlooy, süng yay (large lute) | Amnuray Rorek, pii | Sinlapa Tataa,
kloong (drum) | Suphab Bünmani, tjing (cymbals)
The saloo ensemble is the classical Lanna Thai ensemble; Lanna Thai is both, the northwestern part of Thailand but
also the name of the ethnic group living (mainly) in the fertile valleys of the region. The two-stringed saloo (with the
half of a pumpkin or coconut as resonator) and the small moon lute süng klaang are the solo instruments while the
flute pii embellishes the main melody. Saloo and süng are typical Lanna instruments; they are not used in other parts
of the country. Both instruments are used to accompany love songs, songs from Lanna epic stories, or Burmese style
songs.
The title of this song translates as ‘Butsaba risks the candle’. If refers to the story of Butsaba and Inao, here to a
scene in which Butsaba lights three candles in a temple in front of a Buddha image, one for herself and one for each
of her two lovers. Then she asks Buddha to help her choose by extinguishing one of the candles, thusly showing her
the one she will not marry.
recorded in Toong Fai, Lamphun Province, Thailand, May 1995 by Fred Gales
from Lanna Thai (Pan 2045CD)
© Paradox 1997
licensed from Pan Records
1-14 Kim Joo-ri (Korea): A Snowman (Three Impressions for Haegum and Guitar) 13:35
(M: Ryu Hyeung-sun)
Kim Joo-ri, haegum | Gwak Sooh-Wan, guitar
Graduate from Hanyang University Kim Joo-ri is despite her young age an established haegŭm performer whose
repertoire includes classical as well as contemporary pieces. She is hailed for being able to explore all tone colours of
her instrument, the harsh and hard ones and also the lyrical or even weary sounds.
from Stepping Stones of Six Strings (D&A Entertainment/Universal DK 0543)
© D&A Entertainment/Universal
licensed from Kim Joo-ri and D&A Entertainment/Universal
Disk 2
2-1 Kala Ramnath (India): Raga Maru Bihag 52:09
Vilambit (M: trad.) > Tum Bina Kalana Pare > Shyam Kanhayi (Jhaptal; M: Pandit Jasraj) > Jaagoo Mai Saaree Raina Balma (Teental;
M: Prabha Atre) > Taraana (M: Kala Ramnath)
Kala Ramnath, violin | Abhijit Banerjee, tabla | iPod, tanpura
Kala Ramath, born 29 May 1967 in Chennai is the niece of N. Rajam und TN Krishnan, two greats of north and south
Indian violin music. She chose the Hindustani system; her teachers were her grandfather A. Narayana Iyer, aunt Rajam
and for the vocal training Pandit Jasraj.
Raga Maru Bihag is a popular late evening raga whose mood is being described as celebratory as well as making it a
common raga sung especially at weddings. “The opening Maru Bihag began with an exploratory vilambit (slow)
section. She continued with three vocal compositions on violin. Not long into the opening movement, it was apparent
that magic was afoot. The first of its compositions was in jhaptal (a 10-beat cycle) and called ‘Without you I cannot
imagine myself’ – a title followed, to provide its devotional context, by ‘O, Krishna’. It segued into an instrumental
interpretation of Prabha Atre’s ‘I have been awake the whole night, my Beloved’ in teental (a 16-beat cycle). To
finish, she played a taraana, a rhythmically inclined composition, of her own devising. Whether Maru Bihag’s pacing
and development or her varied violinistic techniques, her singing violin sang kala (‘art’). Intellectual yet passionate,
Ramnath’s performance blasted already high expectations.” (Ken Hunt, Pulse, autumn 2010) “Till today one of the
best concerts of my life.” (Kala Ramnath, March 2014)
www.kalaramnath.com
recorded live at TFF Rudolstadt, Landestheater, 3 July, 2010, by Martin Frobeen for WDR
© Kala Ramnath, WDR 2010
with kind permission by Kala Ramnath
previously unreleased
2-2 L Subramaniam (India): Brova Barama 16:07
(M: Thyagaraja; A: Dr L Subramaniam; P: Niranjani Music/BMI)
L Subramaniam, violin | K. Gopinath, mridangam | Anindo Chatterjee, tabla | K. Sekar, tavil | HP Ramacher, kanjira | Satya Sai,
morsing
L (Lakshminarayana) Subramaniam is internationally the best known (south) Indian violin player by a long way. Born on
23 July 1947 in Chennai, he was raised in Jaffna in Ceylon where his father was teaching at the music college.
Subramaniam learneed to play the violin and gave his first concert at six. Yet he first did a doctorate in medicine
before devoting himself fully to music, studying Indian and western classical music. L Subramaniam is almost more
renowned for his sheer countless fusion projects than for his interpretations of Carnatic classical works. He has played
with jazz and electronic musicians, western and Indian classical artists, African and South American musicians. He
composed symphonies and film scores, and wrote books on Carnatic music; his recorded body is estimated to exceed
200 discs and he was overwhelmed with prizes and honours.
Here, L Subramaniam performs a kriti, a song wirtten by saint Thyagaraja: ‘Brova Barama is one of my favourite
compositions, not the least because of its powerful lyrics: “O Lord Rama, you save the whole world. Why can't you
also save poor Thyagaraja?” Only Thyagaraja has composed songs in ragam Harikambhoji; Bahudari is a variant, a varja
raga with six notes ascending and only five notes decending.’
www.indianviolin.com
recorded live at Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival in Bangalore, 2004
from Maestro’s Choice (Viji Records C04185)
© Music Today India 2005/Viji Records 2012
licensed from Subramaniam Entertainment
2-3 Ram Narayan (India): Raga Bhairavi 9:10
(trad.)
Ram Narayan, sarangi | Mahadeo Indorkar, tabla
Kala Ramnath was born in 1967, L Subramaniam in 1947, Ram Narayan in 1927. He represents here the generation of
the legendary forefathers and pioneers. „My mission was to obliterate the blemish which the sarangi carried due to its
social origins. I hope I have succeeded in this“, Ram Narayan told the Indian Express in 2002. Yes he did, confirms Sir
Yehudi Menuhin: “The sarangi remains not only the authentic and original Indian bowed stringed instrument but the
one which – in the hands of Ram Narayan – expresses the very soul of Indian feeling and thought. I cannot separate the
sarangi from Ram Narayan. So thoroughly fused are they, not only in my memory, but in the fact of this sublime
dedication of a great musician to an instrument which is no longer archaic because of the matchless way in which he
has made it speak.”
Raga Bhairavi is originally a late morning raga. Ram Narayan like this raga „that can convey moods like pathos,
longing, romance and victory that are expressed in the improvisations.” Here he interprets it in a rare combination of
styles from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.
recorded by All India Radio on 3 November 1979
from Akashvani Sangeet volume two (All India Radio AIR[C-ARCH]H-56)