Robert Vijay Gupta & Badal Roy – Suryodaya (Yarlung Records, 2012)
In Suryodaya, the late Badal Roy made a triumphant return with his signature Indian drums, having played with legends like Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman. This audiophile recording, made in the iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, also features the incomparable Robert Gupta, who demonstrates his mastery of the Nathan Milstein Stradivarius violin from 1716.
Not only is Robert Gupta the youngest member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, but he is also a Senior TED fellow; the executive director of Street Symphony (which brings music to homeless mentally ill people); and the real-life violin teacher of Nathaniel Ayers, whose story was sensitively portrayed in the major motion picture The Soloist.
Suryodaya takes us on a journey through time and across continents, from the opening Indian raga for violin in tabla (Raga Jaunpuri), to Medieval Europe with Biber’s famous Passacaglia, and to John Harbison’s Four Songs of Solitude and the Pereira suite written specifically for Robert. Badal Roy premiered Calcutta Sunrise, a tabla solo on the opening track, that won the Audio Oasis Award at the 2012 The Show in Newport.
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Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.