The first single ‘Notes at Dusk’, the most spiritual track of the release rests your mind letting the music envelop you while the second single, ‘On the banks of Jamuna’, set in the midnight melancholic raga Madhuvanthi conveys the longing of a friend for Lord Krishna…writes Prof. Geetha Upadhyaya, OBE
Dusk Notes, an innovative spiritual album created by the UK based reputed classical Indian vocalist, Supriya Nagarajan, speaks in particular, to Krishna the popular and widely revered Indian divine who reflects compassion, tenderness and love.
Supriya’s melodious singing in ‘Be Kinder’ held at the 2019 National Trust sponsored event at the Peak District impressed the creators and hosts of the event, Jarvis Cocker, the ‘Pulp’ front man and BBC Radio 6 presenter and the Turner Prize-winning artist JeremyDeller. They encouraged Supriya to create an album showcasing her amazing voice and the music she created for ‘Be Kinder’.
Thus, was born ‘Dusk Notes’ featuring 2 tracks of spoken word devised by Supriya and four songs whose melodies date back to the original Indian ragas of the 2nd and 3rd century AD which blend with the mood of a mellow winter dusky twilight.
The first single ‘Notes at Dusk’, the most spiritual track of the release rests your mind letting the music envelop you while the second single, ‘On the banks of Jamuna’, set in the midnight melancholic raga Madhuvanthi conveys the longing of a friend for Lord Krishna.
Another key track, ‘Places Unknown’, questions the relevance of humanity in the ecosystem through the interesting combination of the two ragas Madhuvanthi and Panthuvarali normally not set alongside each other to deliberately create chaos reaching out to the stillness of Lord Shiva.
The track ‘Edale Interlude’ set to the raga Desh is a moody, nostalgic walk through an autumn garden where the leaves are drifting away revealing the shimmering tones of the dusky eve.
Now, a short introduction to the artists who contributed to Dusk Notes –
Supriya Nagarajan, a Mumbai born Carnatic music trained artist forged ahead as a solo artist with many exciting projects and the latest – ‘Dusk Notes’ is her first commercial release, proving that one can achieve the utmost with the drive and the passion.
Leaving behind a lucrative banking career, Supriya merged with music and, in 2005, created Manasamitra, a UK based arts organisation which she leads as the CEO fulfilling her original passion for music and presenting traditional and contemporary Indian art, giving UK audiences an ambience of India, it’s tradition and culture.
Being a synesthete (where information meant to stimulate one sense stimulates multiple senses) Supriya’s music is a full sensory journey for her, involving an array of colours, emotions, taste and smell. Steeped in this concept, Supriya chose the building blocks of Indian music or Ragas that respond to that sensory experience related to the time of the day.
A key collaborator in Dusk Notes is Duncan Chapman, a composer and sound artist who regularly works with many leading international music organisations. Duncan’s recent projects include, a large-scale orchestral piece ‘But where do we get the water?’ for the London Chamber Orchestra at Casa da Música (Porto) and directing the Fanfare project for young composers at Royal Opera House Reeds and wind at Snape Maltings.
For ‘Dusk Notes’ Duncan sampled some beautiful natural sounds including the Dawn chorus at Willingham by Stow Lincolnshire, Streams at La Chaux Switzerland and the evening ambiences in Helsinki and Bergen and even candles burning in St James Church, Reading.
Karin De Fleyt, a Belgium based concert flautist who works at the Leeds Conservatoire and tours with the Hermes Ensemble played on the track “On the banks of Jamuna” track.
‘Dusk Notes’ was recorded at the University of Huddersfield by Mark Mynett, a record producer/mixing, mastering and live music engineer, and works as a Senior Lecturer in Music Technology and Production at the University of Huddersfield since 2006.
Dates not to miss :
9th October 2020 – First Single Release – ‘Notes at Dusk’
6th November 2020 – Second single and video – ‘On the Banks of Jamuna’
20th November 2020 – Dusk Notes Album with lead track ‘Edale Interlude’release on CD and all digital platforms
For further information on Dusk Tones please visit :
Website
Twitter @manasamitraUK
Facebook @SupriyaNagarajan
Instagram @manasamitra