Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 12 (IANS) The sprawling Mehrangarh fort in Jodhpur will come alive with the sounds of European gypsy music, flamenco, urban folk music and the traditional music of Rajasthan sung by the minstrels of Langa and Mangania communities Oct 1-5 at the Rajasthan International Music Festival (RIFF).
Announcing the 2009 edition of the Jodhpur RIFF Tuesday, Gaj Singh of the erstwhile royal family of Jodhpur-Marwar, patron of the festival, said: “Having achieved international stature within a short span of time (five years), the festival will live up to its reputation as a high quality, exclusive platform for our Rajasthani artistes where they share their astounding legacy with the world.”

The five-day festival has been carefully designed to highlight the variety and brilliance of the traditional musicians of Rajasthan while incorporating a myriad and distinctive musicality from across the globe, he said.

“The festival will open with a city concert that will showcase the musical traditions of Rajasthan with a bit of contemporary music thrown in for a fusion feel,” Divya Bhatia, director of RIFF, told IANS.

The five-day festival will feature performances by more than 100 traditional artistes.

“We will be bringing back the dying musical instruments of the state like the Sarangi and the Surmaiya with performances by a handful of Langa musicians, who still play them. The Langa musicians play music that has been handed down the generations and they eulogize their ancestors through their songs. They have their clan genealogy on their fingertips,” Bhatia said.

For the first time, four generations of Langa musicians from Barmer will share the stage, she said.

Another highlight of the festival will be collaborative concerts by vocalist Rekha Bharadwaj, wife of Bollywood director Vishal Bharadwaj and the traditional Maand musicians of Rajasthan. Bharadwaj is known for her numbers like “Namak ishq ka” from “Omkara” and “Genda phool” from “Dilli 6″.

Ace drummer Sivamani will explore fusion sounds in percussion instruments with the Nagada, Khartal and Morchang (traditional Rajasthani percussion instruments) players in joint concerts.

Beat Boxer (beat rhythm musician) Jason Singh and his crossover band Dharohar will perform at a special club night at the fort, Bhatia said.

“The festival will also see the launch of the country’s first online data base of Rajasthani folk musicians to help promote them and save the dying musical forms of the state,” she added.

The western section will feature a dance performance by Denise Belfon from Trinidad titled “Chutney Soca” — a fusion of Calypso, Soca (traditional island dance and music), Bhojpuri folk and percussion beats from Rajasthan, Bhatia said.

“Moreover, we are bringing one of the top flamenco guitarists from Spain, Antonio Ray and a male flamenco dancer. Next year, the theme of the festival will be the homecoming of the gypsies — with more gypsy music. We are also collaborating with the largest institute of gypsy music in Barcelona, Spain, Instituto (institute) Gitane,” she added.

The festival is a partnership between two of India’s heritage trusts, the Mehrangarh Museum Trust and Jaipur Virasat Foundation.