Ragamalika

Ragamalika (meaning “garland of ragas”) is a virtuosic practice in North Indian classical music, reflected most directly in the second of these pieces. The soloist departs from one principal raga (melodic mode) and whirls through a series of others. An influence of Balinese gamelan may be heard as well in the bell-like resonances and flowing textures of the first and fourth pieces, while the third, a study in opposed sonorities, is an homage to Debussy. The work was commissioned by pianist Marcantonio Barone, who has recorded Ragamalika on the Albany label.

Ragamalika (meaning “garland of ragas”) is a virtuosic practice in North Indian classical music, reflected most directly in the second of these pieces. The soloist departs from one principal raga (melodic mode) and whirls through a series of others. An influence of Balinese gamelan may be heard as well in the bell-like resonances and flowing textures of the first and fourth pieces, while the third, a study in opposed sonorities, is an homage to Debussy. The work was commissioned by pianist Marcantonio Barone, who has recorded Ragamalika on the Albany label.