No. of Tracks: 9
Total Runtime: 76 min
Date of Creation: May - June 2016

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These two suites echo “Wishes” and “Winterreis” (Vol.5), two of my earliest suites, in terms of style and instrumentation. The main difference is that several pieces in this volume were inspired by Kirtan, a form of meditative chanting which originated from India. Examples include “The Song of Jayadevi”, “Bring It Back”, “I Will Never Forget” and “Govinda Gopala”. The way in which these compositions differ from traditional Indian Kirtan is that they are emotionally expressive, rather than being purely meditative. The magic of Kirtan lies in the immense power of sheer repetitions of simple musical phrases. The suite “Gopala” was an attempt to create a new musical language at the intersection of the meditative elements of ancient chants and the emphasis on individual expression in modern music. For example, in “Govinda Gopala”, the subtle changes in the tone of the voice from one repetition to the next create a natural emotional flow that runs throughout the whole piece.