Isaias Caetano
02-07-2013, 04:54 AM
Pacific Symphony & Carl St.Clair - Philip Glass: The Passion of Ramakrishna (2012)
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/ThePassionofRamakrishnaOratoriobyPhilipGlass2012Co verFrontPeq_zpsad3f4f7b.jpg
Classical Music, FLAC / APE
A Note from the Composer:
Sri Ramakrishna was born on February 18, 1836 in Kamarpukur, a village in rural Bengal. As a young man he took up service in the temple dedicated to Kali, The Divine Mother, at Dakshineswar, a village about ten miles north of Calcutta in those years. There he remained for the rest of his life, dying in the early hours of Monday, August 16, 1886. The Kali temple at Dakshineswar is still there today, but is now surrounded by an ever-expanding and bustling Calcutta. By coincidence, it stands not far from the place established for the work and residence of the late Mother Teresa. Ramakrishna�s home remains there, still embodying his spirit and worth a visit by anyone interested in knowing about his life and work.
As a young man, he was largely self- taught, having absorbed knowledge of the ancient tradition of India through reading and hearing the religious stories in the Puranas as well as his association with the holy men, pilgrims and wandering monks who would stop at Kamarpukur on their way to Puri and other holy places. In time he became famous throughout India for his ability to expound and elucidate the most subtle aspects of that profound and vast tradition. It was not uncommon in the years of his maturity for pundits from all over India to come and �test� his knowledge. Invariably, they were astonished by the ease and eloquence with which he addressed their questions. It appeared that his first- hand spiritual experiences were more than adequate when it came to explaining the scriptures of ancient India. In this way he was able to remove all doubt about their meaning and, indeed, his own authority.
By the late nineteenth century India had been governed for almost four hundred years by two of the great world empires � the Mughals and the British. Each had fostered a foreign religion and culture in India which, in time, had been absorbed into Indian civilization. The genius of Ramakrishna was to restore and reaffirm the ancient Hindu culture from its spiritual source.
It would be hard to overestimate the impact that the life, presence and teaching of Sri Ramakrishna had on the formation of the modern India we know today. It was as if the sleeping giant of Indian culture and spirituality � certainly one of the foremost cultures of the ancient world � had been re-awakened and empowered to take its rightful place in modern times. Within a generation of his death, Gandhi�s �quit India� movement was in full bloom. The poetry of Tagore as well as countless manifestations in theater, music, philosophy and civil discourse were becoming known to the world at large. Over one hundred years ago SwamiVivekananda (the Narendra of our text) traveled to the West to take part in the first Parliament of the World�s Religions in Chicago in 1893. He established in America the first Vedanta Centers, which have spread throughout the world, with major centers in Southern California. Even today the influence of India (and ultimately, of Ramakrishna) can be heard in the poetry and music of Allen Ginsburg and the Beatles, to mention only a few artists. It is hard to imagine the emergence of India on the world stage without the spark that was provided by Ramakrishna�s brilliance. Perhaps, some may doubt that India � the most populous democracy of our time, brimming with vitality and creativity � could owe so much to one saintly man, long gone, who lived a life of such utter simplicity. Yet I believe that is exactly the case.
It has been said that when a great man dies, it is as if all of humanity � and the whole world, for that matter � were witnessing a beautiful, timeless sunset. At that moment �the great matter of life and death� is revealed, if not explained and understood. By bearing witness to that event, perhaps we understand a little better our own mortality, its limits and possibilities. The Passion of Ramakrishna is meant to recount, in this highly abbreviated work, his suffering, death and transfiguration as they took place during the last few months of his life. In this work, the words of Ramakrishna are taken up by the Chorus. Sarada Devi was his wife and lifelong companion. M. (his real name was Mahendranath Gupta) was the disciple who kept a close record of his meetings with Ramakrishna, later published as The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Dr. Sarkar was his attending physician. The two disciples who sing small solo parts are unidentified in the text.
SYNOPSIS:
A tribute to the 19th century Indian spiritual leader Sri Ramakrishna.
Soprano in the role of Sarada
Bass-baritone in the role of M
Bass in the role of Dr. Sarkar
Mezzo-soprano in the role of First Devotee
Tenor in the role of Second Devotee
Instrumentation:
3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano, strings, soprano, baritone and bass-baritone soloists, and chorus. Performance time: 45 minutes
Review
by Stephen Eddins ~ Allmusic
The Pacific Symphony Orchestra of Orange County and the Nashville Symphony co-commissioned Philip Glass' oratorio The Passion of Ramakrishna, which had its first performance in 2006. This recording comes from a 2011 revival with the Pacific Chorale, John Alexander, director, and the Pacific Symphony, led by Carl St. Clair, who had conducted the premiere. The composer wrote the libretto based on the life of the mystic and spiritual leader Sri Ramakrishna, who died in 1886. The prosaic text, which includes excerpts from the mystic's teachings and a description of the details of the cancer symptoms of his final days, doesn't make a very compelling narrative or draw in the listener the way Glass' most effective dramatic works do, and doesn't call forth his most elegant or profound text setting. The score breaks no new ground for the composer, but it should appeal to his fans. The final chorus, which uses more imitative counterpoint than most Glass scores, is deeply moving and is by far the most engaging part of the score. The soloists are all very fine, but soprano Janice Chandler Eteme stands out for her luscious tone and her vibrant, soulful portrayal of Ramakrishna's wife; this recording comes from the beginning of her career but she's clearly an artist to watch for. The Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony Orchestra perform with spirit, but the sound of the live performance, which has plenty of volume, lacks presence and definition, especially in the densest parts of the score.
DANIEL STEPHEN JOHNSON ~ wqxr
Philip Glass began composing for organ early in his career, and in a way, he never really stopped: the opening fanfare of Philip Glass's new CD, The Passion of Ramakrishna for choir, soloists and symphony orchestra, alternates between high and low brass instruments as if they were the left and right hands of a keyboardist.
While most 20th century symphonic writing has followed the example of Ravel and Mahler, treating the orchestra like a huge set of chamber ensembles and recombining them to invent exotic new timbres, Glass's orchestration bears a closer resemblance to the tradition of Bruckner or Franck, treating the sections of the orchestra like the stops on an organ � or patches on a synth � coloring the voices of his music by overlaying or subtracting preset sonorities as required.
One obvious difference between Glass and those other organists-turned-symphonists is that his chief experience with the instrument came not at the bench of a pipe organ in a European church but at ARPs, Farfisas and Hammonds in the lofts of Downtown Manhattan. He is not a religious composer.
But sacred subjects � setting the Bhagavad Gita in Satyagraha, scoring the life of the Dalai Lama in his soundtrack for Kundun � have resulted in some of his most moving scores. Add to that list The Passion of Ramakrishna, an oratorio telling the story of a Bengali mystic who continued to preach about the unimportance of physical suffering from his deathbed, even after his throat cancer made speech an excruciating agony.
The tight zoom of Glass's libretto from the cosmic teachings of Ramakrishna to his very specific, very human anguish, lends the work much of its power. In Glass's setting, the part of Ramakrishna is sung not by a soloist but by the entire chorus (here, the Pacific Chorale) � echoing the words of his wife, Sarada Devi, "No one is a stranger. Make the whole world your own." Carl St. Clair and his Pacific Symphony, a pair of under-praised Orange County institutions, give the work the energy it needs � rhythmically precise but never mechanical, and always emotionally engaged.
~ Ne�pheres
The Passion of Ramakrishna (OMM, 2012)
Un oratorio est une �uvre lyrique portant sur un sujet religieux o� alternent ch�urs, arias et r�citatifs. Rien ne dit qu'il soit forc�ment d'ob�dience chr�tienne, bien que l'histoire europ�ano-centriste de la musique l'insinue all�grement. Par contre qui dit passion, dit christique. Philip Glass joue avec les mots, les formes musicales et les convenances religieuses en cr�ant The Passion of Ramakrishna en 2006, fondant sa passion non pas sur un saint chr�tien, comme de coutume (Matthieu et Jean ont toujours eut la cote, Luc un peu moins), mais en rendant hommage � Sri Ramakrishna, c�l�bre brahmane du XIXe si�cle qui connu, entre autres aventures de la conscience, celle de revivre la vie du Christ. Soit, il peut donc s'agir d'un oratorio, et m�me d'une passion christique par personnage interpos�. Point de sitar ici, ni d'orientalisme de pacotille, car qui conna�t un peu Philip Glass sait qu'il a trouv� sa voie en transcrivant � l'occidentale les parties musicales du film Chappaqua Suite cr��es par Ravi Shankar en 1965. Et sur cette d�couverte des fondements de la musique classique indienne il d�couvrit les siens : une r�p�titivit� par jeux num�riques, sans qu'il n'y ait besoin de cordes qui bourdonnent et de patchouli. Et puis il y a aussi eu toutes les grandes �uvres de l'Orient de Glass : Satyagraha, Koyaanisqatsi, Kundun...
Pas trop de surprises donc avec The Passion of Ramakrishna, on y retrouve le style classique de Philip Glass, mais avec le d�ploiement choral qui convient. C'est d'ailleurs peu de dire que les deux s'accomodent plut�t bien. Ce sont deux genres qui dialoguent ensemble, l'oratorio et le Glass style. Ils se r�pondent et s'interp�n�trent sans jamais perdre de leur aura. Si vous n'aimez ni l'un ni l'autre, c'est que vous �tes particuli�rement maso pour avoir lu cette page jusqu'ici. Plus pond�r�, vous aimez un peu de l'un et de l'autre et consid�rerez cette Passion of Ramakrishna comme une belle rencontre, voire une petite merveille, � mesure que le taraud glassien percera sa vrille en votre cervelle. A really good Glass indeed !
Artist: Pacific Symphony & Carl St.Clair
Title Of Album: Philip Glass: The Passion of Ramakrishna
Year Of Release: 2012
Label: Orange Mountain Music
Genre: Classical/Oratorio
Quality: FLAC (image+.cue,scans)
Performer
Sri Ramakrishna - Chorus
"M." - Christopheren Numura
Sarada Devi - Janice Chandler Eteme
Dr. Sarkar - Kevin Deas
First Devotee - I-Chin Feinblatt
Second Devotee - Nicholas Preston
Pacific Chorale
John Alexander
Pacific Symphony
Carl St.Clair
Total Time: 44:11
Total Size: 212 mb
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/TrackList2.gif
Tracklist:
1. Prologue
2. Part 1: The Master's Visions
3. Part 2: Sarada Devi
4. Part 3: The Master's Illness
5. Part 4: The Mahasamadhi of the Master
6. Epilogue
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/downloadherer.gif
Philip Glass - The Passion …rar (212,27 MB) - uploaded.to (http://uploaded.net/file/eu1ks8mx)
Listen ... Rejoice in ... Leave your review ...
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/ThePassionofRamakrishnaOratoriobyPhilipGlass2012Co verFrontPeq_zpsad3f4f7b.jpg
Classical Music, FLAC / APE
A Note from the Composer:
Sri Ramakrishna was born on February 18, 1836 in Kamarpukur, a village in rural Bengal. As a young man he took up service in the temple dedicated to Kali, The Divine Mother, at Dakshineswar, a village about ten miles north of Calcutta in those years. There he remained for the rest of his life, dying in the early hours of Monday, August 16, 1886. The Kali temple at Dakshineswar is still there today, but is now surrounded by an ever-expanding and bustling Calcutta. By coincidence, it stands not far from the place established for the work and residence of the late Mother Teresa. Ramakrishna�s home remains there, still embodying his spirit and worth a visit by anyone interested in knowing about his life and work.
As a young man, he was largely self- taught, having absorbed knowledge of the ancient tradition of India through reading and hearing the religious stories in the Puranas as well as his association with the holy men, pilgrims and wandering monks who would stop at Kamarpukur on their way to Puri and other holy places. In time he became famous throughout India for his ability to expound and elucidate the most subtle aspects of that profound and vast tradition. It was not uncommon in the years of his maturity for pundits from all over India to come and �test� his knowledge. Invariably, they were astonished by the ease and eloquence with which he addressed their questions. It appeared that his first- hand spiritual experiences were more than adequate when it came to explaining the scriptures of ancient India. In this way he was able to remove all doubt about their meaning and, indeed, his own authority.
By the late nineteenth century India had been governed for almost four hundred years by two of the great world empires � the Mughals and the British. Each had fostered a foreign religion and culture in India which, in time, had been absorbed into Indian civilization. The genius of Ramakrishna was to restore and reaffirm the ancient Hindu culture from its spiritual source.
It would be hard to overestimate the impact that the life, presence and teaching of Sri Ramakrishna had on the formation of the modern India we know today. It was as if the sleeping giant of Indian culture and spirituality � certainly one of the foremost cultures of the ancient world � had been re-awakened and empowered to take its rightful place in modern times. Within a generation of his death, Gandhi�s �quit India� movement was in full bloom. The poetry of Tagore as well as countless manifestations in theater, music, philosophy and civil discourse were becoming known to the world at large. Over one hundred years ago SwamiVivekananda (the Narendra of our text) traveled to the West to take part in the first Parliament of the World�s Religions in Chicago in 1893. He established in America the first Vedanta Centers, which have spread throughout the world, with major centers in Southern California. Even today the influence of India (and ultimately, of Ramakrishna) can be heard in the poetry and music of Allen Ginsburg and the Beatles, to mention only a few artists. It is hard to imagine the emergence of India on the world stage without the spark that was provided by Ramakrishna�s brilliance. Perhaps, some may doubt that India � the most populous democracy of our time, brimming with vitality and creativity � could owe so much to one saintly man, long gone, who lived a life of such utter simplicity. Yet I believe that is exactly the case.
It has been said that when a great man dies, it is as if all of humanity � and the whole world, for that matter � were witnessing a beautiful, timeless sunset. At that moment �the great matter of life and death� is revealed, if not explained and understood. By bearing witness to that event, perhaps we understand a little better our own mortality, its limits and possibilities. The Passion of Ramakrishna is meant to recount, in this highly abbreviated work, his suffering, death and transfiguration as they took place during the last few months of his life. In this work, the words of Ramakrishna are taken up by the Chorus. Sarada Devi was his wife and lifelong companion. M. (his real name was Mahendranath Gupta) was the disciple who kept a close record of his meetings with Ramakrishna, later published as The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. Dr. Sarkar was his attending physician. The two disciples who sing small solo parts are unidentified in the text.
SYNOPSIS:
A tribute to the 19th century Indian spiritual leader Sri Ramakrishna.
Soprano in the role of Sarada
Bass-baritone in the role of M
Bass in the role of Dr. Sarkar
Mezzo-soprano in the role of First Devotee
Tenor in the role of Second Devotee
Instrumentation:
3 flutes, 3 oboes, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion, harp, piano, strings, soprano, baritone and bass-baritone soloists, and chorus. Performance time: 45 minutes
Review
by Stephen Eddins ~ Allmusic
The Pacific Symphony Orchestra of Orange County and the Nashville Symphony co-commissioned Philip Glass' oratorio The Passion of Ramakrishna, which had its first performance in 2006. This recording comes from a 2011 revival with the Pacific Chorale, John Alexander, director, and the Pacific Symphony, led by Carl St. Clair, who had conducted the premiere. The composer wrote the libretto based on the life of the mystic and spiritual leader Sri Ramakrishna, who died in 1886. The prosaic text, which includes excerpts from the mystic's teachings and a description of the details of the cancer symptoms of his final days, doesn't make a very compelling narrative or draw in the listener the way Glass' most effective dramatic works do, and doesn't call forth his most elegant or profound text setting. The score breaks no new ground for the composer, but it should appeal to his fans. The final chorus, which uses more imitative counterpoint than most Glass scores, is deeply moving and is by far the most engaging part of the score. The soloists are all very fine, but soprano Janice Chandler Eteme stands out for her luscious tone and her vibrant, soulful portrayal of Ramakrishna's wife; this recording comes from the beginning of her career but she's clearly an artist to watch for. The Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony Orchestra perform with spirit, but the sound of the live performance, which has plenty of volume, lacks presence and definition, especially in the densest parts of the score.
DANIEL STEPHEN JOHNSON ~ wqxr
Philip Glass began composing for organ early in his career, and in a way, he never really stopped: the opening fanfare of Philip Glass's new CD, The Passion of Ramakrishna for choir, soloists and symphony orchestra, alternates between high and low brass instruments as if they were the left and right hands of a keyboardist.
While most 20th century symphonic writing has followed the example of Ravel and Mahler, treating the orchestra like a huge set of chamber ensembles and recombining them to invent exotic new timbres, Glass's orchestration bears a closer resemblance to the tradition of Bruckner or Franck, treating the sections of the orchestra like the stops on an organ � or patches on a synth � coloring the voices of his music by overlaying or subtracting preset sonorities as required.
One obvious difference between Glass and those other organists-turned-symphonists is that his chief experience with the instrument came not at the bench of a pipe organ in a European church but at ARPs, Farfisas and Hammonds in the lofts of Downtown Manhattan. He is not a religious composer.
But sacred subjects � setting the Bhagavad Gita in Satyagraha, scoring the life of the Dalai Lama in his soundtrack for Kundun � have resulted in some of his most moving scores. Add to that list The Passion of Ramakrishna, an oratorio telling the story of a Bengali mystic who continued to preach about the unimportance of physical suffering from his deathbed, even after his throat cancer made speech an excruciating agony.
The tight zoom of Glass's libretto from the cosmic teachings of Ramakrishna to his very specific, very human anguish, lends the work much of its power. In Glass's setting, the part of Ramakrishna is sung not by a soloist but by the entire chorus (here, the Pacific Chorale) � echoing the words of his wife, Sarada Devi, "No one is a stranger. Make the whole world your own." Carl St. Clair and his Pacific Symphony, a pair of under-praised Orange County institutions, give the work the energy it needs � rhythmically precise but never mechanical, and always emotionally engaged.
~ Ne�pheres
The Passion of Ramakrishna (OMM, 2012)
Un oratorio est une �uvre lyrique portant sur un sujet religieux o� alternent ch�urs, arias et r�citatifs. Rien ne dit qu'il soit forc�ment d'ob�dience chr�tienne, bien que l'histoire europ�ano-centriste de la musique l'insinue all�grement. Par contre qui dit passion, dit christique. Philip Glass joue avec les mots, les formes musicales et les convenances religieuses en cr�ant The Passion of Ramakrishna en 2006, fondant sa passion non pas sur un saint chr�tien, comme de coutume (Matthieu et Jean ont toujours eut la cote, Luc un peu moins), mais en rendant hommage � Sri Ramakrishna, c�l�bre brahmane du XIXe si�cle qui connu, entre autres aventures de la conscience, celle de revivre la vie du Christ. Soit, il peut donc s'agir d'un oratorio, et m�me d'une passion christique par personnage interpos�. Point de sitar ici, ni d'orientalisme de pacotille, car qui conna�t un peu Philip Glass sait qu'il a trouv� sa voie en transcrivant � l'occidentale les parties musicales du film Chappaqua Suite cr��es par Ravi Shankar en 1965. Et sur cette d�couverte des fondements de la musique classique indienne il d�couvrit les siens : une r�p�titivit� par jeux num�riques, sans qu'il n'y ait besoin de cordes qui bourdonnent et de patchouli. Et puis il y a aussi eu toutes les grandes �uvres de l'Orient de Glass : Satyagraha, Koyaanisqatsi, Kundun...
Pas trop de surprises donc avec The Passion of Ramakrishna, on y retrouve le style classique de Philip Glass, mais avec le d�ploiement choral qui convient. C'est d'ailleurs peu de dire que les deux s'accomodent plut�t bien. Ce sont deux genres qui dialoguent ensemble, l'oratorio et le Glass style. Ils se r�pondent et s'interp�n�trent sans jamais perdre de leur aura. Si vous n'aimez ni l'un ni l'autre, c'est que vous �tes particuli�rement maso pour avoir lu cette page jusqu'ici. Plus pond�r�, vous aimez un peu de l'un et de l'autre et consid�rerez cette Passion of Ramakrishna comme une belle rencontre, voire une petite merveille, � mesure que le taraud glassien percera sa vrille en votre cervelle. A really good Glass indeed !
Artist: Pacific Symphony & Carl St.Clair
Title Of Album: Philip Glass: The Passion of Ramakrishna
Year Of Release: 2012
Label: Orange Mountain Music
Genre: Classical/Oratorio
Quality: FLAC (image+.cue,scans)
Performer
Sri Ramakrishna - Chorus
"M." - Christopheren Numura
Sarada Devi - Janice Chandler Eteme
Dr. Sarkar - Kevin Deas
First Devotee - I-Chin Feinblatt
Second Devotee - Nicholas Preston
Pacific Chorale
John Alexander
Pacific Symphony
Carl St.Clair
Total Time: 44:11
Total Size: 212 mb
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/TrackList2.gif
Tracklist:
1. Prologue
2. Part 1: The Master's Visions
3. Part 2: Sarada Devi
4. Part 3: The Master's Illness
5. Part 4: The Mahasamadhi of the Master
6. Epilogue
http://i1065.photobucket.com/albums/u387/icsilva/downloadherer.gif
Philip Glass - The Passion …rar (212,27 MB) - uploaded.to (http://uploaded.net/file/eu1ks8mx)
Listen ... Rejoice in ... Leave your review ...