Indian Ragas & Medieval Songs

The musical culture of the European Middle Ages and the traditional classical music of North India may be conceivably far apart, but they have more in common than one might at first assume. North Indian classical music is characterized by both a strong tendency toward preservation and a great openness to influences from other cultures. The seemingly distant European art music of the Middle Ages, on the other hand, has clearly recognizable roots in Eastern traditions. This CD was recorded in the form of a live studio performance. In Indian music, spontaneity and the atmosphere of improvisation always represent an extremely significant component of any performance of 'ragas' and 'talas', but the improvised accompaniment of monophonic medieval chants has also benefited markedly from this unique live quality. Both Dominique Vellard and Ken Zuckerman have been very much influenced in their musical development by different experiences with Eastern music, and they complement each other perfectly with the musicians from India and Persia.