PANAJI
The Goa University Choir, under the baton of its Maestro Santiago Lusardi Girelli, with the presence of the distinguished violin soloist Kushmita Biswakarma, will perform the revised edition of the Big Ocean cantata, specially recorded for the online Ketevan sacred music festival. The Cantata is the result of an interdisciplinary research process that combines elements of philosophical and contemporary techniques using Tibetan melodies, Indian ragas as well as sound textures from the musical traditions of the West. It is composed for an ensemble of soprano soloists, mixed choir voices, violin, piano as well as classical and Tibetan percussion sets (singing bowls and gongs).
The agogics of the Big Ocean Cantata describes different perspectives via the varied experiences related to the life of the 14th Dalai Lama: his escape from Lhasa and the walk through the Himalayas in 1959, his teachings, and the struggle for peace from exile in Dharamsala. It is a work that celebrates Tibetan wisdom and coexistence and embodies in itself, the struggle for freedom and the symbiosis of the East and West.
Written entirely in the Tibetan and Sanskrit languages, this composition comprises texts used by His Holiness and the Om Mani Padme Hum mantra, a six-syllable chant of the bodhisattva of compassion, Avalokiteshvara. This mantra, which is recited by Tibetan Buddhists, is believed to lead to the purification of the six realms of existence.
This soulful piece was specially composed by Maestro Lusardi Girelli and dedicated to the 14th Dalai Lama on the occasion of his visit to Goa. Its live premiere at a unique concert performed by the Goa University Choir on December 11, 2019 at the Kala Academy - also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize that was awarded to His Holiness in 1989.
“It was one of the most touching experiences of my career as a composer and musical director. The Dalai Lama is a living symbol of peaceful coexistence, which is also the motto of our Ketevan Festival, so performing the premiere in his presence was so apt. We are excited to share the revised version of this cantata in Ketevan 2021, with Goans, Indians and everyone around the world, as proof that music and arts can lead to the path of coexistence, and promote tolerance and respect between cultures,” states Maestro Lusardi Girelli.
