Pt. Radha Prasad
is a senior disciple of world famous flutist Pt. Hariprasad
Chaurasia. He is gifted and competent classical and light music performer.
He has given numerous solo flute performances on All India Radio and National
TV network in India and stage shows in Asia, Europe and U.S.A.
Pt. Radha Prasad was born and brought up in India and taught himself to play
the bamboo flute at a very early age. He came to Bombay after hearing the music
of Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, India's foremost and world renowned flutist, and
received 18 years of rigorous and comprehensive training provided him with broad
knowledge of Indian classical and folk music with mastery in bamboo flute. In
1990 he was granted the degree of
Master of Arts in Music by "Vrindaban Flute
Institute" of Mumbai, India run by Pt. Chaurasia.
The classical bamboo flute music of India is an ancient tradition of India.
The bamboo flute has remained simple with few embellishments and is a wondrous
instrument in the hands of a skillful musician. However it is difficult to obtain
a good bamboo flute because there are very few qualified flute makers. For this
reason, Radha Prasad himself makes professional quality bamboo flutes with great
precision.
Radha Prasad is an excellent Indian Classical and Folk music teacher. His teaching
is not only specialized in Indian Classical bamboo flute but also in various instruments
as Guitar, Violin etc.
Swapan Chaudhuri one of the
world's greatest tabla players, celebrates his fiftieth birthday this year (1995). From Calcutta
to Bombay, Delhi to Madras, India to America, England to Mexico, Canada to Nepal, Australia to
the United Arab Emirates, in France, Germany, Italy, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia -- wherever
North Indian Classical music is played -- he is in demand as a soloist and as an accompanist.
Over the last decade, he has given an average of 200 concerts a year.
Chaudhuri's touring schedule is the kind of which aspiring musicians dream, but it is also
a demanding, health-defying way of life. During a typical week not long ago, Pandit (the Indian
title given to a distinguished and learned man) Chaudhuri taught a dozen classes at the Ali Akbar
College of Music on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, then flew, on Thursday, to Los Angeles to teach,
from noon to seven, at the nearby California Institute of the Arts. Friday, he gave a concert in
West Virginia. Saturday, he did two recording sessions in New York City. Then, on Sunday night,
he performed at a commemorative event at Lincoln Center to celebrate Gandhi's birthday, the guest
list of which included, Dr. Venkatraman, India's former President.
"It's not the concerts that are difficult," Chaudhuri says, "but the traveling, the constant
traveling. And trying new things. At times dangerous things," he laughs, his eyes sparkling,
then adds: "Tabla is limitless. I never want to stop."
In India, a number of years ago, he gave eight performances in less than twenty-four hours.
"They were all major concerts. I started first with Pandit Ravi Shankar at 7:00 P.M. From there,
all over Calcutta, I played with Pandit Nikhil Banerjee, Ustad Amjad Ali, Pandit Jasraj, then a
solo, then two dance concerts with Pandit Chitresh Das, then with Pandit Bhimsen Joshi..." his
voice trails off.
"How can you even get around Calcutta that fast?"
"At night it is not so crowded."
"Do you eat between concerts?"
"Before a concert I don't like to eat. I drink just tea. You don't need food, the energy
just comes. When you enjoy something, you forget about yourself. Some kind of special power
generates in your body, you don't get tired."
Track Titles
Raga: Madhuvanti
(24:17)
Alap
Gat in Madhyalaya (medium tempo)
Drut ( fast tempo) in Teen Tala (16 beat)
Pahadi Duhn
(14:07)
Gat in Dadra Tala (6 beats)
Kaharava Tala (8 beats)
Raga: Durga
(23:00)
Alap
Gat in Madhyalaya (medium tempo) in Rupak Tala (7 beats)
Drut ( fast tempo) in Teen Tala (16 beat)
Bhairavi Dhun
(14:07)
Gat in Dadra Tala (6 beats)
Kaharava Tala (8 beats)
Other audio CD titles in the NPM catalogue which
feature or include the works of Pt. Radha Prasad:
Union With The Divine
--
Veena Pani Rastogi
Bhajans, songs of love and devotion
