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Trishula is an ancient Sanskrit word for the trident of Lord Shiva, one of the Hindu holy trinity deities. The word is also found in the language of the Roma or gypsy tribes and is oft cited as evidence to support the theory that these peoples migrated from North India over a thousand years ago.
Written for the combined cross-genre talents of the Nashville Chamber Orchestra and violin phenom Gilles Apap, Trishula explores historical as well as personal story lines by drawing from the mother lode Indian music tradition that is my family heritage, and connecting with the gypsy music that flowered in the middle east and Europe culminating with the appearance in pre-WWII Paris of legendary gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and his equally famed colleague, the patron saint of jazz violinists, Stephane Grappelli.
Much of the piece was written in Columbo, Sri Lanka, in December 2006. Trishula is dedicated to Feizal and Jeanne Mansoor, with whom I have spent many long and happy hours imbibing the cultural heritage of this beautiful island paradise off the southwestern coast of the Indian sub-continent.
David Balakrishnan -
April, 2007
NCO Music Alive Composer-In-Residence (2005-2008)
The residency of David Balakrishnan with the NCO was made possible through Music Alive, a residency program of the American Symphony Orchestra League and Meet The Composer. This national program is designed to provide orchestras with resources and tools to support their presentation of new music to the public and build support for new music within their institutions. Funding for Music Alive is provided by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and The Aaron Copland Fund for Music.
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