Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (born 1 July 1938) is a Indian classical instrumentalist. He is a player of the bansuri, the North Indian bamboo flute. Chaurasia is a classicist who has made a conscious effort to reach out and expand the audience for classical music.
Early life and background
Hariprasad Chaurasia was born in Allahabad in a non musical family. His father was a wrestler. His mother died when he was four. Hariprasad had to learn music almost in secret, scared of the father who wanted him to become a wrestler. He did go to the Akhada and train with his father for some time, although he also started learning music in secret, and practicing in his friend's house. He has credited this wrestling training for giving him the immense stamina and lung power that are the hallmarks of his flute playing, stating that,
| “ |
I was not any good at wrestling. I went there only to please my father. But maybe because of the strength and stamina I built up then, I'm able to play the bansuri even to this day. |
” |
Career
Hariprasad Chaurasia started learning vocal music from his neighbour, Pandit Rajaram at the age of 15. Later, he switched to playing the flute under the tutelage of Pandit Bholanath Prasanna of Varanasi. Much later, while working for All India Radio, he received guidance from the reclusive Annapurna Devi, (daughter of Baba Allaudin Khan).
He is considered a rare combination of innovator and traditionalist. He has expanded the expressive possibilities of the bansuri through his masterful blowing technique.
Apart from classical music, he has made a mark as a Hindi language film music director along with Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, forming a group called Shiv-Hari. He has also collaborated with various world musicians in experimental cross-cultural performances, including the fusion group Shakti.
He serves as the Artistic Director of the World Music Department at the Rotterdam Music Conservatory in the Netherlands.
He has collaborated with several western musicians, including John McLaughlin and Jan Garbarek, and has also composed music for a number of Indian films. He has performed throughout the world winning acclaim from varied audiences and fellow musicians including Yehudi Menuhin and Jean-Pierre Rampal.
Personal life
Chaurasia is married to Anuradha, a classical vocalist.[1]
Awards
He has won a number of awards including the Sangeet Natak Academy (1984),Konark Samman (1992), Padma Bhushan (1992),Yash Bharati Sanman (1994) and Padma Vibhushan (2000).
Discography
These are the major albums released by Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, categorized by release dates.2
1967
1978
1981
- Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia - Flute
1984
- Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia - Flute (different set of ragas,same album name)
1987
- Morning to Midnight Ragas - Morning Ragas
1988
1989
- Venu
- Live in Ahmedabad '89
1990
1991
1992
- Night Ragas
- Live in Amsterdam '92
- Morning to Midnight Ragas - Afternoon Ragas
- All time Favorites
- Live from Sawai Gandharva Music Festival - Video (VHS)
- Raga-s DU Nord Et Du Sud
- Immortal Series - Flute Fantasia
1993
- Indian Classical Masters
- Daylight Ragas
- Flute - Hariprasad Chaurasia
1994
- Thumri - The Music of Love
- In A Mellow Mood
- Possession
- Immortal Series - Devine Drupad
- Classic Greats1 - Ideas on Flute
1995
- In Live Concert
- Cascades of Hindustani Music
- Maharishi Gandharva Veda - Sunrise Melody
- Maharishi Gandharva Veda - Morning Melody
- Maharishi Gandharva Veda - Midday Melody
- Maharishi Gandharva Veda - Afternoon Melody
- Maharishi Gandharva Veda - Evening Melody
- Maharishi Gandharva Veda - Sunset Melody
- Maharishi Gandharva Veda - Midnight Melody
- Maharishi Gandharva Veda - Late Night Melody
- Hariprasad Chaurasia - Flute
- Malhar-Chandrika
- Music 157 - Live in London
- Music - Flute
- Great Jugalbandis
- Music from the world of OSHO - Above & Beyond
- Prem Yog
- Written on the Wind
- Romantic Themes
- Saptarishi - Live at Siri Fort
- The Mystical Flute of Hari Prasad Chaurasia
- Maestro's Choice
- Basant Bahar
- Chaurasia's Choice
1996
- Hari Prasad Chaurasia & his Divine Flute
- Flute Recital
- Valley Recalls - In search of Peace, Love and Harmony
- Krishna's Flute - Master of the Bansuri
- Classical Encounters - A live Experience with Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia
- Fabulous Flute
- Pundit Hari Prasad Chaurasia
- In Concert - Vancouver, B.C
- Hariprasad Chaurasia - Flute
- The Bamboo Flautist of His Generation
- Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia - Nada in Jerusalem
1997
- Classical Encounters - A Live Experience with Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia
- Great Jugalbandis
- The Golden Collection (Classical)
- Immortal Essence
- Golden Raga Collection
1998
- Samarpan-VCD Special 60th Birthday Edition
- The Charms Companion
- Morning to Midnight - Morning to Dusk
1999
- Jugalbandi
- Rasdhaara
- Live Inside Khajuraho
- Live in New Delhi - '89
- Golden Raga Collection
- Musical Titans of India - Jugalbandhi Video (VHS)
- Pure Joy - Positive Energy Music
2000
- Music without Boundaries
- Maaya - Far East
- Hriday - Cuba
- Caravan Spain
- Live Concert at Savai Gandharva Music Festival
- Gurukul - The Guru shishya Parampara
2001
- Adi-Ananth
- Love Divine - Parables of Passion
- Power & Grace - Live at the Saptak Festival 2001
- Discovery of Indian Classical Music
- Flute Duet
2003
- Flute Deity Hariprasad Chaurasia
- The Greatest Hits of Hariprasad Chaurasia
- Salvation - Instrumental Bhajans
Some more Albums ( Release year not known)
- La Flute De Pundit Hariprasad Chaurasia
- Hariprasad Chaurasia - The Most Celebrated Flautist of India
- Sound of Silence
- Charm of the Bamboo flute
- Kalpana - Imagination
- A Kaleidoscope of various ragas
- Krishna Utsav
- Kali - Classical Instrumental
- Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia - the Living Legend of Flute
- Moon Light Moods - Flute Recital
- Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia - The Living Legend of Flute
- Indian Music
- HariDhwani
- Buston Abraham - Fanar
- Nothing but Wind
- Fusion India - Passage of India Series
- Being Still
- Dhammapada - Sacred teaching of Buddha
- The Charms Companion
- Eternity
- Nothing but wind - Composed by Ilayaraja
Music for Bollywood films
Along with Pandit ShivKumar Sharma he composed music for
- Chandni
- Darr
- Lamhe
- Silsila
- Faasle
- Vijay
- Sahibaan
Music for Telugu Films
The music for the movie Sirivennela is composed by K. V. Mahadevan which revolves around the role of Pandit Hari Prasad, a blind flautist played by Sarvadaman Banerjee and flute renditions by Hariprasad Chaurasia.[2]
References
- ^ http://www.india-today.com/itoday/06071998/arts2.html
- ^ http://listing-index.ebay.com/movies/Sirivennela.html
External links
