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BEATLES RAGAFEST

and INDIAN FESTIVAL VILLAGE

What drew George Harrison and The Beatles to Indian music and culture?

Milapfest will rekindle and showcase the amazing creative and spiritual connection with India with a festival of music and culture. Four specially curated concerts will match the changing mood of the day, from 8am until 11pm, along with a day in the Festival Village with Indian food, arts and crafts.

The Ragafest will feature some of the world's best Indian artists, and they explore INdian music's relationship with the world, with improvised, composed and collaborative concerts. They perform music that suits the time of day, and includes music inspired by the Beatles. The food, ambience and activities in the festival village will match the mood and lighting of the music in the concert room, so that people who go through the entire festival have a changing, varied and broad Indian music experience. The performances are designed to reflect the two major traditions of Indian music from the North and South, as well as two examples of innovations in Indian classical music inspired by Western classical music, which, in a way, is the reverse of the influence of India on the Beatles.

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The Morning Ragafest
and Indian Breakfast

The Ragafest begins the day with the soul stirring sounds of the Sarod, an amazing lute-like instrument played by renowned world class musician, Pandit Ranajit Sengupta. Set the tone for a wonderful day ahead with the meditative, spiritual and energizing moods created by Hindustani Ragas.

Pandit Sengupta will be accompanied by the highly acclaimed Tabla Maestro Kousic Sen.

A taster of a typical Indian Breakfast will be served one hour before the start of the concert.

It comes with your concert ticket; we suggest you give yourself at least an hour to enjoy this delicious start to a great day!

Musicians

Pandit Ranajt Sengupta - Sarod
Kousic Sen - Tabla

Ticket Price: £10 (including breakfast)

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The Afternoon Ragafest
with a South Indian Lunch

Raga Seasons, featuring Indian violinist Jyotsna Srikanth and the Crystal Quartet, is an Indian violin concerto where the six seasons of India are experienced through

harmonic arrangements, orchestration and rich embellishments featuring Ragas with a generous sprinkling of Western harmony and arrangements. A unique ‘never-before’ exciting musical collaboration, bringing together the beauty of pure Western and Indian classical music, culminating in a major collaborative piece set to delight audiences.

The six seasons of India are represented by six movements in the concerto: Spring,

Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Winter and Snow. Raga Seasons is conceptualised and composed by Jyotsna Srikanth and arranged by Shadrach Solomon.

A taster of South Indian food will be served by Mayur Indian Restaurant and is included as part of your concert ticket. Please give yourself at least 60 minutes before the concert to enjoy your meal!

Musicians

Jyotsna Srikanth (UK) - South Indian Carnatic violin
Kristallkvartetten (Sweden)
Isabelle Andö, Nina Sandell, violins
Marie-Louise Klestrup Röijezon, viola
Peter Danielsson, double bass
Shadrach Solomon (India) - piano
Manjunath NS (India) - drums and ethnic percussion

Ticket Price: £16 (including lunch)

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The Evening Ragafest
with a Delightful North Indian Dinner

The evening Ragafest presents one of the most acclaimed and accomplished musicians of India. Grammy award Winner, Padma Vibhushan awardee Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, appearing for the very first time in Liverpool with his very talented son, Salil Bhatt, and renowned tabla artist Ramkumar Mishra.

Vishwa Mohan Bhatt is a senior disciple and collaborator of Pandit Ravi Shankar, and is also a prolific composer and performer on the world stage.

His music ranges from folk and popular music to classical and jazz, and transcends across generations of music lovers. Tonight this amazing trio will present traditional as well contemporary music that will leave a lasting musical legacy to our city.

North Indian style taster food will be served as part of your concert ticket by Liverpool's own Mayur Indian Restaurant; please give yourself at least 60 minutes before the concert to enjoy your meal!

Musicians

Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt -- Slide Guitar
Salil Bhatt - Slide Guitar
Ramkumar Mishra - Tabla

Ticket Price: £20 (including dinner)

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The Late Night Ragafest
With Masala Chai and Kumbakonam Degree Coffee with Nibbles

The Beatles Ragafest concludes with a very special, unique candlelight concert featuring two fantastic musicians bringing together the grand piano and Bansuri, the North Indian bamboo flute.

Two highly acclaimed and very popular world musicians, Anil Srinivasan (Piano) and Rakesh Chaurasia recreate a unique Liverpool concert they played together for the first time in 2014 at the Indika Festival here Liverpool. They will be accompanied by two fantastic British percussionists, Pirashanna Thevarajah, and Kousic Sen.

This unique occasion will also feature the launch of a new CD featuring Anil and Rakesh called 'Melody on the Mersey'.

A fitting climax to this musical feast, the concert will mesmerize you with the lilting sound of the bamboo flute interwoven with the piano sounds, capturing the essence of how the spirit of all music is universal and unifying.

Candlelight with coffee and chai will bring a beautiful musical journey to its end, unifying many hearts through arts today!

Musicians

Rakesh Chaurasia - Bamboo Flute
Anil Srinivasan - Piano
Pirashanna Thevarajah - Indian percussion
Kousic Sen - Tabla

Ticket Price: £16 (including drinks & food)