Hariprasad Chaurasia
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia (b.
Allahabad,
July 1,
1938) is known internationally as 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.
Hariprasad Chaurasia was born into a non musical family. His father was a wrestler. His mother died when he was very young. Hariprasad had to learn music almost in secret, scared of the father who wanted him to become a wrestler. First he started learning vocal music from Pt. Rajaram at the age of 15. Later, he switched to playing the flute under the tutelage of Pt. Bholanath of
Varanasi. Much later, while working for
All India Radio, he received guidance from the reclusive Smt.
Annapurna Devi (daughter of
Baba Allaudin Khan).
Pt. Chaurasia is a rare combination of innovator and traditionalist. He has expanded the expressive possibilities of the bansuri through his masterful blowing technique. Hariprasad Chaurasia is one of the busiest North Indian classical musicians, regularly traveling and performing throughout the world.
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 won a number of awards including the Sangeet Natak Academy (
1984),
Padma Bhushan (
1992) and
Padma Vibhushan (
2000).
Nothing but wind is basically an emotional suite of music of Love and Peace. The Liquidity of flute of performance of Hariprasad Chaurasia's with Ilayaraja's composing for various stanzas ressembles real life emotions. This is the First in Asia which conveys Life Emotions.
Along with Pandit ShivKumar Sharma he composed music for
* Chandni
* Darr
* Lamhe
* Silsila
*
Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia official site
