Hijaz Prelude
Hijaz Prelude combines modal harmonies in raga Hijaz Bhairav (also known as the Hijaz mode in Arabic music) with a Western, arpeggiated keyboard figuration. Composed for cello and guitar.
Notable Performances
- Lyrica Chamber Music Chatham, NJFebruary 2014 Premiere
“Jaunpuri is based on a traditional Indian raga, but shaped with Western compositional notation, structures, and harmony. An embellished piano melody twirls and spins through a buzzing tabla and tanpura trance, building in intensity until the circling rhythmic cycles spin out into a breathtaking rhapsody.”
More Press
“The heart of the album consists of two compositions by Michael Harrison for piano in just intonation, tanpura and tabla. Jaunpuri is a mesmerizing piece, a nocturnal raga of Hindustani classical music, animated by an irresistible wave movement… A wonder! Hijaz Prelude… can be considered as forming a diptych with the previous, yet it is more internalized and structured on more audible loops. The atmosphere is close to a trance brotherhood. Song of forgetfulness of the self in the drunkenness of sounds… A second wonder! ”