At over 85,000 verses, the Mahabharata is probably the longest poem in the world and chronicles the conflict of two rival families, Pandavas and Kauravas. The vast poem recounts the rule of the kingdom and the tremendous battle of Kurukshetra, in which almost all the warriors on both sides of the conflict were killed.
However, the Mahabharata also contains numerous subplots dealing with themes related to religion, ethics to philosophy and spirituality. A profound reflection on Hinduism as the basis from which the poem moves to offer a unique perspective on human existence and its myriad contradictory facets.
This Mahabharata by Riccardo Nova is the first act of a trilogy premiered in Essen in October 2022 with Ensemble MusikFabrik and Indian soloists Varijashree Venugopal, B.C. Manjunath and Guru Prasanna conducted by Peter Rundel.
Thanks to Kama Productions, which is producing between India and Europe an Opera based on this music and a documentary film on the Mahabharata, this year’s concert comes to Italy for the first time in the prestigious venue of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, one of Europe’s most modern and avant-garde theaters for opera and symphonic music.
Music
Riccardo Nova
Carnatic musicians
Varijashree Venugopal: voice, indian flute
B.C. Manjunath: mridangam
Guru Prasanna: khanjira
Ensemble Musikfabrik
Christine Chapman: french horn, conch shell
Marco Blaauw: trumpet, conch shell
Stephen Menotti: trombone
Maxime Morel: tuba
Benjamin Kobler: keyboard
Dirk Rothburst: percussions
Hannah Weirich: violin, viola d’amore
Florentin Ginot: bass
Ensemble Icarus
Maria Gilda Gianolio: harp
Michele Di Modugno: percussions
Francesco Pedrazzini: percussions
Sound design
Mattia Biadene
Executive producer
Riccardo Biadene
Production
Kama Productions
Co-production
Ensemble Musikfabrik
