duo Ludo & Riju
duo Ludo & Riju
Ludo & Riju represent a unique encounter: the polyrhythmic, polyphonic tradition of the Mande Kora of Ludovico Failla meets the sophisticated melodic world of indian classical mandolinist Rajarshi Sengupta. The two worlds combine gently, setting up a whole range of new musical interactions.
On their debut single ‘A Shared Shrine’ the duo Ludo & Riju rework the Mandé song ‘Kedo‘, pairing it to Raga Bhimpalasi (and a touch of Yaman).
‘Kedo‘ is a West-Arican piece that tells of the horrors of the war between Mandinka and Fulani tribes, urging people to live in peace and communion. Raga Bhimpalasi is a popular afternoon Hindustani Raga known for evoking a sense of longing and peaceful devotion in the listener.
The title ‘A Shared Shrine‘ refers to the many Hindus and Muslims that used to share daily praying spaces in India. The practice is now endangered by a political push towards segregation and intolerance. This project aims at promoting peace and collaboration between religions and cultures.
A Shared Shrine – live performance
Rajarshi Sengupta
Indian classical mandolin player based in Kolkata, son of renowned sarod player Dr. Pandit Ranajit Sengupta and classical vocalist Dr. Shirin Sengupta Nath. He plays a custom made 19-stringed mandolin designed for him by Peter Neubecker and Mukunda Biswas.
National Scholar of the Ministry of Culture – Govt. of India and regular artist of All India Radio & Television. Traditionally trained under his parents, Rajarshi has travelled around the globe performing in prestigious international festivals such as Orient Festival (EST), Musica Sacra International (GER), Milapfest (UK), venues in Austria, Netherlands and realized several collaborations with musicians from Germany, Brazil and Italy.
Ludovico Failla
Kora player and builder, composer and videographer. Born into music, he studied jazz drums from the age of 7. After his degree in Electronic Music Composition, he composed for films, theatre and multimedia projects screened worldwide (MACRO Rome, Berlinale, DOK, Crossing Europe, LOFFT …)
Following his interest in non-european music, he fell in love with the polyphonic music of West-Afrikan Kora. He studied with kora masters in Mali, Gambia and Europe, including Ballaké Sissoko, Fode Seidi, Djelymadi Sissoko, Mohammed Kané and Aliou Saho. He has also studied indian tabla, mridangam, Carnatic and Hindustani singing.
Is the founder of Imaginary Traditions, a web space promoting young traditional musicians.
our Press Kit in PDF below:
