In
1913, the premiere of Stravinsky’s The
Rites of Spring caused riots. One hundred years, later it has been codified
and canonized to such an extent, considerable programming was commissioned to
celebrate its centennial. The music does not directly correlate to Stravinsky’s
score, but it served as something of a road map for Prashant Bhargava when he
filmed the Holi springtime festival in the Northern Indian city of Mathura. Conceived
and commissioned as a collaboration with musician Vijay Iyer, Bhargava’s Radhe, Radhe: the Rites of Holi (trailer here), screens with the composer’s
live score accompaniment as part of Iyer’s Music of Transformation concert program
at BAM.
Now
available on DVD from ECM Records, Radhe,
Radhe is sort of an experimental melding music and images in the spirit of
Shirley Clarke’s Bridges-Go-Round,
but with dramatic and ethnographic components. Bhargava duly captures the eight
day Holi festivities in Lord Krishna’s traditional birthplace, but he
intersperses the revelry with impressionistic scenes of the goddess Radha,
whose ardor for Krishna encompassed and transcended all forms of love.
Although
it mirrors the twelve movement structure of Stravinsky’s Rites, viewers will be forgiven if they do not pick up on that
point while immersed in the work, especially since the film only identifies two
primary sections, “Adoration” and “Transcendence.” Iyer’s solo piano prelude is
rather dissonant and free-ish, but it soon gives way to a brightly hued,
driving theme with a somewhat Metheny-esque vibe nicely suited to the exuberant
crowd scenes. Eventually the flutes evoke the sounds of traditional Indian
musical forms, but the trumpets build to a series of rather brassy and jazzy crescendos.
During
the “Transcendence” section, Iyer’s skittering piano often announces abrupt
mood swings on screen. While Holi is a celebration, nobody is excluded from the
customary dousing of colorful dies and powders, regardless of age or general
willingness. Indeed, some targets of the merriment clearly do not enjoy the attention,
which rather darkens the film’s tone, but it is true to life.
Perhaps
the most intimidating challenge fell to actress Anna George, who must convey
the passion and devotion of Radha without the benefit of dialogue. Yet, she
does so with great power and sensitivity, without ever allowing becoming
overwhelmed by Iyer’s roiling score.
