TARAMANDAL

new album out now!

The vast winter night sky, so cold and those of summer, so warm. I look up to and I know we are but a minuscule part of infinity. In the meanwhile all of that infinity is in our eyes. Light reaching us from millions of lightyears away, reflecting itself in the mirror of our gazes. In the hum of Tanpura I find the vastness of cosmos, where I reflect myself in and which reflects in me. This sound, ancient and continuous, is the sacred thread binding the universe. The drone fills the space, a constante presence, I lean into it, feeling myself both vast and tiny, an imperceptible echo within the infinite. Melody’s lifts and spirals drawing on cosmic rhythms, reflected into the music. I reach out, touching these patterns that reflect the vast pulse of being. The melody rises, folds back on itself, traces lines through space, only to melt again and again into the ancient drone. In this union of sounds I sense the divine spark of existence, the essence of everything held within the sky’s vast infinity.

TARAMANDAL

VIRGINIA NICOLI

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Taramandal (costellation), a new album by flautist VIRGINIA NICOLI accompanied by three outstanding Indian percussionists: Sukhad Munde (Pakhawaj), Subhajit Brahmachari and Debajyoti Sanyal (Tabla). From the snowy peaks Read more
Taramandal (costellation), a new album by flautist VIRGINIA NICOLI accompanied by three outstanding Indian percussionists: Sukhad Munde (Pakhawaj), Subhajit Brahmachari and Debajyoti Sanyal (Tabla).
From the snowy peaks of the Alps to the cicada-filled Greek summer nights, VIRGINIA NICOLI channels the universal awe of stargazing into profound melodies and improvisations.
Featuring tracks inspired by constellations such as Pleiades, Andromeda, Cassiopeia, and Orion, the album bridges tradition and innovation. While grounded in Indian Ragas like Bhimpalasi and Asavari That, some tracks venture into uncharted scales, creating harmony that transcends boundaries.
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  1. 1
    PLEIADES 30:32
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  2. 2
    ANDROMEDA 13:59
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  3. 3
    ORION 6:01
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  4. 4
    CASSIOPEA 9:40
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All the compositions in this album are inspired by starring at the vast, infinite sky. My gaze was captured by the marvelous celestial bodies shining above us. “Orion” was composed under the magnificent sky of the Alps on a freezing winter night, as I looked out from our mountain house toward the snowy peak of Adamello. The “Pleiades,” “Andromeda,” and “Cassiopeia” were inspired by the Greek late-summer night sky, accompanied by the hums of cicadas in the background.

Each time I found inspiration, the night sky was so vivid and intense, far from light pollution. I imagined us, humans, long ago, looking up, weaving stories, and placing them among the stars.  I find it fascinating that different cultures all around the world have independently identified and named constellations using the same stars in the night sky. Out of countless ways to connect the dots in the sky, the remarkable overlap in constellations across cultures shows the universality of humanity’s need to find meaning in the stars and tell stories about them. For me, these stories come through music and notes. Although I don’t know much about constellations, I have always been inspired by their beauty.

Two compositions in this album are based on traditional North Indian Classical Ragas. “The Pleiades” is composed on Raga Bhimpalasi, while “Orion” is built on the plain scale of Asavari That. “Andromeda” and “Cassiopeia” do not follow any existing Raga scale. I enjoy exploring the balance between tradition and innovation, working within the framework that Indian Classical Music has taught me, while allowing myself the freedom to draw inspiration from my musical background and the world around me. Taramandal simply means “constellation” in Hindi.

May these musical constellations inspire you to look up at the night sky, with wonder, and discover your own stories and songs among the stars.

“ORION” by Martina Stuflesser

“ANDROMEDA” by Lovisa Burfitt