‘Global Rhythms Reimagined’ is a project dedicated to recognizing ‘World Music Traditions’ as rich sources of inspiration for contemporary composers. The project is manifested as a) a downloadable album of solo piano music, performed by myself (Eshantha Peiris) in 2013, featuring modernist compositions which have been influenced by rhythmic traditions from around the world, and b) an accompanying website with relevant information about the compositions and the respective music traditions which inspired them.
To stream or download individual tracks, and to read liner notes, please click the tabs with track names - which can be found by hovering the cursor over the 'Album tracks' tab. The entire album can be found by clicking on the 'listen to Album' tab.
The Music
Compositions featured on the album are by the following composers: Ricardo Tacuchian (Brazil), Ali Osman (Egypt), Yoo-Byung Eun (Korea), Dinuk Wijeratne (South-Asia/Canada), Joshua Uzoigwe (Nigeria), and myself (Sri Lanka). The regional diversity of compositional inspirations reflects my desire to recognize and present a sub-category of contemporary classical composition, namely, music that draws inspiration from both modernist thought and traditional sources. I also hope that this project will encourage more composers of concert music to find inspiration in traditional musics. And while ‘musical nationalism’ (for identity/political reasons) is not necessarily something that I am advocating, I do believe that respectfully appropriating tried-and-tested musical vocabularies towards creating new art is something that can be relevant to today’s listeners.
The Website
In addition to being a platform for the audio tracks of the album, this website exists mainly for the following reasons:
a) To present (through articles, and audio-visual material) the background and context of unfamiliar music, to offer listeners a frame of reference.
b) To set an example to students of music, as to how research into stylistic conventions and performance practice (beyond the notated score), can help a performer better communicate the essence of the music to listeners.
The Free Downloads
In this day and age, it is almost impossible to claim digital media as exclusive property anymore. I believe I can use this to my advantage: by making the music I value available free of charge to anyone with an internet connection, regardless of their typical music consumption habits.
It is my hope that this accessibility might result in new fans of a) contemporary classical music, b) piano music, and/or c) world music.
Crowd-funding the album production
The production of this album was financed completely through crowd-funding (a business model in which music enthusiasts contribute small percentages of the total production budget, gaining the opportunity to be a vital part of the project, as well as becoming eligible for special incentives). Rather than subscribe to an outdated model in which major Corporations dictate the content and nature of the music industry (without paying attention to the needs of the Musicians and consumers), I wanted to promote this relatively new industry model in which music consumers use their collective power to finance new recordings. By successfully financing the entire project through crowd-funding, I am proud to have demonstrated in a small way, that music enthusiasts truly do have the ability to sustain an industry of independent professional musicians making innovative and high-quality art.
Creative Commons
I’m a big fan of the free culture movement (‘free’, as in ‘having freedom’), with its potential for artistic ideas to spread and develop unrestrained by copyright ownership. (The best current model of this is open-source software). By giving everyone the freedom to distribute, modify and even make money out of my composition ‘Mona Magul Berayakdha May?’, I hope that the ideas and artistic inspiration I value will take on new life in the hands of other creators.
[N.B. copyrights of other composers featured on this recording are reserved]
About me
I am a founder and co-director of Musicmatters, an institution in Colombo dedicated to innovative music-making and creative music education. Having grown up in Sri Lanka, I pursued higher studies in the USA, graduating from New York University with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Performance and Composition. I am currently a student of Ethnomusicology at the University of British Columbia.
As a musician, I am interested in understanding various musical styles in their historical performance contexts, and using this knowledge to bring a fresh perspective to contemporary performance. This approach has influenced my work as a collaborative pianist and conductor (of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, and the vocal ensembles The Old Joes Choir and Contempo), and with the quintet Båliphonics, which experiments with Sri Lankan ritual music.
My discography includes two albums of Brazilian classical music recorded with flutist Celina Charlier, two albums of original fusion music recorded with the band Thriloka, an album with Båliphonics and Serendib Sorcerers, and the solo piano album ‘Global Rhythms Reimagined’.
Production Credits
Performed by Eshantha Peiris.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Justin Hegburg, at Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore, Febraury 2014.
Album artwork design by Isaac Smith.
Website design by Eshantha Peiris.
New tracks recorded, mixed and mastered by Kjel Sidloski at the University of British Columbia, Canada, December 2015.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to these people in particular, and to many others, for helping make this project what it is:
Dinuk Wijeratne
Ricardo Tacuchian
Tania Leon
Ali Osman
Yoo Byung-Eun
Boosey and Hawkes
Rongwen Music
Uzo Uzoigwe
Joyce Adewumi
Godwin Sadoh
Meki Nzewi
Celina Charlier
Jaebon Hwang
Keiko Kobayashi
Guerguan Tsenov
Lalanath de Silva
Sumudi Suraweera
Prasantha Rupatilleka
Susantha Rupatilleka
Pabalu Wijegoonawardane
Isuru Kumarasinghe
The Lionel Wendt theatre
Bjorn Ketels, Eshantha de Andrado, and Jan Ramesh Schöning-De Saram of the Goethe Institut in Colombo
www.indiegogo.com
Justin Hegburg
James Wilkinson
Lasalle School of the Arts
Nadeeka Perera
Isaac Smith
Rakitha Perera
Penguin Audio
Bala Skandan
Curtis Andrews
Kjel Sidloski
All individuals and organizations who contributed generously towards crowd-funding the production (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/financing-eshantha-peiris-album-global-rhythms-reimagined--2#/)
Crowd-funding Contributors
This project was funded solely through the financial support of the following generous individuals and organizations:
Gehan Gunatilleke
Brendan Peiris
Nikita Tissera
Noble Jayasuriya
Shalini Wickremesooriya
Michael Benoit
Sanjay Hashen Dalugoda
Shehan Dias
Sujeeva Hapugalle
Ramya Perera
ARTRA Magazine
Terry and Lilamani Benson
Sharmini Wettimuny
Fah Daengdej
Dinuk Wijeratne
Govind and Kavita Nagrani
Simon Dent
Shanali Pethiyagoda
Dillain Joseph
Kissani Liyanage
David Colin-Thome
Tehani Tissera
Lalin Dias
Derek Beckvold
Imani Perera
Louis Perera
Riyal Riffai
Anushka Fernando-Goonetilleke
Lalanath de Silva
Dhyan Basho
Prasanna Welangoda
Anushka Kotelawala
Dayan Gunasekera
David and Gai Evans
Chamath Ellawala
Cristobal Martinez
Priyankari Perera
Shanaka Gunaratna
Rohini Jayamanne
Sharon Amerasinghe
Robyn Savitzky
Avanti Esufally
Mandhira de Saram
Lasith Fernando
Dean Case
Yuqi Sun
Geethika Cooray
Isaac smith
Sam Bachelder
Ira Shankman
Sesath Thambugala
Migara Luvis
Angela Manapat
Jack Point
Rohan Jayatilleke
Sachintha Dias
Amita Lenora
Sachini Perera
Ralston Joseph
Theena Kumaragurunathan
Nuwan Perera
Fabrizio Villegas
Sahani Panjwani
Celina Charlier
Lorraine Eldridge
Felix Krahmer
Shehal Joseph
Knut Landsverk
Lochana Gabrielsen
Dinuka de Alwis
Sharmini de Saram
Trevina Abeyesundere
Thilini de Alwis
Ajit Abeysekera
Mel Gunasekera
Nadia Fernandopulle
Anton Padmasiri
Isuri Kapuge
Merrick Peiris
Nuwan Senaratna
Naween Thomas
Janith Samarasinghe
Dushmanthe Ranetunge
Ravindra Lakpriya
Deva Ellepola
Avanti Perera and Nathan Koblintz
Chloe de Soyza
Vidhu Jayawardana
Nelonie de Mel
Brian Peiris
Maninda Wickramasinghe
Selvam Canagaratna
Mahinda Palitharathna
Centre Stage Productions
Lionel Wendt Trust
Jehan Canagaratne
Chamber Music Society of Colombo
Jazz Unlimited Sri Lanka
Denzil Perera
Gamini Kannangara
Chaarya Somasiri
Chandra Jayamanne
Nirmal Fernando
Priyan Fernando
Arun Dias Bandaranaike
Johannes and Yasmin Koch
To stream or download individual tracks, and to read liner notes, please click the tabs with track names - which can be found by hovering the cursor over the 'Album tracks' tab. The entire album can be found by clicking on the 'listen to Album' tab.
The Music
Compositions featured on the album are by the following composers: Ricardo Tacuchian (Brazil), Ali Osman (Egypt), Yoo-Byung Eun (Korea), Dinuk Wijeratne (South-Asia/Canada), Joshua Uzoigwe (Nigeria), and myself (Sri Lanka). The regional diversity of compositional inspirations reflects my desire to recognize and present a sub-category of contemporary classical composition, namely, music that draws inspiration from both modernist thought and traditional sources. I also hope that this project will encourage more composers of concert music to find inspiration in traditional musics. And while ‘musical nationalism’ (for identity/political reasons) is not necessarily something that I am advocating, I do believe that respectfully appropriating tried-and-tested musical vocabularies towards creating new art is something that can be relevant to today’s listeners.
The Website
In addition to being a platform for the audio tracks of the album, this website exists mainly for the following reasons:
a) To present (through articles, and audio-visual material) the background and context of unfamiliar music, to offer listeners a frame of reference.
b) To set an example to students of music, as to how research into stylistic conventions and performance practice (beyond the notated score), can help a performer better communicate the essence of the music to listeners.
The Free Downloads
In this day and age, it is almost impossible to claim digital media as exclusive property anymore. I believe I can use this to my advantage: by making the music I value available free of charge to anyone with an internet connection, regardless of their typical music consumption habits.
It is my hope that this accessibility might result in new fans of a) contemporary classical music, b) piano music, and/or c) world music.
Crowd-funding the album production
The production of this album was financed completely through crowd-funding (a business model in which music enthusiasts contribute small percentages of the total production budget, gaining the opportunity to be a vital part of the project, as well as becoming eligible for special incentives). Rather than subscribe to an outdated model in which major Corporations dictate the content and nature of the music industry (without paying attention to the needs of the Musicians and consumers), I wanted to promote this relatively new industry model in which music consumers use their collective power to finance new recordings. By successfully financing the entire project through crowd-funding, I am proud to have demonstrated in a small way, that music enthusiasts truly do have the ability to sustain an industry of independent professional musicians making innovative and high-quality art.
Creative Commons
I’m a big fan of the free culture movement (‘free’, as in ‘having freedom’), with its potential for artistic ideas to spread and develop unrestrained by copyright ownership. (The best current model of this is open-source software). By giving everyone the freedom to distribute, modify and even make money out of my composition ‘Mona Magul Berayakdha May?’, I hope that the ideas and artistic inspiration I value will take on new life in the hands of other creators.
[N.B. copyrights of other composers featured on this recording are reserved]
About me
I am a founder and co-director of Musicmatters, an institution in Colombo dedicated to innovative music-making and creative music education. Having grown up in Sri Lanka, I pursued higher studies in the USA, graduating from New York University with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Performance and Composition. I am currently a student of Ethnomusicology at the University of British Columbia.
As a musician, I am interested in understanding various musical styles in their historical performance contexts, and using this knowledge to bring a fresh perspective to contemporary performance. This approach has influenced my work as a collaborative pianist and conductor (of the Symphony Orchestra of Sri Lanka, and the vocal ensembles The Old Joes Choir and Contempo), and with the quintet Båliphonics, which experiments with Sri Lankan ritual music.
My discography includes two albums of Brazilian classical music recorded with flutist Celina Charlier, two albums of original fusion music recorded with the band Thriloka, an album with Båliphonics and Serendib Sorcerers, and the solo piano album ‘Global Rhythms Reimagined’.
Production Credits
Performed by Eshantha Peiris.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Justin Hegburg, at Lasalle College of the Arts, Singapore, Febraury 2014.
Album artwork design by Isaac Smith.
Website design by Eshantha Peiris.
New tracks recorded, mixed and mastered by Kjel Sidloski at the University of British Columbia, Canada, December 2015.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to these people in particular, and to many others, for helping make this project what it is:
Dinuk Wijeratne
Ricardo Tacuchian
Tania Leon
Ali Osman
Yoo Byung-Eun
Boosey and Hawkes
Rongwen Music
Uzo Uzoigwe
Joyce Adewumi
Godwin Sadoh
Meki Nzewi
Celina Charlier
Jaebon Hwang
Keiko Kobayashi
Guerguan Tsenov
Lalanath de Silva
Sumudi Suraweera
Prasantha Rupatilleka
Susantha Rupatilleka
Pabalu Wijegoonawardane
Isuru Kumarasinghe
The Lionel Wendt theatre
Bjorn Ketels, Eshantha de Andrado, and Jan Ramesh Schöning-De Saram of the Goethe Institut in Colombo
www.indiegogo.com
Justin Hegburg
James Wilkinson
Lasalle School of the Arts
Nadeeka Perera
Isaac Smith
Rakitha Perera
Penguin Audio
Bala Skandan
Curtis Andrews
Kjel Sidloski
All individuals and organizations who contributed generously towards crowd-funding the production (https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/financing-eshantha-peiris-album-global-rhythms-reimagined--2#/)
Crowd-funding Contributors
This project was funded solely through the financial support of the following generous individuals and organizations:
Gehan Gunatilleke
Brendan Peiris
Nikita Tissera
Noble Jayasuriya
Shalini Wickremesooriya
Michael Benoit
Sanjay Hashen Dalugoda
Shehan Dias
Sujeeva Hapugalle
Ramya Perera
ARTRA Magazine
Terry and Lilamani Benson
Sharmini Wettimuny
Fah Daengdej
Dinuk Wijeratne
Govind and Kavita Nagrani
Simon Dent
Shanali Pethiyagoda
Dillain Joseph
Kissani Liyanage
David Colin-Thome
Tehani Tissera
Lalin Dias
Derek Beckvold
Imani Perera
Louis Perera
Riyal Riffai
Anushka Fernando-Goonetilleke
Lalanath de Silva
Dhyan Basho
Prasanna Welangoda
Anushka Kotelawala
Dayan Gunasekera
David and Gai Evans
Chamath Ellawala
Cristobal Martinez
Priyankari Perera
Shanaka Gunaratna
Rohini Jayamanne
Sharon Amerasinghe
Robyn Savitzky
Avanti Esufally
Mandhira de Saram
Lasith Fernando
Dean Case
Yuqi Sun
Geethika Cooray
Isaac smith
Sam Bachelder
Ira Shankman
Sesath Thambugala
Migara Luvis
Angela Manapat
Jack Point
Rohan Jayatilleke
Sachintha Dias
Amita Lenora
Sachini Perera
Ralston Joseph
Theena Kumaragurunathan
Nuwan Perera
Fabrizio Villegas
Sahani Panjwani
Celina Charlier
Lorraine Eldridge
Felix Krahmer
Shehal Joseph
Knut Landsverk
Lochana Gabrielsen
Dinuka de Alwis
Sharmini de Saram
Trevina Abeyesundere
Thilini de Alwis
Ajit Abeysekera
Mel Gunasekera
Nadia Fernandopulle
Anton Padmasiri
Isuri Kapuge
Merrick Peiris
Nuwan Senaratna
Naween Thomas
Janith Samarasinghe
Dushmanthe Ranetunge
Ravindra Lakpriya
Deva Ellepola
Avanti Perera and Nathan Koblintz
Chloe de Soyza
Vidhu Jayawardana
Nelonie de Mel
Brian Peiris
Maninda Wickramasinghe
Selvam Canagaratna
Mahinda Palitharathna
Centre Stage Productions
Lionel Wendt Trust
Jehan Canagaratne
Chamber Music Society of Colombo
Jazz Unlimited Sri Lanka
Denzil Perera
Gamini Kannangara
Chaarya Somasiri
Chandra Jayamanne
Nirmal Fernando
Priyan Fernando
Arun Dias Bandaranaike
Johannes and Yasmin Koch