Our Song of the Day comes from U. Srinivas who was an Indian child prodigy who began playing the mandolin when he was only six years old. That in it self sounds strange as the mandolin is not an instrument you would associate with South Indian classical music. It was in this field of music, playing Carnatic ragas that he became famous, known widely as Mandolin Srinivas. He made is debut in 1978, at the age of nine. He went on to tour the world over the next forty years collaborating with the likes of John McLaughlin, Michael Nyman, and Michael Brook.
He played using five single strings instead of the traditional four doubled strings – it is similar to the Western version, with the addition of a contact microphone to avoid the hollow rat-a-tat of guitar-like instruments.
Today’s Song of the Day is Gajavadhana, taken from a recording made in August 1992 in The Wood Room at Real World Studios where U. Srinivas was recording his album ‘Rama Sreerama’.
He underwent a liver transplant earlier this month and was recovering when complications arose on the evening of 18 September. He died at 9.30AM on 19 September 2014.
Music is a divine gift. Whatever you play, it should touch the soul.
How does it come? If you enjoy what you play, then you make others enjoy.
Mandolin U. Shrinivas (28 February 1969 – 19 September 2014)