By Frank Alkyer | Published December 2014
The film Radhe Radhe: Rites Of Holi is a wonderful collaboration between director Prashant Bhargava and pianist-composer Vijay Iyer. The two were inspired to commemorate the 100th anniversary ofLe Sacre Du Printemps (The Rite Of Spring)—the famous collaboration between classical composer Igor Stravinsky and ballet choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky. The piece was very avant-garde for its time and nearly caused a riot in the audience when it premiered in 1913. Spin ahead 100 years with Iyer and Bhargava, who put their own personal spin on a famous religious ritual: Bhargava traveled to India to film the Hindu celebration of Holi, an annual spring event also known as the festival of color or the festival of love. He came back with fascinating footage of this festival, where people throw brightly colored powder on each other and shoot colored water at friends and strangers alike in celebration of the love between the deities Krishna and Radha. The visual impact of Bhargava’s footage—depicting boisterous crowds dancing and reveling—is heightened by Iyer’s music. This big, orchestral work, which is performed by Iyer and the International Contemporary Ensemble, is sometimes driving and foreboding, sometimes beautiful and nearly quiet. This film isn’t exactly a documentary; it’s more of a visual and musical ode to Holi. Actress Anna George portrays Radha in the piece. She comes in and out of the narrative to look upon the proceedings approvingly. With this multimedia production, Bhargava and Iyer have captured the very complex nature of Holi as well as the beauty of India and its people. It’s hard not to wonder what it would be like to participate in Holi after seeing Radhe Radhe. It’s a surprising burst of visual and aural color—a romantically wrapped love letter to a people and their traditions. As part of the Next Wave Festival in New York City, Iyer and the International Contemporary Ensemble will perform this music, accompanied by Bhargava’s film, at the BAM Harvey Theater on Dec. 18–20.
