Suman’s Balled

[babonbd]

Most respected Kabir Suman,

Once I read a report about Kabir Suman where it was said that he made a Bengali balled. I’m quoting of that report “…Apart from giving concert tours all over India, Bangladesh, USA and Australia, Suman was invited by the Voice of Germany to compose a ballad in Bangla, commemorating the Tenth Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and to perform it before an international audience in Cologne in 1999. …”

I’m very much curious of that balled. I think all the forum members also have the same curiosity. Please tell us some thing about the balled. Is it available to your personal collection? If yes, will you please give to Mr. Aloke, he may upload the balled for us?

Best wishes,
Regards,
Mir Arif Billah

[niladribagchi]

Dear bondhura,
If any one knowes any thing regarding this baalad ,then please upload it.

Niladri

[subhamay]

Yes I have also seen the story and am curious about more details. The story goes like ..

"Suman was invited by the Voice of Germany to compose a ballad in Bangla, commemorating the Tenth Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and to perform it before an international audience in Cologne in 1999.

He has recently participated in the first time ever Internet Opera, Virtopera, along with the counter tenor Richard Maxwell and Jane Bogart under the direction of the famous German composer, Mr. Eberhard Schoener."

Here is the link to the site

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What is this Internet Opera ? I would request Kabir Suman to tel us more about that. Will you, please ?

[aloke]

Originally Posted by subhamay

.....What is this Internet Opera ? ....

check out heree :

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[smaranya]

thanx for the link.....

[kobiyaal]

Friends,
I have asked Sumanda for the ballad...but it seems that he doesn't have it in his collection. We will have to gather resources and get it from somewhere else. Any contacts in Voice of Germany?

[babonbd]

Originally Posted by kobiyaal

Friends,
I have asked Sumanda for the ballad...but it seems that he doesn't have it in his collection. We will have to gather resources and get it from somewhere else. Any contacts in Voice of Germany?

Dear friend Aloke,

Will you ask to Sudipto Chatterjee whether he has the BALLAD or not? He has a great and full collection of Kabir Suman. I wish you'll contact with him.

Regards,
Mir Arif Billah

[aloke]

contacted one of my contacts there... lets see..

[kabirsuman]

Originally Posted by subhamay

Yes I have also seen the story and am curious about more details. The story goes like ..

"Suman was invited by the Voice of Germany to compose a ballad in Bangla, commemorating the Tenth Anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, and to perform it before an international audience in Cologne in 1999.

He has recently participated in the first time ever Internet Opera, Virtopera, along with the counter tenor Richard Maxwell and Jane Bogart under the direction of the famous German composer, Mr. Eberhard Schoener."

Here is the link to the site

[Only Registered Users Can See Links. Click Here To Register...]

What is this Internet Opera ? I would request Kabir Suman to tel us more about that. Will you, please ?

This is Kabir Suman. The Internet Opera or the VirtOpera (virtual opera) was the maiden attempt by some German computer engineers and programmers and the German composer Schoener to put up an opera on the net, using live concerts at certain cities of the world and net-based participation of artists who were geographically elsewhere but who performed simultaneously, thus forming a universal teamwork that was the first of its kind in 2000. the shows were engineered by computer programmers who travelled with the team from one city to another. the central idea of the opera: a very powerful computerized 'individual', a 'virtual man' so to say, trys to set the pace for things that cannot be understood and done meachanically. but 'his' attempts are proved futile by human intelligence. - man-made computer, however potent and eloquent, could never match up with the 'man' who made it.

i met Mr Schoener in Cologne when I went there to perform my ballad in 1999.the ballad was commissioned by the Voice of Germany. Mr Schoener was anchoring the show in which a Korean composer, a Spanish composer, an American composer, a German performer, and a Bengali songwriter-musician-singer (me) participated. for some reason, he liked my work and my style of performance, and he told me that he would come to Calcutta to incorporate me in his VirtOpera, which he did in 2000. I took a Calcutta based 'dotora' player, Mr Amit Guha, to play along my guitar. he did a good job on the Cologne concert, and Mr Schoener wanted to have him too. so, when his team came to Cal in 2000 so that I could take a role in the opera, Mr Guha was also there with his 'dotora.' in the opera, i played the role of a 'narrator' who lives in Cal, takes issues with the white world's conception of a city that has always been misrepresented in the world, and who makes music. i had a text to say and my songs to sing.
it was quite an experience, for a Swiss soprano also came and performed with us. the internet show took place at the Max Mueller Bhavan, but no mention of it was made in the media. the West Bengal media has always shown a phenomenal degree of readiness to throw huge foams of silence on my musical work. their silence as to the virtopera being enacted and played in Calcutta with an internatinal cast was well orchestrated and organized. are they not sweet and chubby?

[kobiyaal]

Dear Sumanda,
As sweet and chubby as Cassius, I should think!! Their ears have systematically taken on layers of wax, whenever you have broken the frontier in Bengali Music. The reasons? The coffers are filled with other names now, you have not played along with the image of a 'responsible', 'politically correct' 'bhadrolok' songmaker. They wanted you to be Daler Mehndi who would serve generous portions of 'revolution' on a platter to suit their commercial needs. Your repeated pointers to this commercialisation in your songs (where you spared none, including yourself) was treated as punchlines which would increase 'sales'. Hence, when you broke away, it was not accepted. But, what the heck, take a heart...Sumanda..Ezra Pound's 30-40 people are still with you, and would be...forever.