Ihrah: Sacred Waters

“Ihrah is a beautiful journey…In the solo ‘Gangashtakam,’ we witness how Aparna Ramaswamy’s lifelong commitment to the 2,000-year-old Bharatanatyam classical tradition has shaped her into an artist of the highest order.”(Minneapolis Star Tribune)

The rivers of India are revered as personifications of divinity. Since time immemorial, river worship has been performed in India to respect the vitality of water as a life-sustaining force. The perennial flow of the river, from its origin to the sea, symbolizes the journey of the soul to merge with the universal. Based on the poetic sanctity of these rituals, Ihrah: Sacred Waters is an evening-length work that praises the rivers Ganga, Kaveri and Yamuna and their spiritual significance.

Ihrah is available with a live south Indian orchestra and features a specially commissioned score from composer Marc Anderson, made possible by Dr. Robert and Katherine Goodale and the American Composer’s Forum.

Commissioned by the American Composers Forum’s “Music in Motion” program, with funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and additional support from Dr. Robert and Katherine Goodale.