Music – VAGABOND IMAGES

A great night-life rendezvous at Brussels

Upendra SwamiMarch 8, 20203025 Views0

Well, people are afraid of travel in these times of Coronavirus, but then there are many incentives to show some courage to travel (with proper precautions ofcourse), even in these tough times. A vibrant nightlife at European capital Brussels is one among them. There can’t be a better time than spring to visit this beautiful city. In spring, clubs and organisers of evening events offer a wide range of activities of all kinds to the delight of night owls. Clubbers will be spoilt for choice, with the Listen! Festival, the Hangar evenings, Fuse and more. The cosmopolitan city of Brussels offers an impressive variety of night-time events for those going out. Fans of hip-hop, tech house and dance will find it impossible not to find an event they like. Today more than ever, many cl...

InternationalNews

Love jazz! Its going to be a JAZZUARY in Brussels

Upendra SwamiNovember 27, 2019962 Views0

With one month, 3 festivals, 46 concerts at 8 concert venues, Brussels definitively puts jazz in the spotlight in January. As the birthplace of the saxophone, the Belgian capital has become an essential stopover for musicians and lovers of the genre. Brussels is the city with the highest number of jazz concerts per capita in the world, after New York and Paris. From Toots Thielemans, to Philip Catherine, Steve Houben, Mélanie De Biasio, Eric Legnini, and Charles Loos, these ambassadors of Belgian jazz abroad all have a close link with this city, where it feels good to play and share your music. With its many festivals, concert halls, clubs and conservatories, jazz is widespread and can be heard everywhere, in every style, all year round and all through the night. One of the highlig...

AdventureInternationalNews

Best of Classic Rock in the middle of desert

Upendra SwamiMarch 16, 2019955 Views0

Burning Man’s Israeli offshoot, Midburn is a special 5-day festival held in the Negev Desert around May – June every year. It is the second largest regional Burning Man after Africa Burns where, for 6 days, a temporary city is set up creating a platform for communal life style, creativity, art and self-expression. Unlike a typical music festival with big acts, one can camp in the desert that host parties and in the center of the playa are incredible art displays and a huge temple that is burned on the final night. This year, Midburn will be held between June 4 through 9, 2019. Midburn Festival. Photo: Niv Shafran This summer, Israel will also host some of the biggest names of Rock genre like Bon Jovi, Slash and Air Supply. Air Supply, the soft-rock duo of the 80s, Graham Russe...

InternationalNews

Master Composer Yanni dazzles at Al-Ula

Upendra SwamiFebruary 11, 20191150 Views0

Yanni has a nick of performing in front of top heritage monuments around the world. Remember the March of 1997, when his concert in backdrop of Taj Mahal right on the banks of Yamuna river became a phenomenon in itself! The master composer has many firsts to his name. Here was he, once again, performing adjacent to Mada’in Saleh, a major UNESCO World Heritage Site in Saudi Arabia, once home to major civilizations including the ancient kingdoms of Dadan/Lihyan and the Nabataeans. Yanni in concert at Al-Ula. Photo credit: Center for International Communication (CIC), Ministry of Media, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Grammy Award-winning composer Yanni dazzled a packed crowd on Friday night with some of his popular pieces in a spectacular show at Al-Ula as part of the extended Winter at Tanto...

InternationalNewsPromotions

Historic Al-Ula springs to life with violin strings at Winter at Tantora Festival

Upendra SwamiJanuary 6, 20191113 Views1

In a landmark concert, French violinist Renaud Capucon dazzled crowd at Saudi Arabia’s historic Al-Ula on Friday, 4th January 2019. Capucon performed at Al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia as part of the first Winter at Tantora festival and concert series. Capucon is the latest internationally renowned musician to perform at the home of one of the Kingdom’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Renaud Capucon performing at concert. Photo credit: Center for International Communication (CIC), Ministry of Media, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Winter at Tantora, which opened on December 20 and runs until February 9, is hosted by the residents of Al-Ula, a small town next to the ancient Nebatean site of Madein Saleh. Many weekend cultural events and musical performances by world-famous artists w...

IndiaPhotogallery

Vilasini Natyam – Dance of the Devadasis

Upendra SwamiOctober 25, 20184388 Views2

Purvadhanashree performing Vilasini Natyam (all images) Devadasis has been a long debated issue- as a temple ritual as well as a dance form, although it has been into existence for centuries and perhaps older than many other classical dance forms. As a social ritual it was discredited a long ago and even many laws were brought to abolish the system. Even the dance form went into oblivion, until it was researched and revived in last few decades. Vilasini Natyam is said to be the dance of Telugu Devadasis. It was traditionally performed in temples as a ritual, in courts for the royalties and in the chambers for intellectuals for their aesthetic experience. It was also performed for the general public at dance theatres for their infotainment, to educate them, to ent...

InternationalPhotogalleryPromotions

When an illuminated castle brightens the summer at Heidelberg

Upendra SwamiJune 23, 20182249 Views4

High above the German city of Heidelberg realms world’s most popular ruin. Is there any place more beautiful in this world than between the historic walls of the castle beneath the shining stars during a warm summer night? For sure, there is! Just this place, but filled with music and dramatic or funny works of literature. Every year this castle is the site for two of most dramatic events- the Castle Festival and the Castle Illuminations. The legendary Castle Illuminations every year capture the imagination of thousands of people - hardly any other city offers such magical nights every year. Castle illuminations commemorate the destruction of Heidelberg Castle by the French General Melac in the years 1689 and 1693 during the War of Palatinate Succession. Its origin however was...

IndiaPhotogallery

Tibetan wood carving : Craft for the Art

Upendra SwamiApril 17, 20183320 Views2

Tibetan wood carving is a sublime art. Everything from Dalai Lama’s throne to incense boxes and Chemar bowls, has imprints of it. The signs of art of wood carving can be traced to as far as 7th century Tsuglakghang in Lhasa constructed during reign of King Songtsen Gampo. Wooden table paintings were also unique and popular during those times. That was said to be another branch of Tibetan art. Subjects and pictorial composition of these wooden table paintings are similar to those of thangka paintings. Beautiful wooden engravings have lavishly decorated the columns, beams, doors, windows, cross beam supports etc in Tibetan monasteries and temples. Even shrines, platforms for deities, altars, stupas and other ritualistic objects were usually adorned with wood carvings. It has also been us

India

Puja songs from Bengal gave Bollywood many superhit numbers!

Upendra SwamiOctober 6, 20162890 Views6

Its that time of the year again, considered to be one of the most auspicious one as per hindu beliefs. Durga Puja is indeed the most important event of the year for the Bengalis. Mahalaya was celebrated on 30th September and it is Panchami today, when the six day Durga Puja celebrations actually start in Bengal. Since it has been traditionally most important time of the year for the Bengalis, it is also the time when just before the Pujas musicians and artistes will release their albums. Such has been the lure of getting hit during the Puja that many singers will even perform during the Puja celebrations with their new releases. The songs released at the time of the Puja were often termed as Modern Bengali songs. Actually this tradition has been there for quite a long, with every leading ...

InternationalPhotogallery

Music for the love of life!

Upendra SwamiJanuary 30, 2016939 Views0

Music is life. Whichever part of the world you go, in every place and in every culture, music has a tradition. It has always been fascinating to witness the different styles and languages of the music. Some of the images of music as captured my roving camera! Music brings courage to face the world! (In streets of Antwerp) Music for the 'God' (At a church in Antwerp) Music for harmony! (at a park in Brussels!) Music inspires rhythm! (at a launch festival in Delhi) Music illuminates! (at a launch festival in Delhi) Music brings confidence to perform! (At a hotel in Singapore) Music brings out a symphony! (At a hotel in Singapore) Music gives the ability to charm! (At a hotel in Singapore) Music relives the tradition! (At a hotel in S...