Program Note
Haziri, literally "presence," is the name of a type of spirit possession practiced at Muslim saint
shrines in India. My first experience with it was in the summer of 2003, when I was invited by
anthropologist Carla Bellamy to a Shi'a family imambara in the Santa Cruz neighborhood of Mumbai.
My work, Haziri, draws on my memory of this experience as well as Bellamy's recordings of the
process made in 2005.
Haziri's musical material is based on my analysis of the sonic characteristics of the recordings
and its narrative structure reflects that of the process of spirit possession. In performance, the
players are put in the place of the person with haziri, enduring a difficult physicality and through
the process of physical trial, regaining their autonomy.
Premiere:
Ensemble Moderne Akademie
Rafael Caldentey, clarinet
Anna-Kathrin Faber, violin
Wolfgang Zamastil, 'cello
Marc Trischler, piano
Manuel Nawri, conductor
22 July 2006
ISCM World New Music Festival
Stuttgart, Germany
Listen
Performance by the New York New Music Ensemble; James Baker, conductor
Watch
Performance by the New York New Music Ensemble; James Baker, conductor