The No Trespass Nanda Devi Peak In India Subject Of Hans Christian Music

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With the recording Nanda Devi, Hans Christian - one of the modern masters of new age music - has created a musical ode to the sacred mountain Nanda Devi in Northern India; and, as one of the tallest peaks in the world, it symbolizes nature's beauty, spiritual power and a place of quiet serenity outside the reach of modern civilization.

Hans Christian is best-known for his cello playing ("always my first instrument"), but he also has increasingly turned to playing real ethnic world-music instruments. On this album he also performs on an Indian sitara (small sitar), an Indian sarangi (a bowed short-necked stringed instrument), the Swedish nyckelharpa (key fiddle), an Indian dhilruba (bowed sitar), an Indian swaramandala (autoharp), a medieval psaltery (small bowed harp), a lapsteel guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, fretless bass, harmonium, bamboo flute, udu (an African percussion pot), an Indian tampura (strings used as drone), ethnic percussion (such as frame drums and bells), Tibetan bowls and some electronic keyboards ("for enhancements"). He even uses water droplets as a rhythmic earth-sound.

Nanda Devi can be found in the CD format in music stores and new age lifestyle shops across the United States as well as online, while digital downloads of the music are available at all the major internet music stores such as iTunes and Amazon. For more information about Hans Christian and his recordings, go to NewEarthRecords dot com or HansChristianMusic dot com.

Hans Christian, originally from Germany, started his musical career in Los Angeles in the 1980s as a sought-after bass-player (Robbie Robertson, Sparks, members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and many others). Soon Christian branched out as a recording engineer and producer as well. In addition to becoming a solo artist with his recordings and tours, he also co-founded the popular world-music group RASA with his musical partner, the Sanskrit-bhajans vocalist Kim Waters. Christian also has joined the GuruGanesha Band for several extensive North American tours. He is an artist-in-residence with Ubiquity University's Wisdom School which has allowed him rare, repeated access to the architecturally-famous Chartes Cathedral in France where he has performed concerts and recorded. Nanda Devi is being played on hundreds of radio stations as part of the daily Echoes syndicated radio show, and some of Christian's most recent recordings, Hidden Treasures and You Are the Music of My Silence went to #1 on the Echoes monthly chart and were named the "CD of the Month" by this program.

Now with Nanda Devi, Christian says, "The music on this CD is intended to create a space of serenity, room to breathe in, an expanded perspective on life that might allow us to relax for a moment. It was my intention to compose music, expressed through my own musical language, that would be suitable for different kinds of listening environments including meditation, yoga, balancing and deep listening. At the same time I also wanted to highlight an interesting combination of string instruments in an ever-changing dialogue weaving a tapestry of melodies, colors and patterns. So Nanda Devi is also a CD of musical and sonic experimentation."

Additionally Christian uses the music to explore the theme of the sacredness of nature and the inspirational quality of the tallest points on our planet. "The music on this CD is like a soundtrack to a majestic mountain, " explains Christian, "such as the sacred mountain Nanda Devi in Northern India. May we absorb the strength and serenity and beauty of this mountain as we listen to this music."

Nandi Devi is one of the most magnificent mountains in the world, standing 25, 645 feet tall
(7817 meters), one of the reigning natural monoliths of the Himalaya Mountains, a range that extends 1, 500 miles on the border between India and Tibet, and contains the world's highest mountains. Nanda Devi is notable for its steep rise above surrounding terrain (it rises 21, 300 feet above the Gori Ganga Valley to the west). It was considered the world's highest peak until surveyed by Western scientists in 1808. The ascent of Nanda Devi necessitated 50 years of arduous exploration in search of a passage and it was finally climbed in 1936 by a combined British-American expedition (and it remained the highest peak climbed by man until 1950). The main summit stands guarded by a barrier ring of huge mountains (12 exceed 21, 000 feet) further elevating its sacred status, and the interior of this ring is known as the Nanda Devi Sanctuary, protected by a national park and a biosphere reserve, and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In acknowledgement of its religious significance and fragile eco-system, the peak and sanctuary were closed to both locals and climbers in 1983.

More pertinent to Hans Christian's musical tribute, the name Nanda Devi means "Bliss-Giving Goddess." The peak is regarded as the patron-goddess of the Uttarakhand Himalaya region of India and has sacred status as the twin daughters of the Himalaya in Indian myth and folklore. The top is actually formed with two peaks, the higher one known as Nanda and the slightly lower eastern summit known as Sunanda (which means "Pleasing"), named after the goddesses with those names who have been worshipped as twins in India for several thousand years (those goddesses appear in ancient Sanskrit literature).

Hans Christian captures the breath-taking sight of the mountain and the spiritual feelings that Nanda Devi inspires. He specifically spotlights various aspects of Nanda Devi and the surrounding area on tracks titled "Majestic Mountain, " "Sunanda, " "She Who Brings Bliss" and "Valley of the Gori Ganga." He sets the mood of a day at the foot of the massif with the tunes "First Light" and "Between Dusk and Dawn." Christian gets more personal with tunes characterized as "My Inner Ascent" and "Eternal Spring." Musically the long drawn-out bowed notes from his cello create a meditative reverie in sound, but the many world-flavored instruments, especially those associated with India, give the music the flavor of a trek (physically or mentally) to the top of the world.

Christian's music is contemplative, reflective, profound, compassionate, transcendent, passionate, emotional, ecstatic, soulful, colorful, lyrical, deep, exotic, explorative, expressive and devotional. He mixes the elements of space and silence into his work. His music inspires and encourages relaxation, introspection and soul-healing.

He first came into prominence as an in-demand session musician and performed on recordings by pop, rock and folk artists such as Robbie Robertson (The Band, Bob Dylan), Victoria Williams, Sparks, Gene Clark (The Byrds) and Carla Olson, Toni Childs, and Amoeba. After Christian became known for his own music in the new age and world-fusion genres, he was asked to guest on albums by Vas, Krishna Das, Robert Rich and Andrew Harvey. Christian also has assisted many artists on the technical side of recording (producing, engineering and mastering): Jai Uttal, Ancient Future, Habib Khan, Silvia Nakkach, Dr. Jeffrey D. Thompson, Suzanne Teng and Girish. Christian also has produced numerous thematic new age recordings such as Chakra Healing Chants and Silent Moonlight Meditation.

Christian began his solo recording career in 1994 with Phantoms followed the albums Surrender, Light & Spirit, Cinema of Dreams, Sancta Camisia: Cello Improvisations at Chartes Cathedral, Undefended Hearts, All is Well, Rumi Symphony (with Andrew Harvey), You Are the Music of My Silence and Hidden Treasures. In addition, Christian has recorded numerous albums with his band RASA including Devotion, Union, Rasa in Concert, Shelter, Temple of Love and Saffron Blue (the latter three are available from New Earth Records).

“On Nanda Devi I am combining an unusual selection of string instruments to create meditative music that is fairly unique in its blend of sounds and melodies, ” explains Hans Christian. “I composed the music and played all the instruments. It took me nine months to record the album. I hope that listeners will enjoy it.”

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