The Auckland Arts Festival presents
THE MANGANIYAR SEDUCTION, Roysten Abel (India)
“The effect is like that of a gospel Mass or a slow-building rave: a joyous, communal experience of the
seductive power of music”’
- Irish Independent
From the deserts of Northern India comes The Manganiyar Seduction, a dazzling concert of Rajasthani music presented in a visually seductive set inspired by an unexpected synthesis of Amsterdam’s red light district and the Hawa Mahal or ‘Palace of the Winds’ in Jaipur. Starting with a solo musician, instruments and voices build, culminating in a spectacular, joyous musical feast that has drawn sell-out audiences and standing ovations from Sydney to Dublin, London, Paris, Barcelona and New York.
More than 40 musicians sit in red-curtained cubicles stacked in rows, one on top of the other. As the concert progresses, more cubicles are illuminated, creating a dramatic and astounding build-up of instruments and voices – an enchanting ‘magic box’ filled with virtuoso musicians. The all-male ensemble spans three generations of Manganiyars whose exuberant and joyful performances are a celebration of life itself.
