The project '18 Microtonal Ragas' by the Milanese siren Amelia Cuni is part of a prestigious, international collaboration of cultural houses. Cuni is known for her mastery of the Dhrupad chant, one of the oldest living music traditions in Northern India. The eighteen ragas mentioned are incantatory chants that the performer must develop from the material that Cage offers in 'Solo 58' from his Book of Songs. It is known that John Cage (1912-1992) has been strongly influenced by Indian thought since the 1940s. Yet he has rarely turned to that beloved tradition in such a concrete way as in 'Solo 58'. This makes this program first and foremost a compelling investigation into the tension between tradition and experiment. There are two main thrusts for this implementation. The first is the meaning of the Indian Raga, the 'coloring of the mind'. The second is the typical chance aspect, with no other purpose than that employed by Cage himself: “the purpose of music is to make the mind sober and tranquil, and therefore receptive to divine influences.”
