In D

In D is Brooklyn Raga Massive’s musical homage to legendary minimalist composer Terry Riley. The ensemble’s first venture into celebrating Riley’s work began with their critically acclaimed performance of the composer’s seminal work, In C, in 2017. Terry Riley composed the iconic work In "C" in 1964 and the piece, first performed with a group including Steve Reich and Pauline Oliveros, is often credited with creating the genre of minimalism. With an overwhelming reception from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Terry Riley himself, Brooklyn Raga Massive continues their journey to take a maximalist approach to this minimalist work with In D, named for the musical key of the sitar. 

The piece has evolved in the hands of the collective and has developed to follow a series of ragas (Indian classical modes that evoke particular rasas or emotional essences) complete with original cells composed by Neel Murgai and David Ellenbogen. In D draws from the ragas Bihag, Bairagi and Darbari to create an original suite of melodic jigsaw puzzle pieces, turning orchestral music on its head by giving agency and freedom to an eclectic array of musicians . With 25 artists featured on the In D album and a touring ensemble of 16 musicians playing Indian, Middle-Eastern, African and European instruments, the In D experience is alive with improvisation and synchronicity - no two performances are alike!

Brooklyn Raga Massive's In D project is funded in part by the Cafe Royal Cultural Foundation along with the Aaron Copland Fund for Music.