RIFF festival, Jodphur

Music is found in every known culture, past and present, varying wildly between times and places. All cultures around the world including the most isolated tribal groups have a form of music and this has evolved to become a fundamental constituent of every day life.

Music is influenced by all aspects of culture, including social, economic, climate and even access to technology. The emotions and ideas that music expresses, the situations in which music is played and listened to, and the attitudes toward music players and composers all vary between regions and periods.

Music in India has evolved through the years through religion and spiritual beliefs, from the earliest record it has been connected with the spiritual journey. Indian music is often played alongside dance as a form of worship and a celebration of life, based on ancient codified texts, originating from worship in the temples, and gradually acquired a more secular character with royal patronage.

Our music trip to Rajasthan takes you on a tour of Rajasthan’s rich folk music traditions from Delhi, to Jaipur and finishing in Jodhpur for the annual Jodhpur RIFF. India’s folk music is as diverse as India itself, there are many forms of folk music, creating endless varieties of folk styles. Each region having its own style.

Folk music is often put in the same genre as tribal music, however there is a difference, folk music is a reflection on the larger indian society whereas tribal music represents cultures that are very different. Both tribal and folk music is not taught, it is a music learned through osmosis of everyday life.

Our tour to the Jodhpur RIFF, India's leading international folk music festival, takes in not only Jodhpur, but explores the origins of the music in India’s capital city in Delhi and the influences of everyday life in all art forms in Jaipur, finishing for the five day Jodhpur RIFF festival in the beautiful blue city of Jodhpur. The festival brings together more than 150 musicians and performing artists from across Rajasthan and around the world to celebrate their musical heritage and create new sounds through innovative collaborations.

Jodhpur RIFF features a series of spectacular concerts and events based in and around the majestic Mehrangarh Fort, towering over opulent palaces, colourful bazaars and the sands of the Thar desert, what could be a better setting?

As well as interactive daytime sessions for school children, their families and visitors, staged against the breathtaking backdrop of the Fort, Jodhpur RIFF includes performances by master musicians from local Rajasthan communities, sensational headline acts showcased each night on the Main Stage, and cutting-edge global dance grooves that will keep the party going late into the night at Club Mehran.

Photos from RIFF Jodhpur 2009