bardo
Peaceful and Wrathful Deities of the Bardo, 46 x 34 in. 18th century. Rubin Museum of Art.
According to the beliefs of Tibetan Buddhism, bardo is the transitional period between two lives on Earth. What occurs during this time is a sequence of events that can be broken into three phases: Chikhai bardo (beginning at the moment of death), Chönyi bardo (an intermediate state characterized by visual and auditory hallucinations), and Sidpa bardo (the process of rebirth).
The form of this composition is loosely based on the Tibetan bardo. The three movements (Departure, Wandering, and Awakening) correspond to the three bardo states, taking inspiration from the concepts and emotions associated with each one. Elaborating on the transitional element of the bardo, in between the movements are two short interludes, both captioned with the word [bardo]. These segments can be regarded as reflective spaces among the overall progression of music, and are meant to function as segues into each new movement.
Performed by Russ Callison.