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Posted on: May 23, 2017

Sai Symphony Journeys to Germany

Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra invites world musicians to glorify the Sai Story
May 28, 2017

“A thing of this magnitude involving so many cultures has never been done before, at least to my knowledge,” said Mr. Mike Herting, the internationally acclaimed German composer, after the spectacularly splendid performance of 126 musicians from 16 countries on the evening of November 23, 2015.

It was the grand finale of Bhagawan Baba's 90th Birthday celebrations in His divine presence in the Sai Kulwant Hall.

“Now I have been working with several cultures for more than 25 years now and I have come to the conclusion that at the root of all the problems we encounter is misunderstandings. To me this is a precious insight,” Mike Herting adds and continues, “Through music, we want to melt those misunderstandings and spread happiness and joy. Music can maybe create the floor where people learn to accept that there are misunderstandings, and realise that it is at times necessary to eat your pride and swallow your ego and get going.”

Conversation with Mike Herting (German Composer) - When Singing Souls Speak, Part 6 | Sai Symphony

Even though Mike Herting went on to compose five movements of exquisite symphonic melody to musically portray the life and mission of Sathya Sai, one and half years before November 2015 he knew nothing about Swami.

But once he began the work and made several trips to Prasanthi Nilayam to study the life and philosophy of the Sai Avatar, he was so deeply taken in with everything he saw and everything he experienced that his whole life and work since then acquired a new dimension. “Two words: 'Love All' – this is enough for me. In fact it is enough for everybody,” he asserts.

No wonder, the final movement of the 90-minute one-of-its-kind multi-cultural Sai Symphony ends with “Love All Serve All” booming and reaching an electrifying crescendo. No one in the audience can be untouched by it.

A perfect partner for Mike Herting, the composer, was Dr. Micheal Koehler, the conductor. Both of them being German only added to the natural synergy.

In a manner of sorts, Germany was in Prasanthi to offer love at His lotus feet musically, and now 18 months later, Prasanthi decides to go to Germany to share and spread the same love.

On May 28, 2017, the Sai Symphony will perform in Wuppertal, the green and serene town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

Interestingly, even as this was happening, a small excerpt from the 90th Birthday performance suddenly went viral on social media garnering over 14 million views! It was a musical dialogue between the Mridangam meastro Guru Karaikudi Mani and the African Djembe expert Pape Samory Seck. Radio Sai too had put this out a couple of months ago.

Conversation with Pape Samory Seck | African Percussionist - When Singing Souls Speak (Part 1) | Sai Symphony

Once this went viral, a leading national newspaper became curious about this video. Their research led them to Sai Shravanam, the oscar-famed sound engineer cum artist, who has been involved in this effort right from the initial days of conception. It is then they learnt that the source of this excellence and beauty is Puttaparthi.

They published an article mentioning about the unique confluence of rich and diversified music offered on the 90th Birthday of Baba, and went on to inform: “The (Sai Symphony) group is having their European premiere at Historische Stadthalle Wuppertal, Germany, on May 28, 2017.”

Even as the musicians from 16 countries are busy working hard to do an encore, the Sai Organisation in Germany too has joined in this mission of spreading goodness and harmony.

They are organising in the same venue an exhibition on the life and message of Bhagawan.

As many who are new to Sai soak themselves in the bliss of His music, as they leave they will probably take with them in their hearts a tale that could possibly one day transform their take on life, just has it has happened for Mike Herting and hundreds of others.

The process is on and will be on till every soul on this planet glows with a love that knows only to give and forgive, shine and share, surrender and care.

- Radio Sai Team