Committed to PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO KNOW
Vol. 5 Num 562 Sun. December 25, 2005  
   
Culture


Arunabha Ghosh
A penchant for record covers


One has heard of stamp, coin, car and painting collections, among others. Where Kolkata-based artist Arunabha Ghosh breaks new ground is in his collection of exquisitely designed early classical Long Playing (LP) record covers. On display at the India International Centre in New Delhi were an array of record jackets from the period 1948 onwards until the late '90s.

Among the works exhibited: a record of ballet music from Coppelia by composer Delibes. The music is rendered by Roger Desormiere. Then there is an LP with the music of Joseph Haydn. There is also Scheherazade by the London Symphony Orchestra, under the aegis of Pierre Monteux. Then there is Tchaikovsky's Symphony No 6, Pathetique. (rendered by Heinrich Hollreiser of the Philarmonia di Trieste). On the cover is a well-known work by Vincent Van Gogh, called The Starry Night. It shows stars and swirling brush strokes. There is also Bach's Brandenburg Concertos nos 3,4 and 5 with a still life with dishes and fruits by Henri Matisse. The music is rendered by Marcel Couraud of the Stuttgart Soloist. There is also Ludwig Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives. The painting is by Hans Burgmaier

Explaining the raison d'etre of his record collection, Ghosh who also collects art books, picture post cards and newspaper cuttings on art and music, says, "People tend to hear music rather than pay attention to the record cover. However attractive covers could go a long way in influencing buying decisions." In fact, he says that he has received requests for exhibitions of Indian classical records.

The exhibition is curated by Kishore Chatterjee, art and music critic from Kolkata. Dwelling on the significance of the display, Chatterjee says, "As we look back, we realise that very few commercial products have used art as creatively as the LP. The study of the history of LP records makes a fascinating study of the development of design technology in the modern advertising world. It is indeed a perfect marriage of applied and fine art...The CD continues to promote art but does not have the wide canvas of the LP. In the best international labels like DGG, Harmonia Mundy, EMI, Philips and Decca, the Long Playing record was both an album of music and a folio of art."

Picture
Cover jackets of Lps on display