If Paradise

If Paradise features music based on the classical, folk and popular music of South Asia, combined with jazz and the rhythms of Africa. The show tells the story of a young Asian couple caught up in contemporary events, and aims to express the decency and humanity of all people.

If Paradise was originally commissioned by the Eastern Orchestral Board and toured widely across the whole of the UK for three years.

A performance in Leeds was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and then released as an album in 2011.

In the words of Tony Haynes, artist director of Grand Union and composer of If Paradise:

“If Paradise is as relevant today as it ever was, but how to interpret the work in detail is very much up to the listener. I am not religious – in fact, I’m a devout non-believer – but I have always been fascinated by religion, and respect many of its traditions.”

“Much of the beauty in our world has been created by artists inspired by religion. But religion has also been at the root of most of the world’s greatest atrocities, and what we call ‘spiritual experience’ often has a very sensual, physical expression – covering a broad band from love to hatred, sex to violence.”