The concept of a concerto combining a classical Indian instrument with a western symphony orchestra has historical roots tracing back to Ravi Shankar’s first sitar concerto in 1971. However, the current Triple Concerto is a groundbreaking production from India, involving three talented soloists: Zakir Hussain on tabla, Niladri Kumar on sitar, and Rakesh Chaurasia on bansuri (bamboo flute). The Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) commissioned Hussain to compose the music for this concerto. The piece begins with the sitar and flute cautiously exploring their unique sounds, gradually forming a connection as the orchestra’s strings join in, creating a harmonic foundation.
This concerto possesses a loose narrative, portraying the encounter between two souls represented by the sitar and flute. Despite societal objections, the tabla intervenes and authorizes their friendship. Hussain explains that this metaphor reflects the hierarchies and dynamics prevalent in Indian society. The vision behind the concerto is to achieve a more balanced way of life where the world finds stability. Even though the narrative may not be immediately obvious to the audience, the first movement beautifully showcases the contrasting tones of the plucked sitar and the melodious bansuri flute. The second movement introduces filmi-style strings and a catchy romantic theme, while the closing movement involves a tabla cadenza in an irregular 14-beat cycle called deepchandi, accompanied by intricate overlapping orchestral parts that evoke conflict and tension. The concerto concludes with a cheerful and relaxing finale.
Hussain, who hails from Mumbai and is the son of Alla Rakha, Shankar’s favored tabla player, has an impressive career in fusion projects. He has collaborated with guitarist John McLaughlin in the group Shakti and worked with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart on the album “Planet Drum.” He acknowledges that classical musicians in India today are more open to various music styles from around the world, and he hopes younger musicians like Kumar and Chaurasia will be inspired to explore fusion experiences in their own music.
The Symphony Orchestra of India is India’s only professional symphony orchestra. Surprisingly, India, with a population of over 1.4 billion, has only one professional orchestra, while China, with a similar population, boasts more than 70 orchestras. However, the lack of a strong orchestral musical culture in India can be traced back to British colonial rule and the country’s rich classical music tradition. The National Centre for the Performing Arts, founded by the Parsee business families in Mumbai, serves as the home for the SOI. Renowned conductor Zubin Mehta, also a Parsee, frequently takes the baton for the orchestra. While most of the musicians hail from Europe or received training in the former Soviet Union, the number of Indian musicians is steadily growing with the presence of an academy attached to the orchestra.
Khushroo N Suntook, co-founder of the SOI, recognizes the orchestra’s need for a signature piece that represents the blending of south Asian and western classical traditions. Although he considers fusion a confusing concept, he believes it is a task that should be undertaken by music institutions like the one he helped establish.
The orchestra previously commissioned a tabla concerto from Hussain for its 10th anniversary in 2016. However, the Triple Concerto ventures into uncharted territory by combining instruments that have never been attempted together before. The premieres in Mumbai received an overwhelming response, with packed houses on consecutive nights. The orchestra will also perform the concerto during their UK tour starting on November 29.
The collaboration of these two musical styles presents a unique challenge since the Indian tradition predominantly relies on improvisation, while western classical music is composed and fixed. However, Kumar believes that the perception of Indian music as fluid and flexible, and western music as rigid, is misleading. He explains that Indian classical music is highly regimented, adhering to specific notes and phrases for extended periods. Conversely, western classical music exhibits more dynamic elements, with variations in tempo, volume, and intensity, giving the impression of improvisation, despite being meticulously notated. While the soloists have music stands in front of them, they do not use sheet music like the orchestra. Instead, they rely on Indian notation, which consists of letters and numbers as memory aids. Most of the music is memorized, with only squiggles in the conductor’s score representing the solo parts, as the intricacies of their improvisations are impossible to transcribe.
The collaboration between the three soloists is undeniable, evident in their encore performance where they improvised around the central “love” theme from the second movement. The enthusiastic applause from the audience attested to the success of their musical connection.
The Symphony Orchestra of India’s UK tour will run from November 29 to December 8. For more information and tickets, visit soimumbai.com.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
