The musical duo of Alejandra Barrientos (39) and Hector Larios (37) from Mexico is in city to present a slice of Mexican instrumental music in a concert organised by Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) and the Embassy of Mexico in India at the Punjab Kala Bhawan auditorium, Sector 16, on Sunday.
The dulcemelos duo has done extensive research in Mexican folk and classical music and also integrated music from different cultures of the world to its repertoire, besides creating a rich repertoire, where compositions for psaltery from the 18th century, Mexican and contemporary pieces are found.
“Made for each other and music, as you may call us, we were into music from childhood. We both studied for a bachelors degree in music at the Querétaro Autonomous University (Mexico) and
specialised in music education,” shares Hector Larios, the pianist.
“We first performed together way back in November 1995 and never looked back. Today we take pride in popularising Mexican classical and folk music of all cultures of the world. We compose music and I play the piano, while my life and music partner, Alejandra, has mastered the psaltery — the 120 stringed musical instrument closely resembling the Indian santoor,” adds Hector in his almost fluent English.
About Indian classical music, they say, “We know for a fact that Indian classical music is melodious and divine in character, but extremely complex. We are really impressed by your masters of string instruments such as Pandit Ravi Shanker, the sitar maestro, and Shiv Kumar Sharma, the santoor wizard. You cannot copy their compositions because each time they perform, they introduce
new innovations.”
About Indian classical music, they say, “We know for a fact that Indian classical music is melodious and divine in character, but extremely complex. We are really impressed by your masters of string instruments such as Pandit Ravi Shanker, the sitar maestro, and Shiv Kumar Sharma, the santoor wizard. You cannot copy their compositions because each time they perform, they introduce
new innovations.”
Catch the duo live in concert at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16, on Sunday at 6.30 pm. The entry for the event is free for all.