Musical platform for upcoming and established alike

Indian maestros collaborate with Western counterparts in global musical confluence.The event is part of the Pure Music Series, which also organised a concert earlier this year.

Percussionist Trilok Gurtu and sitar doyen Nishat Khan will match tunes with musicians from across the world in the Melange Concert in the city today. The event is part of the Pure Music Series, which also organised a concert earlier this year. It is an attempt to bring together world-class performers across many genres, on a single platform.

“We’ve been practicing together to fuse our music seamlessly. We want to cater to the Indian palate, just like Chinese food is modified to suit our tastes,” says Gurtu, adding, “We will make the best of this opportunity for sure.”

As part of the Seagrams 100 Pipers tour, the musicians are touring five cities till October 31. Violinist Lili Haydn, who has previously performed with Sting, Herbie Hancock and Jimmy Page among others, is thrilled with this platform.

“I’m in a room filled with master musicians and everyone is mind-blowing,” says Haydn, who is known as the ‘Jimi Hendrix of the violin’ by her fans. “The confluence is natural because we are evolving and adapting together. Our eclectic backgrounds are coming together seamlessly.”

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Melange will be held tonight at Tata Theatre, NCPA.

Performers
Nishat Khan – Sitar
Trilok Gurtu – Percussion
Larry Coryell - Guitar
Lili Haydn – Violin
Frank Martin – Keyboard
Itai Disraeli – Bass Guitar

New talent at classical music concert
The youth will take center stage at a festival for Indian classical music in the city today and tomorrow. Vartaman 2010, a two-day extravaganza, will see performances from Shashwati Mandal and Rahul Deshpande among other upcoming artistes.
Says Satish Vyas, director of Pacham Vyas, the organisation behind the event, “In olden times we believed that a person could not be a master of his art until he turns 40. But if the legacy of our music is to be passed onto safe hands, then youngsters must be given this platform while they are energetic and want to prove themselves.”

In its eight-year history, Vartaman has seldom repeated performers. Ashwini Bhide and Rashid Khan are known to have graced this stage in 2002, which is also when the concert was started.

“Our agenda is to promote younger talent, and also safeguard the tradition of Indian classical music,” says he.