A classical treat

Here’s a musical treat for those who want to begin the New Year on a classic note with some soulful classical music. Santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and tabla legend Ustad Zakir Hussain come together in their first collective live concert of the year as they perform in the city next week.

Organised by the charity organisation, Anand Trust, the concert aims to generate some soul stirring classical music as the two music icons enchant the audience with beautiful ragas and some spiritual compositions. The funds raised from the event will be donated to the Anand Mahima Ashram and will be used exclusively for medical welfare of the Sadhus/ascetics residing there. “I have been associated with the ashram for sometime now and have done a couple of shows before as well,” explains Pt Shivkumar.

The duo makes for a well acclaimed pair on stage and have proved to have a good synchronisation for all the years that they have been playing so far. “Zakir and I have been playing together for ages now. We have collaborated for a lot of live concerts across the world. However this is our first concert together this season,” says Pt Shivkumar.

Ask him what is in store for the audiences and he replies thoughtfully, “Keeping in mind the spirit of the show, we will be spinning together some ragas which are more spiritually inclined,” explains Pt Shivkumar. “Unlike most other kinds of music, which are taken solely for the purpose of entertainment, classical music is much more than just mere entertainment. It brings peace of mind and has much more meaning to it. We do not decide a week in advance what we are to play or practice the same. When we go on the stage, we decide what raga to play. It is very spontaneous,” he adds.
 

b_shreya@dnaindia.net