An ensemble of world musicians

Traditional music from different countries came together on one platform for peace

Bringing together international artistes on one platform not with an aim to create a unique fusion band but to share and exchange traditional music of different countries, the two times Grammy nominated tabla maestro Sandeep Das presented a ‘World Harmony’ concert recently.

The unique collaboration of foreign and young Indian musicians to preserve genu­i­n­ely good music, presented before the audience a unique concert which undoubtedly will remain etched in memory for a long time to come.

 Leaving the audience spellbound with their performances, the ‘Hum Ensemble’ tour was successful in creating magic by introducing three star musicians Josep Vicent, Anxo Pintos  and Matt Herskowitzz along with a woman bagpiper Cristina Pato. 

In the completely packed Kamani auditorium, pianist Matt Herskowitzz started the concert with an original composition which he had written for a musical theatre production. The soulful music was about the agony of Bella, a young passionate girl who wants to meet her lover. 

The lilting musical notes created an image of a girl standing all alone, crying and calling her lover to return. It was the best start for the evening which was followed by Indian compositions.

The traditional flavour was added to the concert with Amit Sharma’s rendition of a Himachali folk song, Chamba kitno tu door.

With Sandeep Das on tabla, 19-year old Mayank Raina on the flute, Anil Chawla on the keyboard and Anxo Pintos on hurdy gurdy – a stringed instrument which sounds like the sarangi, the music transported the audience to the beautiful mountains of Himachal. Before the audience could make a mental shift out of the mesmerising performance, it was time to get a taste of Jewish music.

With Josep Vicent on the drums, Saurab Suman on bass, the traditional Jewish music started on a high note.  The frequent interventions of flute by Raina provided a magical touch. The overall composition reached a high when Sandeep and Matt began their jugalbandi!

It left the audience awes­t­r­uck. The musical extravaganza continued with Anxo Pinto’s traditional Spanish tunes. Assisted by Josep on drums, the vibrations generated from hurdy gurdy created amazing effect.

But there was more in st­o­re in the evening. Chistina Pato’s playful Galician performance on the bagpipe stole everyone’s heart. Josep Vicent later joined her and together they provided a mystical performance.

In the last recital of evening Kesariya balam, the well-known Indian composition was presented by each artist in their own style. The journey ended with a rhythm and melody which was an unforgettable experience for all.