<p>A concert by Paul Livingstone was held recently at St Andrew’s Church on Cubbon Road. <br /><br /></p>.<p>For those who gathered at the venue, the programme provided a soothing experience and some much-needed relaxation. The artiste for the evening, Paul, is a Los Angeles-based musician who studied under the late Pandit Ravi Shankar. The finesse that he must have picked up from the acclaimed guru was obvious during his performance. <br /><br />Accompanied by Vishwanath Nakod on tabla, this sitar-player started the evening’s performance by greeting everyone with a namaskara and a brief introduction to the pieces that he was going to perform. <br /><br />He began with a piece in raga jayajaganti and another composition in teen taal, set to 16 beats. The piece had a slow, meditative feel, which set the tone for the rest of the evening. <br /><br />The members of the audience were serenaded with soft, lilting notes. While playing, Paul swayed to the rhythm of the music — all these little actions added to the positive response of the audience. After a short break, he came back with the second set, called ‘Hymns & Journey of Faith’. In this, he performed a sitar version of the doxology, a hymn that Paul grew up with and loves.<br /><br />Talking about this piece, Paul says, “The piece that I performed speaks of the trinity as a symbol of unity in diversity. It suggests that every person carries the Almighty in their hearts, whichever caste or religion they belong to.” The heart-touching rendition, with its lilting notes, got a great response from the audience.<br /><br />“I used to play Carnatic music earlier. The last sitar performance I heard was the farewell concert of <br />Ravi Shankar — so, this is definitely a nostalgic experience,” says Vibin, a graphic designer and musician, who had come to watch the programme. Rachel G, a homemaker, adds, “It’s an experience to watch a foreigner playing an Indian instrument, in one of our own churches. The music Paul played takes me back to my childhood, when I used to learn the sitar.”<br /></p>
<p>A concert by Paul Livingstone was held recently at St Andrew’s Church on Cubbon Road. <br /><br /></p>.<p>For those who gathered at the venue, the programme provided a soothing experience and some much-needed relaxation. The artiste for the evening, Paul, is a Los Angeles-based musician who studied under the late Pandit Ravi Shankar. The finesse that he must have picked up from the acclaimed guru was obvious during his performance. <br /><br />Accompanied by Vishwanath Nakod on tabla, this sitar-player started the evening’s performance by greeting everyone with a namaskara and a brief introduction to the pieces that he was going to perform. <br /><br />He began with a piece in raga jayajaganti and another composition in teen taal, set to 16 beats. The piece had a slow, meditative feel, which set the tone for the rest of the evening. <br /><br />The members of the audience were serenaded with soft, lilting notes. While playing, Paul swayed to the rhythm of the music — all these little actions added to the positive response of the audience. After a short break, he came back with the second set, called ‘Hymns & Journey of Faith’. In this, he performed a sitar version of the doxology, a hymn that Paul grew up with and loves.<br /><br />Talking about this piece, Paul says, “The piece that I performed speaks of the trinity as a symbol of unity in diversity. It suggests that every person carries the Almighty in their hearts, whichever caste or religion they belong to.” The heart-touching rendition, with its lilting notes, got a great response from the audience.<br /><br />“I used to play Carnatic music earlier. The last sitar performance I heard was the farewell concert of <br />Ravi Shankar — so, this is definitely a nostalgic experience,” says Vibin, a graphic designer and musician, who had come to watch the programme. Rachel G, a homemaker, adds, “It’s an experience to watch a foreigner playing an Indian instrument, in one of our own churches. The music Paul played takes me back to my childhood, when I used to learn the sitar.”<br /></p>