"Ravi Shankar plays his sitar in
front of a packed house at Loeb Playhouse."
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The entire venue was perfumed with incense
as one of the world’s greatest musicians graced the
stage.
Ravi Shankar, a world famous musician from India, performed
Sunday night at Loeb Playhouse.
The stage was set with a platform so Shankar and his four
accompanists could sit cross-legged and play their instruments.
The Playhouse was filled with the scent of incense, which
made the atmosphere perfect for an evening of Indian classical
music.
In Indian classical music, the sitar is one of the primary
instruments and what Shankar is renowned for playing. The
sitar is an Indian string instrument with an elongated neck
and is played while sitting on the ground. One of Shankar’s
accompanists also played a sitar. Two other accompanists played
the tambura, a background drone instrument that is similar
in appearance to the sitar but is smaller. Another one of
the accompanists played the tabla, which are hand drums.
Shankar began the performance with an evening raga. In Indian
classical music, a raga is what a piece of music if referred
to and there are different pieces for different times of the
day. The beginning of the raga is called an alap and initiates
the performance and is a gradual buildup of the piece.
The performers entered the raga instrument by instrument.
The tambura began and then the distinct sound of sitar made
its melodic entrance.
Though the performance is conducted while the performers
are sitting down, the show was energetic and upbeat. Shankar’s
fingers glided effortlessly up and down the neck of the sitar
and when the tabla player entered, he kept up with Shankar.
Throughout the entire performance, the sitar and the tabla
produced the most vivacious and interesting rhythms and were
the most engaging. Shankar was engaged with his own performance.
At times Shankar’s eyes were closed as he played the
sitar but his head was moving along with the ragas. All the
performers were engrossed in the performance, which gave way
to the audience’s fascination and approval of the night
as well. The night ended with a fast-paced piece that ended
in a standing ovation from the audience.
Courtesy: The Exponent
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