The music of Ravi Shankar breathes with a shifting, pulsing sense of color.
And in Shankar’s remarkable concert Tuesday evening in Memorial Hall, the sitar master’s changing musical fancies made for an ethereal, captivating performance of world music.
Ravi Shankar
4.5 of 5 stars
Shankar, 89, is the Indian music legend who famously tutored British rockers the Beatles on the intimate details of his music.
He played in the Raga Sangeet style, a northern Indian musical tradition tied to mood. The changing time of day or weather can dramatically affect the character of the musician and the music.
Shankar came to Chapel Hill as part of the Carolina Performing Arts series, bringing along his talented daughter Anoushka.
Bathed in soft yellow light, the Shankars and their backing musicians sat on six raised platforms arranged in a semicircle, giving the sometimes cavernous Memorial Hall the feeling of a warm, personal living room.
This attitude continued for the performance, as the elder Shankar quietly led the troupe through swirling, involved melodies, clapping and sometimes calling out in approval as the musicians improvised in freewheeling fashion.
Raga style is not readily accessible to a Western audience. The unusual time signatures and lack of regular rhythmic patterns can throw off the casual listener.
But Shankar’s gentle and gleeful approach to the wonderfully bizarre sitar, a stringed Indian instrument, allowed the innate musicianship of the players to carry through.
In a powerful moment, Ravi and Anoushka joined in a fast and sweeping sitar duet. At other times, a violently percussive vocalist captivated the audience with his forceful intonation, which echoed the beats of the powerful drummers.
As the concert ended, the ensemble unified for a lasting, joyful melody of soaring collaboration, bringing the audience to its feet.
The mood of the night? Jubilation.
Contact the Arts Editor at artsdesk@unc.edu.
