A magical night...with Pandit Ravi Shankar and Anoushka Shankar

  It's not often that you are presented with the opportunity to be in the presence of a living legend. Hearing Pandit Ravi Shankar in the flesh on Tuesday October 23 at the Roy Thomson Hall will go down in my memory as one of the best evenings of live music - ever! The very talented Anoushka Shankar accompanied her father in a fantastic performance in downtown Toronto.

  The concert started off with Anoushka Shankar, a star in her own right, performing two pieces alongwith tabalchi (artist playing the tabla) Tanmoy Bose and flautist Ravichandra Kulur. Accompanying these three artists on stage were also Kenji Ota and Toronto-based Joy, both on tanpura. The first piece was an evening raga that was soothing and mersmerising. I've had the privelege of hearing Anoushka before and she has developed into a fine exponent of the sitar, showing a sensitivity towards music that evades many artists even in their older years. Apart from displaying her skills and showing that she is indeed a worthy successor to Pandit Ravi Shankar, she also came across as someone who is very comfortable and at ease on stage. Her constant smiling and exchanges with the fellow performers on stage also showcased an artist who is very aware of her surroundings. The dexterity with which she handled the more challenging parts of the recital was truly astounding. It's also very interesting to watch a young artist explore music in front of a live audience and to be truly confident in her ability. She ended her solo performance by admitting that the real star would be on stage shortly and she could appreciate the audience's anticipation to hear the legend play. Evidently, modesty has also been handed down to her from her illustrious father.

  You couldn't possibly imagine the thunderous applause that greeted Pandit Ravi Shankar as he stepped onto the stage, after a brief intermission. A standing ovation greeted him as he made his way to the special seating arrangement set up for him. Many cliches have been exhausted in trying to express the respect that this legendary artist commands from both his peers as well as the younger generation. Nothing I could say would suit him better than being magical. As he spoke to the audience, I noticed an uncanny resemblance between father and daughter in the way they smile and speak in a soft-spoken manner.

   At 86 years of age, Panditji has a sparkle in his eye and a passion that belies his age. In that hour that he performed, everyone paid rapt attention to every motion, every detail, every nuance of the sitar. As he explained the ragas, the beats, the structure of the music, small nods would pass around the hall with the audience soaking up every detail. As he humoured and challenged tabalchi Bose (who was simply magnificent in his display of skill and playing the tabla), the audience saw a glimpse of a teacher, a fellow musician and a friend - all at once. With raising his hand, he managed to quiet a crowd that gushed with applause at an inconvenient time, just to let the tabalchi show his true expertise and talent. The applause that followed was deafening.

  As the evening came to a close, I threw a quick glance around the hall. Tall men in grungy leather jackets, pseudo urban yuppies, sari-clad women, students - everyone came together and listened to some fantastic music that night. I heard someone say they had a new appreciation for the sitar and how it mangled notions of dreary classical music that droned on and on. If that's even one person more inclined to listen to some classical greats, half the battle is already won. LISTEN UP to Ravi and Anoushka Shankar.