CAL PERFORMANCES PRESENTS
Sunday, May , , pm Zellerbach Hall Festival of India III featuring Ravi Shankar, sitar © Vincent © Vincent Limongelli and Anoushka Shankar, sitar with Tanmoy Bose, tabla Partho Sarothy, sarod Ravichandra Kulur, fl ute Neyveli S. Radhakrishna, violin Swarnima Gusain, vocals Hari Sivanesan, veena Pirashanna Th evarajah, percussion Sanjeev Shankar, shehnai Aditya Prakash, vocals Kenji Ota, tanpura Th is performance is made possible, in part, by the generous support of the members of the Cal Performances Producers Circle and Friends of Cal Performances. Cal Performances thanks our Centennial Season Sponsor, Wells Fargo.
CAL PERFORMANCES 27 PROGRAM ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Sunday, May , , pm Legendary sitar virtuoso, composer, teacher and Grammy and Oscar for his original score to Gan- Zellerbach Hall writer, Ravi Shankar is India’s most esteemed musi- dhi, the Academy Award-winning classic fi lm by cal ambassador and a singular phenomenon whose Sir Richard Attenborough. He made history on artistry crosses all cultural and musical boundaries. both the British and Indian cultural scenes with Festival of India III A student of the illustrious guru “Baba” Ustad Al- the ballet Ghanashyam, which he wrote, composed laudin Khan, Mr. Shankar was already one of the and choreographed. featuring brightest stars in India before coming to interna- Ravi Shankar is the recipient of many awards tional attention in the s. Since then, he has and honors. including the Presidential Padma Vib- Ravi Shankar, sitar been the foremost pioneer in disseminating India’s hushan Award () and the Award of Deshikot- rich classical music tradition to the West. tam, given by Vishawa Bharati and presented in and Th e youngest son of a Bengali family, Ravi December by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Anoushka Shankar, sitar Shankar was born in in Varansi (Benares), He is an honorary member of the American Acad- the holiest of Indian cities. At the age of , he emy of the Arts and Letters and recipient of accompanied elder brother Uday Shankar and honorary doctorates. In , he became a mem- his company of dancers and musicians to Paris, ber of the Rajya Sabha, India’s Upper House of PROGRAM where the younger Shankar attended school. He Parliament. He is a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak spent several years in the West absorbing diff er- Academy and Founder President of Th e Research Th e fi rst half of this evening’s program will feature Ravi Shankar’s Festival of India III. ent kinds of music before returning to India in Institute for Music and the Performing Arts. to begin his career. He combined his concert In , the government of India honored Th e performance will begin with a vandana, an invocation or prayer, to Lord Ganesha, performances with his work for All India Radio Mr. Shankar by awarding him its highest civilian the deity who removes all obstacles and brings good luck; to Saraswati, the goddess (–), where he established the National award, the “Bharat Ratna,” or “Jewel of India.” of music and all arts; to the Guru or teacher; to all forms of yoga; and fi nally to the Chamber Orchestra. As word of his virtuosity In , Mr. Shankar received France’s highest awakening of the ultimate—the Kundalini. Th is vandana was composed in . spread throughout India, then Europe, Asia and civilian award, the “Commandeur de la Légion the United States, Mr. Shankar embarked on the d’Honneur.” In March , the British High Th e second item will be a tarana composed in . Taranas are a form of singing most extraordinary international careers in the his- Commissioner and Lady Young awarded Ravi with sound syllables that carry no specifi c meaning. Th is composition is based on Raga tory of contemporary music. Shankar the “Honorary Knight Commander of A prolifi c and sought-after composer, Ravi the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.” “Nata Bhairavi”—in teental of beats. Shankar has written numerous works for Western Ravi Shankar’s extensive discography of more collaborations, in addition to his many traditional than albums includes Angel Records’ re- Th e next piece, Sandhya Raga—composed mostly for instruments in —is based ragas and talas. His Concerto for Sitar and Orches- lease In Celebration, a lavishly documented four- on Raga Yaman Kalyan. tra was commissioned and premiered by the Lon- CD retrospective of his greatest recordings issued don Symphony Orchestra under André Previn. in honor of his th birthday, and the Angel Th e fi nal work, Viraha Milan, composed in the second week of September , is A second sitar concerto, Raga-Mala (A Garland release Full Circle, Carnegie Hall . Th is was in semi-classical folk style. Th is is a thematic composition of Radha experiencing her of Ragas), was commissioned and premiered by Mr. Shankar’s fi rst live-concert recording in nearly pangs of separation from her beloved Krishna. Krishna arrives and their union or Milan the New York Philharmonic under the direction two decades, for which he received the Grammy creates joy and ecstasy. of Zubin Mehta in . Mr. Shankar’s chamber Award for Best World Music Record. Angel/EMI works for sitar and other instruments includes continues to release Mr. Shankar’s albums, many Th e fi rst half of this evening will be led and conducted by Anoushka Shankar. violin and sitar compositions for the distinguished of which were previously unavailable on CD. violinist Yehudi Menuhin and himself, and works Mr. Shankar continues to tour each season all for fl ute virtuoso Jean-Pierre Rampal, shakuhachi over the world. He divides his time between India INTERMISSION master Hosan Yamamoto, and koto virtuoso Mu- and the United States, with regular visits to Europe sumi Miyashita. Mr. Shankar has enjoyed a close and the Far East. He is the author of three books: Th e second half of the program will feature the Maestro himself with Anoushka on the relationship with Philip Glass, collaborating with My Music, My Life (in English), Rag Anurag (in sitar and Tanmoy Bose on the tabla. the composer on the album Passages and the Bengali) and Raga Mala (in English), an autobiog- recent multi-artist work Orion, which opened the raphy that was released in . Cultural Olympiad in Greece. Ravi Shankar has been named the “Godfather Management: Mr. Shankar has composed extensively for fi lm of World Music” by George Harrison and been ICM Artists, Ltd. West th Street and ballet. His scores for Satyajit Ray’s acclaimed given the title “Global Ambassador” by the World New York, New York Apu trilogy raised fi lm music to a new standard Economic Forum. () - of excellence, and he was nominated for both a
28 CAL PERFORMANCES CAL PERFORMANCES 29 ABOUT THE ARTISTS ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Anoushka Shankar has shown herself to be a Academy, Asmi and India Times chose her as one Tanmoy Bose is the fabulous tabla player from Hari Sivanesan an exceptionally talented young unique artist with tremendous talent and under- of four Women of the Year in India in . In Kolkota. A favorite of both Ravi Shankar and musician started playing the veena years ago at standing of the great musical tradition of India. , Anoushka was chosen as one of Asian Anoushka, he has accompanied them for many the age of nine in London. He also joined Ravi Anoushka is the only artist in the world to be Heroes by the Asia edition of Time magazine. years. He charms the audience with his stage pres- Shankar in the Dartington hall project last year. trained completely by her father and legendary si- Anoushka made her conducting debut at age ence and extraordinary talent. Pirashanna Th evarajah is a brilliant percussionist tar virtuoso and composer, Ravi Shankar. She has in New Delhi, conducting a -member or- Partho Sarothy, the extremely talented sarod play- who started learning the mridangam at the age of been playing and studying the sitar with him since chestra in the premiere of a new composition of er has been a disciple of Ravi Shankar for years. nine. Ten years on, he is now a versatile percus- she was nine, and at age she made her perform- her father’s, entitled Kalyan. She later conducted Partho has not only accompanied his guru in most sionist who plays both eastern and western percus- ing debut in New Delhi, India. Th at same year, again at the historic Concert for George in Novem- of the prestigious halls around the world but has sion and has also performed across Europe, India, Anoushka entered the recording studio for the fi rst ber . Th e new composition of her father’s, also won the hearts of many as a soloist Canada and the United States. time to play on her father’s recording, In Celebra- called Arpan, featured a guitar solo by Eric Clapton Ravichandra Kulur gave his fi rst solo recital at age Sanjeev Shankar is a young talented artist belong- tion. Two years later she helped as conductor with and performances by musicians playing Indian . From then on Ravichandra has emerged on ing to a family of shehnai players. Also a disciple of her father and dear friend, George Harrison, on and Western instruments. Before conducting, she as one of the most sought after fl utists from India Maestro Shankar, he continues the family tradition the Angel release, Chants of India. Shortly also played a sitar solo and performed “Th e Inner traveling all over the world for his solo concerts as with aplomb. thereafter, she signed an exclusive contract with Light” with Jeff Lyne. well as experimental music. Ravichandra has also Vocalist Aditya Prakash, at just years old, has Angel/EMI Classics. In fall , her fi rst solo Anoushka now spends much of the year giving mastered the art of playing kanjira. been studying Carnatic music for the last nine recording, Anoushka, was released to tremendous solo performances in Europe, America and Asia, Neyveli S. Radhakrishna is an exceptional artist years. He goes to India every December to per- critical acclaim. Two albums followed, Anourag in and continues touring the world with her father’s who has developed a unique style of playing vio- form in the prestigious music season and was also and Live at Carnegie Hall in . Th e latter ensemble. Anoushka is also championing her fa- lin. He is a seasoned south Indian classical violinist invited to perform at the Ravi Shankar Center in was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best ther’s Concerto No. for Sitar and Orchestra, which who is working with legendary musicians in the New Delhi. Th is is his fi rst major tour. World Music Album category, making her the she fi rst performed with Zubin Mehta conducting fi eld world music in diff erent parts of the globe. Kenji Ota is a brilliant guitarist from Japan now youngest-ever nominee in that category. She also the London Philharmonic Orchestra in . She Swarnima Gusain a gold medalist and recipient of living between Los Angeles and New Delhi study- played sitar on her father’s Grammy Award-win- has premiered several new works of her father’s, in- several awards and scholarships is an inspiring clas- ing the sitar with Ravi Shankar. He has traveled all ning album Full Circle: Carnegie Hall , and cluding a piece for sitar and cello with legendary sical Indian vocalist. She has also sung on Anoush- over America and Europe with Ravi Shankar and has appeared playing sitar on several other CDs, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich at the Evian Festival ka Shankar’s recent album, Rise. Anoushka playing the tanpura. including Sting’s Sacred Love. in , “Mood Circle” at the World Economic Anoushka spent her formative years in Lon- Forum in New York in , and “Nivedan” at don, where she was born in . By the time she the “Healing the Divide” benefi t in New York was seven, she was also living partly in New Delhi, City in , which was organized by Richard where she still spends half the year performing and Gere and Philip Glass and attended by His Ho- helping to take care of the newly constructed Ravi liness the Dalai Lama. Anoushka has shared the Shankar Centre. At age , she moved from Lon- stage with many of the world’s top celebrities, in- don to Encinitas, California, where she graduated cluding Sting, Madonna, Nina Simone, Anjelique in with honors from public school. Th e year Kidjo, Herbie Hancock, Elton John, Peter Gabriel saw the release of Bapi: Th e Love of my Life, a and James Taylor, and had the fortune to perform biography she wrote on her father, and Anoushka for such personalities as Ray Charles and Prince has also contributed as a writer to several other Charles. books. Th e next year, she acted in her fi rst fi lm, After a year’s sabbatical in , Anoushka Dance Like a Man. She is also a gifted classical pia- has returned to the concert stage alone and with nist and retains a wide range of interests. But her her father, but has also grown as a composer. She devotion to the sitar and to her father’s guidance scored the music for a short fi lm entitled Ancient is unmistakable, with a discipline that has led her Marks, and recorded her fourth solo album, Rise, into an already extraordinary performing career. released in September , featuring several of In recognition of her artistry and musician- her new compositions, played by her and many ship, the British Parliament presented Anoushka notable musicians around the world. As her solo with a House of Commons Shield in . She career continues to blossom, it seems she is poised is the youngest as well as the fi rst female recipi- to carry forward her father’s legacy as one of the ent of this high honor. Anoushka became the fi rst most creative and infl uential fi gures in the music woman to perform at Th e Ramakrishna Centre in world. Calcutta in February . Th e Indian Television
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