The Celebrating India in Israel Festival continues! For any of you who’ve yet to experience the vibrant, animated culture bomb that India has to offer, four eclectic musical performances are coming up for your viewing and melodic pleasure. Traditional Indian music reflects the nation’s vibrant cultural diversity and ethnicity, combining devotional traditions with the colorful wistfulness of so rich a historical and musical genre. The combination of composition and improvisation in Indian musical tradition gives insight into the immense ritual, depth, and expression of this ancient culture.
Performances in Jerusalem will take place in the context of “On the Wings of Raga,” a program curated by Confederation House Artistic Director Effie Benaya, with musical consultant Osnat Elkabir. Tel Aviv performances will take place in the context of Tel Aviv White City Music Festival.
Rajasthan Josh: Folk Traditions for India
A combination of northwestern Indian folk traditions, Nathoo Solanki, Chugge Khan, Lorena and their Rajasthni ensemble will be performing their captivating beats in a fascinating blend of diverse Indian melody. Their use of local instruments such as the morchang, bhapang khartaal, double flute, nagada and bamboo flute create a style that incorporates popular folk music of Rajasthan with Sufi traditions. It’s a mystical frenzy of percussion, local melodies and movement that instantly captivates.
Check them out on May 7th in Tel Aviv: Hangar 11, Namal – Port of Tel Aviv, at 20:15. Tickets: www.tlv-music.com and www.hadran.co.il, or on May 10th at the Zappa Jerusalem at 22:00. Tickets: www.bimot.co.il or www.zappa-club.co.il
Dr. L. Subramaniam: Violin Virtuoso
The ensemble will perform in the traditional Karnatic kriti form, a generally ceremonial form of improvisation followed by Dr. L. Subramaniam’s own composition. The kriti is divided into three sections, each consisting of variations of repeated improvisations and compositions. The tradition holds that a complete kriti finds a balance between structure and individual interpretations of music.
Dr. L. Subramaniam has collaborated and released over 150 recordings, including scores for various Bollywood films. Today, he is the founder and director of India’s largest global music festival, Lakshminarayana Global Music Festival.
The Dr. and his ensemble will be performing on May 8th at the Jerusalem Theatre, Rebecca Crown Hall at 21:00. Tickets: www.bimot.co.il, and on May 9th in Tel Aviv: Hangar 11, Namal – Port of Tel Aviv at 20:30. Tickets: www.tlv-music.com and www.hadran.co.il
Pandit Santosh Kumar Mishra: Ten Fingers, One Hundred Colors
Santosh Kumar Mishra will be opening the show with a performance on the sarangi, one of Indians most ancient instruments in classical and popular tradition. The second part of the show will be a duet with Santosh and his Israeli student Yaron Pe’er, who will be playing on the sarangi and rebab.
Catch their performance on May 9th at the Jerusalem Confederation House at 19:00. Tickets: www.bimot.co.il
Ancient Strings: Rudra Veena Concert: Ustad Bahauddin Dagar & Dudu Elkabir
The Rudra Veena is one of the most ancient stringed instruments in the world. A string instrument, the rudra veena is rarely played today yet maintains a strong traditional and cultural value in India. Master player Ustad Bahauddin Dagar will be playing a duet with his Israeli student, Dudu Elkabir, in a performance mirroring the diverse emotional and harmonious spectrum of this ageless instrument.
The duet is to appear on May 9th at the Jerusalem Confederation House at 21:30. For additional information: www.confederationhouse.org Tickets: www.bimot.co.il
