<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru will host a symphonic presentation of the santoor next week. Rahul Sharma will perform on the 100-stringed instrument alongside a 35-piece chamber orchestra, conducted by Samuel Tamarit Otero of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Like his father, the legendary Shivkumar Sharma, who brought the santoor from the realm of folk music into Hindustani classical music, Rahul is keen to take it to new territories and listeners. He has also dabbled in film composition and experimented with genres such as jazz electronica. The upcoming show, titled ‘Symphony of Santoor’ and presented by Banyan Tree Events, is part of that pursuit to expand the instrument’s possibilities.</p>.From raga to electronica: Rahul Sharma on the changing soundscape of the santoor.<p class="bodytext">“It was extremely challenging to compose the score so that both worlds blend harmoniously. The music is designed to feel novel while also creating a calming effect, since Indian ragas are therapeutic in nature,” says Rahul, adding that the show first began as a collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in 2020.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He says classical music has not lost its appeal in the digital age. “My recent album ‘Tree of Tranquility’ with the Grammy-winning electronica group Deep Forest has seen major success in downloads and streaming,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">On March 18, 8 pm, at Maanikya Hall, Chamara Vajra, Jayamahal Main Road. Tickets online.</span></p>
<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru will host a symphonic presentation of the santoor next week. Rahul Sharma will perform on the 100-stringed instrument alongside a 35-piece chamber orchestra, conducted by Samuel Tamarit Otero of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Like his father, the legendary Shivkumar Sharma, who brought the santoor from the realm of folk music into Hindustani classical music, Rahul is keen to take it to new territories and listeners. He has also dabbled in film composition and experimented with genres such as jazz electronica. The upcoming show, titled ‘Symphony of Santoor’ and presented by Banyan Tree Events, is part of that pursuit to expand the instrument’s possibilities.</p>.From raga to electronica: Rahul Sharma on the changing soundscape of the santoor.<p class="bodytext">“It was extremely challenging to compose the score so that both worlds blend harmoniously. The music is designed to feel novel while also creating a calming effect, since Indian ragas are therapeutic in nature,” says Rahul, adding that the show first began as a collaboration with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra in 2020.</p>.<p class="bodytext">He says classical music has not lost its appeal in the digital age. “My recent album ‘Tree of Tranquility’ with the Grammy-winning electronica group Deep Forest has seen major success in downloads and streaming,” he says.</p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">On March 18, 8 pm, at Maanikya Hall, Chamara Vajra, Jayamahal Main Road. Tickets online.</span></p>