Cultures together - this concerto perfectly combines the most beautiful sounds of East and West
15 September 2017, 16:27
Promoted by Victoria & AbdulThe traditions of East and West, together in one of the most beautiful works of the 20th century.
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It's got us thinking about the incredible moments when cultures have come together in music and composition. And one work in particular comes to mind.
Few musicians can boast a better success rate of combining the musical styles of the Eastern and Western worlds than Ravi Shankar. Renowned throughout his lifetime for his virtuosic playing of the sitar, Shankar regularly collaborated with Western artists including The Beatles, Yehudi Menuhin and Philip Glass.
One of his most remarkable works, though, was created through the combination of the sitar and one of Western music's most important forms, the concerto. In 1971, Shankar worked with the London Symphony Orchestra to bring about his Concerto for Sitar & Orchestra and a true moment of East meeting West.
Shankar took the traditional four-movement western form and filled it with the sounds of India. The recording was an instant success and has been credited with bringing a new audience to the sitar and Indian classical music.
Shankar’s daughter, Anoushka, has played the work many times. Here she is with one of Europe's finest orchestras, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the beautiful sounds of colliding musical traditions.