A short ride in an Indian machine

By Alan Becker

You’ve got to hand it to Leonid Treer who has once again come up with
an interesting program that travels the byways of music. In this case
he explores the classical music of India, hardly a known quantity to
Broward audiences.

The FAU Chamber Soloists have performed some terrific concerts at the
Davie campus. The School of Arts recital hall is small enough to bring
a degree of intimacy to their programs, and Saturday afternoon’s small
but appreciative audience obviously enjoyed the lectures, music, and
video presentation.

The santoor, a trapezoid-shaped stringed instrument was played by Ajit
Damle who uses a 100-stringed version. Shirish Patankar played the
sitar, a plucked string instrument with a long hollow neck made famous
by the Indian musician Ravi Shankar. It is primarily used to play the
classical Indian music called ragas, and Sudhir Limaye accompanied on
the tabla, a set of two Indian drums.

As was expected, the sound was not exactly what the West is used to
hearing. To begin with, the structured but largely improvised pieces
employ the use of microtones, that is, sliding from one note to
another. They also begin with a drone upon which all else takes place.
Like the bagpipe, there is a built-in harmonic stagnation that can be
tiring to listen for unacquainted ears. Soprano Medha Kulkarni, in a
style somewhat familiar from Bollywood, performed in one of the
selections.

A short film on Prem Rawat, known as Maharaji, demonstrated his
commitment to spreading the word about inner peace and contentment.
Obviously it is something that many of us could learn from.

Posted in Performances


7 Responses to “A short ride in an Indian machine”

  1. Posted Oct 22, 2008 at 6:35 pm by Sanjay

    Was a very nice show. Would have appreciated more music rather than the video of Prem Rawat.

    Pl organize more..

  2. Posted Oct 24, 2008 at 9:45 pm by Arun Sharma

    This is an apology for a music review. We have so many persons in and around FAU who are very highly knowledgeable about Indian Music and such excellent artists like Ajit Damle, Shirish Patankar, and Sudhir Limaye should not be listed as they also pulled some strings and beat on some drums and comments like “As was expected, the sound was not exactly what the West is used to
    hearing. To begin with, the structured but largely improvised pieces
    employ the use of microtones, that is, sliding from one note to
    another. They also begin with a drone upon which all else takes place. Like the bagpipe, there is a built-in harmonic stagnation that can be tiring to listen for unacquainted ears.”
    That is pathetic to let some one who knows nothing about such beautiful music and raga compositions to write this review. It is an insult to journalism. If you do not know the subject, you do not write.

  3. Posted Oct 26, 2008 at 10:15 am by Scott Rose

    I truely enjoyed it. The performers, (including Professor Treer’s solo piano piece) played very lovely traditional Indian music. The concert’s multimedia format displayed originality – a blending of old and new, that was compelling. The complimentary Indian appetizers offered in the lobby afterwards added a unusual delicious flavor.

  4. Posted Oct 26, 2008 at 12:01 pm by Ed Neubauer

    This was my first introduction to Indian culture. The concert leaves me with a positive impression.

  5. Posted Oct 26, 2008 at 5:11 pm by Bella Houser

    Lovely event, thanks to Professor Treer.
    Indian music is one of my favorites, and the artists did an impressive job. After the delightful musical performances, the video of Prem Rawat speaking so well about inner peace was the icing on the cake. What a treat for a Saturday afternoon!

  6. Posted Oct 28, 2008 at 10:06 am by sushil rao

    the music was very different !
    it had a noticably introverting effect on me

    and in that frame of mind,
    the words of Prem Rawat touched me deeply.

    i had never quite understood the difference
    between world peace and inner peace

    it’s true that even if everybody has their shower,
    i am not going to feel clean, unless i have my own !

    thank you for making me realize this Mr Rawat.
    and thank you FAU and Prof. Treer for bringing this to me.

  7. Posted Oct 28, 2008 at 8:43 pm by katie DeGroff

    It was a thoroughly enjoyable event. The introduction provided helpful information about the instruments and all that is involved in producing this gorgeous music. The classical piano piece with Indian influence was truly profound!

    The afternoon was a wonderful mix of being swept away in the feeling of the music and being inspired by the hope of peace within in the inspiring message of Prem Rawat. Well done Prof. Treer. I hope there is more to come soon.

Leave a Comment








Sun Oct 19, 2008
at 8:53 am
7 Comments