If you have a few dollars and a couple of hours free, take some time out of your otherwise sitar-less weekend to see world-class musician Anoushka Shankar. Whether it be jazz, classical or world music, Shankar brings every piece of her celebrated repertoire to Dartmouth this Saturday night.
Shankar's upcoming performance will focus on songs from her fourth and most recent solo album, "Rise." This album is considered her boldest departure from the musical influence of her father, the legendary sitarist Ravi Shankar. Infusing more exotic Indian melodies with pop, "Rise" was widely heralded by critics around the world. In 2005, the album was nominated for a Grammy award in Best Contemporary World Music and highlighted in Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks.
Critical acclaim pervades the career of this Indian megastar. Trained since age nine by her father, Shankar has collaborated with such artists as Elton John, Sting and George Harrison over her 16 years of public performance. In recent years, her impeccable sitar talent and versatile musical style have moved her out of the shadow of her famed father and into a limelight of her own.
If the sitar itself sounds too psychedelic or avant-garde for your tastes, think again. This stringed instrument from India has been pervading Western popular culture for over 40 years. The average music listener might be surprised to see the list of musicians who have incorporated the sitar into their work: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Green Day, System of a Down, Incubus and Fat Boy Slim, to name a few.
The calling card of Shankar's music is its effortless weaving of genres, at times even transcending them. Accompanying her vocals and sitar is an emotionally evocative combination of traditional and electronic instrumentation. Shankar is also considered an excellent improviser; most reviews describe how nimbly her fingers navigate her instrument's 20 frets with awe. Apparently continuing the Shankar family's musical legacy, Anoushka has gained worldwide fame and success, even in Western popular venues.
Shankar operates within a classical Indian system of music called Raga Sangeet, imbuing her work with a certain Hindu spirituality. In Hinduism, Ravi explains on his daughter's official website, "Sound is God." According to Ravi, ragas, a traditional melodic formula, originated in Hindu temples over 2,000 years ago and are only differentiated from one another by subtle sound cues. That is, the importance of a raga lies in which notes are emphasized and even which notes are missing.
Shankar will be performing in Spaulding Auditorium at the Hopkins Center on Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 for Dartmouth students and $26 for the general public. Limited seats are still available.
A sample of "Ancient Love," an eleven-minute track from "Rise," may be heard on the Hop's webpage (http://hop.dartmouth.edu).
