A tale of strings

Amaan Ali Bangash

The third edition of the lecture series, Across Cultures: Universal Language of Music, seeks to examine the influences of blending contrasting art forms. Sarod maestros Amaan Ali Bangash and Ayaan Ali Bangash will be in conversation with Grammy Award-winning American classical guitarist Sharon Isbin on this topic.

Ayaan Ali Bangash

The experts will discuss their unique musical journeys and current collaboration with the album, Strings of Peace. "The idea was to bring the spirit of sharing the great unique treasures of our own artistic traditions, as well as finding common ground in ragas and medieval modes," shares Ayaan. A fusion of different styles of music that is orchestrated in terms of varied standards and traditions, the collaboration synthesises melodies from the Indian classical oeuvre and Western classical harmonies. "Indian music finds resonance and parallels in other music, so Western musicians are able to find a way into Indian music without years of formal training," he elaborates, while speaking about the ease of assimilating Indian and Western classical sounds.

Sharon Isbin

A marriage of distinct styles and ideas, the fusion of Western and Indian classical music makes for an engaging exploration especially when it involves someone like Isbin, one of the greatest classical guitarists of our times. "The discourse between instruments is a meditative exploration on the nature of sonoral divinity," he adds. Participants can expect an immersive session that will bring to the fore all three experts' contributions to the world of music as well as the many similarities and differences in their cultures.

On: November 10, 6 pm to 7.30 pm
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