Concert pianist Chelsea de Souza’s upcoming lecture-recital will explore the intertwining of cultural identities in Western Classical music
Chelsea de Souza at her concert at the Bangalore International Centre earlier this week
In artistic pursuits such as music, how original is original, and where and how do inspirations come along? Exploring this interesting subject, 29-year-old pianist Chelsea de Souza has put together a lecture cum recital called The Silk Road: A Tale of Musical Trade between East and West, which will be performed in Mumbai early next week as part of a multi-city tour of India.
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“As part of my doctorate, and also one of the areas I have been researching about and am interested in for the last few years, was how music is influenced by cultures and how people use it to express their identity. Typically, we don’t think of these cultural interactions much when it comes to Western Classical music because it’s an abstract art form. But when you unravel what inspired composers to compose their music, and what music they encountered, you realise that there have been a lot of cultural interactions across the world,” says de Souza.
“This is exactly what the recital explores. For example, we look at how French impressionist composer Debussy met the traditional Javanese gamelan at the 1889 World Fair in Paris and how his music after that, was influenced by traditional Indonesian musical aesthetics and philosophies. What we think of as a typical French style of writing music has had other influences. Similarly, composers from Eastern cultures such as Japan and India have been influenced by Debussy’s music but have then also expressed their own Japanese or Indian identities. There’s a unique fusion of East and West,” she elaborates.
Another reason why de Souza chose Debussy as one of her centrepieces was that his music was not just influenced by musicians from other parts of the world but also by various artists and painters. ”Debussy is called an impressionist composer not because it was a term he chose, but because the music he was writing was exactly in line with the work of the Impressionist painters of the time. The poets, artists and composers of the time were part of the same circle. They would get together and discuss the philosophy and the evolution of their art, so there’s a lot of interdisciplinary influence and interaction that comes out when you try to unpack what’s going on,” de Souza explains.
In the 90-minute lecture recital, de Souza will explore a bunch of familiar music from Debussy, together with some unusual pieces, and a range of pieces from composers of Indian origin such as British-Parsi Kaikhosru Sorabji and Indian-American Reena Esmail. “Since I will be talking about each of these pieces apart from performing them, it will be interesting even for folks who are just getting introduced to Western Classical music or listening to it for the first time as well. I’m hoping to reach a wider demographic of people who are interested in literature, poetry, or other art forms since they too have cultural exchange and diasporic interaction,” says de Souza, who currently studies in Houston. She grew up in Bandra and belongs to a Goan Catholic family, where music was an important part of her cultural identity. “Both my parents play the piano, though not professionally. I was part of the St Andrew’s parish in Bandra, and there were a whole lot of musical contests. My sister and I were both part of it so that’s how the initial interest in music came about.” While de Souza has already performed in Goa and Bengaluru, she will soon perform in Mumbai and Pune, along with a masterclass in Mumbai with her sister and fellow pianist Chloe de Souza.
On: June 19; 7 pm
At: Experimental Theatre, NCPA, NCPA Marg, Nariman Point.
Call: 766223724
Log on to: in.bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 300 onwards
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