Barkha Ritu - Hindustani Music Concert By Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia & Vijay Ghate: Events in Hyderabad

REVIEW FOR BARKHA RITU - HINDUSTANI...

Banyan Tree Events is organising the annual Barkha Ritu classical music concert at the Ravindra Bharathi auditorium on 13th July. The concert features Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia on the flute and Vijay Ghate on the tabla.

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the internationally-renowned exponent of the bansuri or bamboo flute, surprisingly does not come from a long lineage of flautists. His father was a famous wrestler who had aspirations of his son following in his footsteps. The younger Chaurasia had an early love of music, however, and would learn music in secret.

By the age of 15, he was taking his first steps towards a lifetime as a performer by studying classical vocal with Pandit Raja Ram of Benares. Soon after, he heard a flute recital by Pandit Bholanath, and was so impressed he changed his focus to studying the flute.

When he was just 19, he got a job playing for All-India Radio, Cuttack (Orissa), and within 5 years, he was transferred to their headquarters in Bombay. There he got the additional exposure of performing in one of India's cultural centers, and also studied with Annapurna Devi, daughter of Ustaad Allauddin Khan of the Maihar School of Music.

Over a lifetime of performances all over the world, Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia has become one of India's most-respected classical musicians, earning several awards, including the National Award of the Sangeet Natak Academy in 1984, the Padma Bhushan and the Konarak Samman in 1992. He has collaborated with several Western musicians, including John McLaughlin and Jan Gabarek, and has also composed music for a number of Indian films.

Vijay Ghate

Born in Jabalpur, Vijay Ghate showed an early inclination for rhythm, which was fostered by his family. He moved to Mumbai to study with Pandit Suresh Talwalkar, an icon amongst tabla players of India.

Ghate has been performing since the age of 16, and has toured worldwide with most of India's prominent musicians. As an accompanist, he is a favorite with many of India's leading players, including Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, Pt. Shivkumar Sharma, Kala Ramnath and Ustad Shahid Parvez. He is a soloist as well as an accompanist to instrumentalists, vocalists and Kathak dancers.

The entry to the event is by donor passes of Rs. 350 / Rs. 250 / Rs. 150 per head, available at Sangeet Sagar (MG Road), Landmark (Banjara Hills & Somajiguda), Odyssey (Punjagutta). Please contact Banyan Tree at 3291-4783 for further details.