'Indian Classical Is A Vast Ocean...': Santoor Maestro Rahul Sharma On The 'Symphony Of Santoor' India Tour

Santoor exponent Rahul Shivkumar Sharma returns with two shows of orchestral music this week. After a concert at Chamara Vajra, Bengaluru, on March 18, his Symphony of Santoor – Echoes of Serenity will be performed at Mumbai’s Jio Pavilion on March 20.

The shows are presented by Banyan Tree, and the specially-curated 35-member chamber orchestra will be conducted by Samuel Tamarit Otero of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Pardubice. It has been conceived as a musical dialogue where intricate classical raags meet rich orchestral harmonies. Rahul had earlier performed the symphony under the baton of Brandon Phillips in Cape Town and Mumbai.

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The son of legendary santoor maestro Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Rahul has always maintained a balance between Indian classical music and experimental work. In collaborations with pianist Richard Clayderman, saxophonist Kenny G, French world music project Deep Forest and Egyptian oud player Georges Kazazian, he has successfully blended Indian music with different global styles.

Excerpts from the interview:

How did this tour materialise? Have you worked with Samuel before?

Banyan Tree and I have worked on concepts since 1996, nearly 30 years ago, from Santoor Viraasat to Symphony of Santoor. In the last three decades, I may have done around 75 albums and travelled to nearly 50 countries with concerts across classical, fusion and electronica. It felt like the right time for Symphony of Santoor. Since I had already composed and created the symphony, it became easier to take it around the world. This is also the first time I will be working with Samuel. As I am always exploring new possibilities, this concept eventually materialised.

You have done concerts featuring santoor and orchestra in Cape Town and also in Mumbai. How do you approach this genre, considering it is vastly different from Indian classical performance?

It’s a completely different approach from Indian classical. Classical is about improvisation and requires a lot of patience to bring out the alaap, and imagination once one immerses in a raga. A symphony is like taking the santoor into a world of Beethoven and Mozart, yet composing it with the sophistication required to meet a philharmonic orchestral sound. It’s a composer’s imagination to make the music refined, yet include raagmalas, a jazz feel, and folk, and have the audience experience a novel experience with the 35-member chamber orchestra led by the santoor.

What was your experience of playing with the Cape Town orchestra under Brandon Phillips like?

Any symphony, once composed and written, can be taken across the world. Playing with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra and Brandon was a unique experience for the very first time, and I must admit that after that, when I played my solo classical concerts, I missed the ensemble backing me and playing counter melodies.

Last year, you collaborated for the second time with Deep Forest on Tree of Tranquility. How did you and Eric Mouquet of Deep Forest work on the compositions?

Tree of Tranquility was composed just like our previous project Deep India. I composed most of the tracks and Eric and I discussed the direction we wanted to go in: a subtle electronica world with vast calming lush landscapes, almost atmospheric and unpretentious.

You’ve done different collaborations with Richard Clayderman, Kenny G, Georges Kazazian, Deep Forest, and even released a rock-inspired album The Rebel. Performing different genres, is it challenging to keep adjusting, or does it flow smoothly?

Fortunately for me, I compose my own music. Whether it was Namaste India with Kenny G or The Confluence 1 & 2 with Richard Clayderman or the albums with Deep Forest, the fact that I compose gives me a free hand to highlight my santoor in a way that it amalgamates with the other artiste. Composing is a knack. It cannot be taught.

Likewise, how do you balance pure classical recitals with experimental work?

Indian classical is a vast ocean and one keeps diving each time to explore more and more jewels. This is where the guru and your journey is pivotal. It’s years and years of sadhana and then comes the part where your true individuality comes out when you step out into other worlds. What matters is a musician’s composing skills, imagination and willing to break the barriers and move on. I constantly dabble all the worlds through music whether it’s having Amitabh Bachchan sing Jai Hanuman with my santoor and Zakir Hussain’s tabla or have Kenny G improvise on a catch-tune and then come back to the original hook-line.

While performing classical music, do you still feel the pressure of being compared with Shivji (Pandit Shivkumar Sharma)?

In fact, my last classical tour in the US happened to be Ustad Zakir Hussain’s very last. We were to do 10 concerts together and we completed seven and then suddenly he was gone. He started his career with my dad and I happened to be there at the very end.  Each day I play the santoor is a tribute to my father and guru. It is but natural for any person to compare. My father is the pioneer of santoor. 

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What are your son Abhinav’s musical inclinations?

Abhinav is 11. He has begun learning from me after his late grandfather passed away. This is his time to dabble between school and music; we did a single called Time Traveler 2 – a reprise from my earlier album Time Traveler.  His journey has just begun as a learner.

What are the challenges young musicians face in learning the instrument?

One has to find the right guru, have patience and not expect to be a star overnight. Once the intricacies of classical are learnt, a whole new world opens up for a young student. Digital learning can help but listening to your own riyaz is very important. One needs to be a witness and spectator dispassionately to one’s own talent, ambitions and eventually, destiny.

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