I went to this concert with relatively no knowledge of Indian music except for the small amount I learnt for GCSE music (which I have now realised was grossly over simplified).

The stage consisted of a raised platform covered in decorative rugs, which seemed to me to have been designed to suggest the smaller, more intimate settings in which Indian music is traditionally played.

Anoushka Shankar took centre stage for the whole of the first half of the performance. The poise and maturity she exuded meant it was easy to miscalculate her age, only 18. In the two pieces Puriya Dhanashi and Bupali, Anoushka demonstrated her amazing improvisational talents.

As soon as the music began I found myself captivated by the refined beauty of the music. These two pieces (as far as I could tell) followed the traditional pattern used in Indian music, starting with the alap, a type of slow expressive introduction which explores the raga (pattern of notes) to be used in the piece. This is followed by the jor in which a little rhythm is introduced by the sitar player. The next section, the gat is where the tabla and mridangam enter and the speed and complexity of the piece increase towards the jhala, the climax of the piece.

In between these two pieces was one, which featured the two percussionists in the ensemble, Bikram Ghosh (on tabla) and M Balachandar (on mridangan, a type of two faced drum). This for me was the most enjoyable piece in the concert because of its spontaneity and the dynamic between Ghosh and Balachandar. There was an amazing section of call and response between the two drummers, in which you could hardly wait to see what they would do next. They had this sense of intuition and seemed to always know what the other was about to do, sometimes sharing rhythmic patterns between them.

The second half of the performance included the long awaited arrival of Ravi Shankar. Personally, I knew little about him but one could feel the admiration towards him from the audience, everyone seemed to know that he was a great man who would give a great performance. And, of course he did.

After having played his first piece, Ravi Shankar introduced all the other musicians in the group. Stating their names and making a few little jokes. This made him seem even more amiable as he wanted all the players, or "artists" as he called them, to be recognised by the audience, and did not let the focus lie entirely on himself. In this section Shankar's subtle sense of humour became apparent.

The two pieces in this section followed the same basic pattern as the first but an extra dimension was added by the interaction between Ravi and Anoushka Shankar. The close bond between father and daughter came out strongly in their playing.

I thoroughly enjoyed this performance and I want to thank Agnes for providing the opportunity for us to attend these concerts through the BBCM.

Alicia Moss,
teenage class