11 June 2010
Belfast - St. George's Church
Venue: Saint George's Church, High Street, Belfast
Tickets: £10/£7 (for students and under 16s)
One of the world's greatest guitarists Debashish Bhattacharya brings his spectacular new show to the atmospheric setting of Saint George's Church, Belfast.
The Grammy nominated / BBC World music award winning slide-guitar virtuoso will be joined by master tabla player Subhasis Bhattacharjee and two remarkable female percussionists - Chitrangana Agle Reshwal and Charu Hariharan.Guitar maestro Debashish Bhattacharya has transformed Indian music and brought it to a global audience. A musician, composer, innovator, guru and revolutionary thinker, Debashish’s development of new slide guitars and his musical excellence have set him apart from other artists, both on the international circuit and on the Indian scene.
With O Shakuntala! Debashish Bhattacharya celebrates love in its various rasas (emotions) and fuses the musical traditions of the Hindustani style from North India and the Karnatic style from South India.This musical masterpiece has been inspired by Abhigyana Shakuntalam (The Recognition of Shakuntala) - an ancient play by Kalidasa, India’s greatest Sanskrit poet/dramatist. The classic story tells the tale of King Dushyanta and the beautiful Shakuntala, who fall in love and marry but are cursed by an evil sage who keeps them apart. Fortunately after a magnificent and emotional journey they are reunited for eternity.With this cue Debashish Bhattacharya uses his sublime ragas and rhythms to connect the ancient with the contemporary and to question the existence of love in a modern society that is often ripped apart due to relations forged for convenience and devoid of faithfulness.
All music within O Shakuntala! has been conceived and composed by Debashish Bhattacharya.
Accompanying artists:
Subhasis Bhattacharjee: Tabla
A prominent name in the younger generation of Indian and world music, Subhasis was taught by his parents and his brother Debashish Bhattacharya. He has performed at all major festivals in India and has toured the world with numerous artists.
Chitrangana Agle Reshwal: Pakhawaj
India’s sole female exponent of pakhawaj, Chitrangana first entered into a male bastion of music when she started learning secretly from her brother. She has studied music formally and has performed solo at many festivals and concerts within and outside of India.
Charu Hariharan: Mridangam / Ganjira
Charu studied music since her childhood, under the tutelage of her mother. In India she has played with several great musicians including Karunamoorthy. Charu is also an accomplished singer and keyboard player and she has performed around the world.
Presented in association with
ArtsEkta - Northern Ireland's leading organisation for the promotion of ethnic arts
The MAC - Northern Ireland's world-class home for the arts, due to open in 2011