The last two weeks at KM Music Conservatory and Goethe-Institut have witnessed a period of intense musical explorations by a group of 15 South Asian and German artistes, who are being directed by two German masters, double bass player Sebastian Gramss and saxophonist Roger Hanschel. This cross-genre interaction is a part of the South Asian Music Residency (SAMUR), the annual collaborative music project conducted by both the Goethe-Institut and KM Music Conservatory. In-house pianist Adam Greig and composer James Bunch are also involved in the project. SAMUR’s first edition was conducted last year, and this year’s chapter will culminate in two concerts today and tomorrow, where the musicians will present their work, created over the two weeks, in a cross-cultural music performance.
Roger that
Roger, who founded the fusion music group Trio Benares in 2014 along with sitarist Deobrat Mishra and tabla maestro Prashant Mishra, tells us that the group will try to strike a balance between contemporary and classical music during the concerts. “The first week, starting August 18, was spent in introductions and various lectures and workshops. Both the emerging and experienced musicians and composers discussed new compositions and ideas,” he says, recalling the workshop by pianist Anil Srinivasan, who spoke about the infinite innovations and interpretations in music that are possible even in a short period like two weeks.
Group dynamics
“Rehearsals started this week, and I must say it has been a colourful experience so far. During the concerts, the group will be divided into small and big ensembles, each of whose pieces will be interspersed with each other with smooth crossfades,” says Roger, who adds that the music covers a vast range of genres and musicians, including sounds from neighbouring countries, by Hindustani classical vocalist Waheedullah Saghar from Afghanistan and Bangladeshi composer Teerath Kumar Majumder. There is also Stefan Schönegg, a double bass player from Germany, who is the co-founder of Impakt, a collective of improv musicians in Cologne, Germany. The city-based musicians in the line-up are guitarist Deepak Srinivas and Indo-Western composer Nakul Krishnamurthy (who sang the song Ta Ta Tang in the 2016 Prithviraj-starrer Darvinte Parinamam). Meanwhile, Deepak has released a haunting improvised piece called Metanoia on Facebook, which he produced along with Nepali flutist Roshan Putwar at the Residency.
September 1-2. 7 pm onwards. At KMCC Auditorium and Goethe-Institut Auditorium, respectively. Visit samuresidency.blogspot.in. Details: 43444786, 28331314