The Bangalore School of Music (BSM) Chamber Orchestra takes the stage for the first time this year to perform their latest rendition titled Primavera. It includes works of legendary composers like Dmitri Shostakovich and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The concert will also feature a special performance by BSM’s guitarist Nandini Sudhir, who will present a guitar concerto by Carulli, an Italian composer. Ahead of their performance, we talk to their principal violinist Ananth Kamat, who lets us in on their setlist, the orchestra’s future projects and more.
“We have a full-length guitar concerto by Nandini Sudhir, who is also a faculty at the Bangalore School of Music. We will be performing Romanian Dances by Hungarian composer Bela Bartok,” Ananth begins. The orchestra will also perform Scene from Swan Lake by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Waltz No.2 by Soviet-Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich.
The orchestra is majorly a string ensemble, and mostly consists non-professional musicians. The youngest members are in high school, while the oldest members are over 70.
Shedding more light on the performance by Nandini Sudhir, which will form the bulk of the entire presentation, the violinist says, “Our performance opens with the guitar concerto, which the orchestra performs for the first time. It is a rare sight because orchestra’s rarely perform a guitar concerto.”
The orchestra majorly features violins, followed by viola, cello, and double bass. Two flutes will also be part of the performance but they are not the permanent members of the orchestra.
Talking about the setlist, Ananth says, “Whenever we curate a performance, we make sure we cover a broad range of music. For our upcoming per formance, we will be playing the music by composers who were born in the early 1700s as well as contemporary artistes. We also try to incorporate different styles of music. We have a guitar concerto, Eastern - European dances, Russian romanticism, and modern music.”
“Right now, our only focus is on the upcoming performance. After this, we will plan our next performance, which should be in August,” the violinist says signing off.
₹499. February 11, 6.30 pm. At Alliance Française de Bangalore, Vasanth Nagar
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