When soulful Indian raags met Western classical pieces to create soundscapes

The Indo European Chamber

Orchestra

, an ensemble of Indian and European musicians, performed at the Autumn Fest concert at

Ravindra Bharathi

recently. The two-hour long concert curated by Hyderabad-based composer-cum-conductor Michael Makhal and Italian pianist Alessandro Viale, engaged audiophiles with an exhilarating set that fused Indian raags with Western classical pieces. Music aficionados were left spellbound as an array of instruments such as the santoor, cello, violin and

piano

came together to create rich soundscapes.

It was Vande Mataram that set the tone for the evening as the violin section and pianist Alessandro aptly captured the patriotic fervour of the song to harmonious effect. Next were a series of soul-warming pieces including Antonio Vivaldi's Autumn from The Four Seasons, Wolfgang A Mozart’s classic Piano Sonata No 16 and other pieces of renowned musicians such as Johann Sebastian Bach, Frederie Chopin and Jules Massenet.

Michael and Alessandro also presented a few of their unreleased compositions such as the Concerto Grosso Festivo, 1947 Summer of India and Rain Dance that dwelled on sounds unique to Indian and European cultures.

“Michael and I always wanted to collaborate with an orchestra and I am glad it has materialised. Today is a time for bonhomie between European countries and India. I’m looking forward to coming to Hyderabad more regularly now,” said Alessandro Viale.

1947 Summer of India was undoubtedly the highlight of the evening, thanks to a flawless interplay between Urska Horvat on the cello and the fellow violinists. Rain Dance too was equally mesmerising as Debanshu Sen on the santoor, Rebecca Raimondi on the violin and Urska on the cello presented a seamless musical conversation.