Santoor maestro Tarun invited to Africa

Kolkata: Santoor Maestro Tarun Bhattacharya has been invited to South Africa to perform in a series of concerts and also conduct workshops at the University of Cape Town.

The concert kicks off at the Baxter Concert Hall in Cape Town on April 15 and then moves to the Lyric Theatre in Johannesburg on April 17. "The Indian population in South Africa and the local people have been known to be avid followers of Hindustani classical music and Carnatic classical music and so it should be a challenge to perform in front of them," Bhattacharya, who has released over 100 albums so far, told reporters. Titled ‘Romance of Ragas’, the tour will also have the musician conducting two workshops at the University of Cape Town. Besides, he will also teach music to underprivileged children in Cape Town and Johannesburg as part of the tour. Bhattacharya has been known to experiment and present some of the most intricate ragas of Hindustani and Carnatic gharanas in his inimitable style. By varying the use of tones and timbres and inventing the long-lasting effect fine tuners of the 100 string instrument, he has revolutionised santoor and the style of playing it. Rakesh Chaurasia, flautist and torch bearer of Pandit Hariprasad`s rich musical heritage, and Pandit Abhijit Banerjee will be accompanying him on tabla. PTI