Lal/Classical Hindustan Music/If Chopin played ragi...

It is safe to say that the Indian equivalent of the rational Western harmonic system is the idea of mystical contemplation of the depth of sound and its infinite microtonal structure. In linear vocal and instrumental practice, it is realized by the sublime ornamentation of repeated tones and motifs on a scale as small as 1/22 part of an octave. European violins, which over the past 150 years have made quite a career in the world of Hindustani classical music, are great for this. But no longer a piano, whose unprecedented recording, dynamic and color possibilities are occupied by the trap of even tempering. The sound of a¹ in Chopin's instrument always has a strictly defined pitch (usually 440 Hz), which the greatest virtuosos are not able to bend even a dozen cents to look inside the tone during the concert.

And yet Hindustani ragi can be played on the piano, as Utsav Lal, a composer and improviser associated with New York's vibrant Indian diaspora, convinces on subsequent albums. He reveals the rich inner harmony of individual tones to the listeners through nuanced dynamic and articulatory shadings, which would not be despised by connoisseurs of the lyrical dimension of Chopin's art. Does the piano still echo a bottomless cultural memory stretching back to the vast plains of prehistoric Anatolia, where the history of the Indo-Europeans supposedly began?

Michal Mendyk

This concert may be part of the “My Pass” offer. Check the details and compose “My Pass” at will, choosing from concerts of different series in the chamber and concert hall — more information.

Performers: Utsav Lal — piano