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Time: 6:00 PM Newspaper article from the Statesman. |
accompanied by violin and a percussion ensemble of moorsing, ghatam and mridangam! Read about the percussion ensemble. See more details here. |
Shashank is a 20 year-old bamboo flute virtuoso from South India, who has been captivating audiences and critics around the world since the age of twelve. He is an extraordinary performer, able to convey the essence of Indian music to "unskilled" listeners. Shashank performs with a team of five accompanists, each a soloist in his/her own right. He uses several flutes, bass to piccolo, and is accompanied by violin, mridangam, ghatam, moorsing, and tambura (a drone instrument.)
Shashank's exceptional musical talent was first revealed at the age of nine months. Appearing to be mesmerized by a group of pipe musicians, the infant protested at being moved away. He was only calmed when placed back in front of the musicians. Shashank's father recognized Shashank's rare gift and devoted his life to the boy's training. At two and a half, Shashank could identify the 72 melakritis (the difficult ragas, or scales) in south Indian music. Though he studied violin until the age of six, Shashank surprised his teacher one day by performing an intermediate-level composition on his father's bamboo flute - flawlessly! From that moment on, Shashank refused to play any other instrument.
When Shashank was taken to Mali, India's
world-renowned flautist, the artist was so moved that he gave
his own flute to Shashank. Mali advised that the boy should study
only vocal music and be allowed to develop his own style. Shashank
was not exposed to styles of other flautists or otherwise instructed
in flute-playing technique.
When the self-taught Shashank made his debut in India at the prestigious Madras Music Academy, he played with such mastery and imagination that critics gave him a standing ovation! One well-known music critic wrote, "a relatively unknown performer played the flute before an audience of seasoned [musicians.] The very first ... phrase was enough to make everyone sit up with wonder . . ." and another, "Hearing for the first time young Shashank ... I was swept off my feet by his extraordinary musical acumen and technical virtuosity.
For the past ten years, Shashank has had a huge following in India, Europe and the Far East. In 1994, Shashank was honored by then President of India, R. Venkatraman. He has been touted as both a child prodigy and child avatar (embodiment of god.) It is widely believed among India's population that he received his musical gift from a past life.
Shashank's performances feature an extraordinary range of musical expression - from the deepest meditations to youthful fun and astonishing virtuosity. Audiences respond enthusiastically to Shashank's flair and unpretentious style. Shashank's percussionists add pizzazz to the performances with rhythmic texture that ranges from colorful, sparse punctuation to driving motives that swell to exhilarating levels during solo passages.
Information courtesy of India
Artists Management.
