From an early age, Sangeeta Shankar and her two daughters, Ragini and Nandini, were introduced to the intricacies of Hindustani music by their mother and grandmother, the renowned violinist N. Rajam. Like her, their playing style imitates the inflection of the singing voice (gāyakī aṅg), with a bowing technique that allows for the realisation of the intonation nuances characteristic of Hindustani vocal forms, especially khayāl singing (virtuoso Hindustani classical singing, especially in its ornamental richness).

As concert soloists in their own right, the three violinists are involved in a variety of musical projects. They meet on stage to the delight of music lovers. They alternate virtuosity and lyrical passages in a complicit listening that gives an essential place to exchanges in the form of improvised questions and answers, in the melodic framework of the rāga and the rhythmic framework of the tāla. This lineage of concert performers is exceptional in the context of Hindustani music.

Please note: for health reasons, violinist Dr. N. Rajam will unfortunately not be able to keep her initial commitment. She will nevertheless be featured in the film Benares, Music from the Ganges, which will be screened before the concert.

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Sangeeta Shankar : violin
Ragini Shankar : violin
Nandini Shankar : violin
Munkundraj Deo : tabla 

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To go further

Mercredi 10 nov. – 14h
St Boniface, 14 avenue du Mail, Genève - Salle Rosa Parks
sur inscription via : xavier.bouvier@hesge.ch

MASTER CLASSE DE VIOLON HINDOUSTANI

avec Sangeeta, Ragini, Nandini Shankar au violon, et Munkundraj Deo au tabla

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Mercredi 10 nov. – 16h
St Boniface, 14 avenue du Mail, Genève - Salle Rosa Parks

Free admission

Conference/discussion

with Ingrid Le Gargasson (anthropolog) et Sangeetha Shankar(musician)

In the footsteps of the master: Hindustani music and transmission

Hindustani music is a learned music of oral tradition, which implies a long and demanding training under a master. In spite of notable developments, a set of precepts and conceptions remain attached to this traditional teaching from master to disciple, even within the framework of a family transmission, as this conference will reveal. Illustrated by the testimony of violinist Sangeeta Shankar, the presentation will also question the status of 'classical' artists in India and the challenges faced by young musicians embarking on an artistic career. 

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In partnership with la Maison des Cultures du Monde, as part of the  24e Festival de l’Imaginaire and HEM Genève

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Concert recorded by RTS, Espace 2