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Santoor by the Nile

Musical high Georges Kazazian and Rahul Sharma

If the father strummed the strings of the folk instrument to produce classical ragas, the son is busy blending its soulful resonance with global sounds. From the hills to the plains and across the seas, doyen Shiv Kumar Sharma and the dapper Rahul Sh arma have led the santoor on an eventful journey. The instrument now makes a well-rehearsed and interesting halt — “Confluence 3”, a sangam of the Ganges and the Nile — a convergence of the santoor and oud.

After the success of his collaborative magnum opus with piano maestro Richard Clayderman (“Confluence 1” and “Confluence 2”), Rahul Sharma makes music with oud expert Georges Kazazian of Egypt in this latest album. Rahul met Georges at a world music festival in France and was drawn by the oud’s mystique. “The sound of this pear-shaped string instrument felt familiar; very Indian — rich and expressive. At the same time, you cannot miss the vigour of Egyptian music,” says the young musician.

When Rahul put forth the idea to Georges, he was excited. Both the acoustic instruments have contrasting dynamics. While the oud has a deep bass, the notes of the santoor are sharp. “Such variations are fascinating. Instrumental tracks apart, the album has a song rendered by Sunidhi Chauhan. We have also made use of some Egyptian and Indian percussion instruments.”

But why include a song by a Bollywood singer in a purely instrumental album? “Rhythm has a universal appeal but you cannot deny the power of words. So, I composed ‘Marhaba’ and chose Sunidhi to sing it. Her voice has an Arabic feel that, I thought, would gel with the flavour of the album.”

The video of the album has been shot against the picturesque pyramids. Since the artistes are based in two faraway lands, much of the give and take happened over the Net. “Technology has shrunk the ragasphere too. Now, it’s so much easier for people to know about different musical traditions,” smiles Rahul.

What about the sound effect of “Confluence 3”? “It’s hard to genre-lise it. There’s emotion, mysticism, tranquility, energy… Whenever I start such experiments, I don’t worry about the outcome. It’s thrilling to enter an unknown music territory, explore and unfold a soundscape.”

“Albums apart, I performed several concerts the world over with Clayderman. When you meld genres, the challenge is not only looking for common meeting grounds, but also not losing your identity.”

Has “Confluence” forced him into compromises with classical values? “Looking beyond does not mean you have lost faith in your genre (read Indian classical music) or that it has lost charm. It’s just a way to satiate your creative appetite. I work within boundaries; of course, I may sometimes have to push them slightly. That’s not sacrilege, please. The strings of the santoor are intrinsically attached to my life. It’s exciting to find new ways of relating to them,” he signs off.

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