The Cello and The Tabla

a programme offered by

James Barralet - cello

and

Sankar Chowdhury - tabla

 

Programme

Rabindranath Tagore - Hridoy Amar Prokash Holo (solo cello)
Tabla solo
John Mayer - Ragamala 3 (solo cello)
John Schlenck - Sri Mata (bhajan variations)
Bhimsen Joshi - Chalo Ri Murali Suniye (bhajan)
John Mayer - Ragamala 6 (solo cello)
Tabla solo
Bhimsen Joshi - Chaturbhuj Jhoolat Shyam Hindore (bhajan)
Rabindranath Tagore - The Boatman Song
Jhala

65 minute programme approx.

Click here to listen to James and Sankar playing the Boatman Song by Rabindranath Tagore

Concert summary

The concert combines improvisation, spontaneity, and the breaking down of traditional musical boundaries.

James Barralet and Sankar Prosad Chowdhury, a highly esteemed tabla player from Kolkata and a senior disciple of Pandit Swapan Choudhuri, met at the Ali Akbar School for Hindustani Classical Music in Basel in 2006 and have since played together at the Newbury Spring Festival, the Yorke Trust and will play at Music in the Round in Sheffield and give concerts in India. James and Sankar have given workshops in schools and plans are afoot to record this peoject with Landor Records.

Sankar giving some tips in a workshop at Solihull School

James's interest in Indian Music stems from his six month voluntary teaching period at the Mathieson Music School, Kolkata, in 1998. Alongside his teaching duties he studied Indian music and tabla in Kolkata and in Varanasi. He continued his studies at the Ali Akbar School in Basel with maestro sarod player, Ken Zuckerman.

The unusual combination of cello and tabla has aroused much interest in the Indian and western classical music circles. James strongly believes that the cello's timbre is absolutely ideally suited to this music and the concerts have so far been met with a very enthusiastic response.

Please contact to receive our demo DVD.

Sankar Prosad Chowdhury, a senior disciple of tabla maestro Swapan Chaudhuri, is one of the most highly regarded tabla artists of India. Born in 1959, Sankar began his tabla studies with the late Tarapada Chatterjee of Farukabad Gharana. Thereafter, he received training under the guidance of Pandit Swapan Chaudhuri of Lucknow Gharana, learning the intricacies of tabla playing. Besides a bachelor's degree in science from the University of Calcutta, he also has a master's degree in music from the prestigious music academy Prayag Sangit Samiti, Allahabad. Sankar Chowdhury is currently a lecturer in tabla in the department of instrumental music, Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta. He is also a regular broadcaster over All India Radio and Indian television.