Grammy-nominated violinist Elmira Darvarova is touring Indian cities with sarod prodigies Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan. They recently performed at the Taj Mahal Hotel (Delhi) and enthralled the audience with compositions from their latest album Soul Strings. Karan Bhardwaj chatted with Elmira minutes before her performance, who was looking every bit of a diva in her black gown. Excerpts from an interview:
How did Soul Strings materialise?
In November 2014, I came to India for the first time to perform Western classical music with pianist and conductor George Mathew. Ayaan Ali Khan was present in the audience. Later, we met and had a creative conversation of doing a possible collaboration. I had no idea about the great legacy behind him. Soon after that, we performed together in February 2015 at the New York Chamber Music Festival. This led us to the immediate idea of recording a CD, which we called Soul Strings. I came to India and recorded the album with Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan, which was composed by their legendary father Amjad Ali Khan.
Share with us the experience of working Amjad Ali Khan and both his sons, Amaan and Ayaan Ali Khan.
The amalgamation of our styles and merging of the differences that we have, without having to deny ethos of our music and who we are, turned out to be magical. It all happened so effortlessly. We all know that the music composed by Amjad Ali Khan is not easy to perform. But somehow, we understood our musical intentions so well that we took minimum time for rehearsals to record the final CD. The easiness with which this collaboration continues to unfold is remarkable to us.
You have just recorded a sequel CD to Soul Strings that also features Amjad Ali Khan.
Yes, and that’s fascinating! This time, Ustad Amjad Ali Khan has himself participated in the performances apart from composing the notes. His compositions are so substantial and meaningful. Even being in his presence is very inspirational. Initially, we thought it would take three days to record but we just finished the record in one day. It simply flowed like a river 🙂
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What did you discover about Indian classical music?
I discovered how rich this tradition is, how unbelievably complex it is. Amaan and Ayaan, being the 7th generation sarod player, carry immense respect in fraternity. When I see their improvisations in their solo performances, it never ceases to amaze me. Indian classical music enriches me and brings me a new level of understanding of my own music. Unlike West, there are minute details that make or break your music.
What’s next?
I have just recorded an album with legendary classical double bass player Gary Karr on Baroque music of 17th and 18th centuries. I’m also collaborating with Grammy-winning Latin American artiste Fernando Otero, who does Latin jazz and fusion.
What drives you as an artiste?
I’m driven by different styles of music. I take pride in attempting different genres and not sticking one style of music. I think I should be a versatile artiste.
Watch an exclusive video from the concert that took place at The Taj Mahal Hotel, New Delhi!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SdxrD-USiU
Catch Elmira Darvarova talking about her Indian concert with Born of Web
https://www.facebook.com/444337355643271/videos/953218088088526/?pnref=story
