Friday, May 13, 2016

The Neighborhood Sitar Virtuoso


Yeah, we got 'em on every other street corner around here.

Last night Opera Theatre of St. Louis and the Missouri History Museum co-hosted a panel discussion about OTSL's upcoming production of Shalimar the Clown, based on Salman Rushdie's novel of the same name. We had a post about it a couple of months ago when Rushdie was in town.  The panel included Opera Theatre's general director, the composer, librettist, stage director and a scholar of South Asian history and culture.

The featured guest was the sitar virtuoso Arjun Verna, who was a consultant on the score and will play with members of the St. Louis Symphony during the performance. The sitar is a very complex, difficult and subtle instrument. Verna explained the concept or ragas and played excerpts from the opera score. We'll be at opening night on June 11.

I still have some material from the People's Joy Parade and haven't even started the Cinco de Mayo festival yet.           


4 comments:

Stefan Jansson said...

I remember that Rushdie novel. I tried learning to play the guitar as a kid but it wasn't for me. Listening to one of Arjun's tunes now.

William Kendall said...

It's a peculiar instrument to my ears... I can imagine it's a challenge to learn.

Sharon said...

I can't wait to hear all about the opera. What a great experience.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

I'm a sitar fan from way back when I discovered Ravi Shankar Bob, I think you're in for a big treat on the 11th!