A harmonious blend of creative strengths of two great instrumentalists from India ruled the World Music/Crash Arts concert offering on Friday, November 16 at Sanders theatre in Cambridge, MA. Rahul Sharma on Santoor and Zakir Hussain on tabla treated music lovers to an evening of Hindustani music.

Ustad Zakir Hussain is no stranger to music lovers in Boston - a regularly featured artist in World Music programs almost every season of the year, he is a performer par excellence, wielding magical command over his percussion instrument, the tabla, and possessing exceptional talent in communicating with audiences often with music, spoken words and sometimes even with non verbal body language, as was the case with his performance in Sanders Theatre - even the Ustad's gestures in sign language asking for a 10 minute break between first and second half of the program drew response from the audience. The Ustad held another powerful distinction - traditionally, names of percussionists are mentioned after the name of the featured artists for program announcements featuring Indian Classical Music. In this World Music program, Zakir Hussain's name was followed by the name of the featured performer in program announcement. It is no surprise - Zakir Hussain is a world class percussionist. Rahul Sharma, son of established Santoor player, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma is beginning to break ground and make a name for himself.

While it was biting cold outside Sanders theatre, a reception in the lobby featuring hot samosas and Indian wine tasting, thrown by Indian Department of Tourism and National Geographic proved popular with the audience waiting in excitement and anticipation for the concert to begin. Once inside the semi-circular auditorium, the large rectangular stage adorned with Persian rugs and resting on a shining hard wood floor that sometimes reflected lights from blue and pink bulbs on a high ceiling and at other times melded shadows from a large silver chandelier, set up an ambience and atmosphere of togetherness.  

Rahul Sharma began the program at 8:10 p.m with a short speech introducing the 100 stringed Santoor instrument (originally called the Shata-tantri veena ) briefly tracing its history,from its origin in Kashmir, traditionally used as an accompaniment to regional folk melodies to its status in the present times as a solo instrument used to play Hindustani Classical Music. "Hindustani Music is improvised and spontaneous, meaning that we do not need rehearsals" Rahul Sharma explained to the audience.  What followed was a two and half hour concert featuring fantastic music compatibility and understanding between the two artists. Sharma opened the concert with a pentatonic evening melody, Raga Bhoopali, with an alaap, jor and jhaala followed by a medium-tempo composition set to 9 beat Matta taal cycle. Bhoopali is known to evoke a serene and peaceful sentiment. Several members of the audience could be seen in a reposeful state with eyes closed, as if in a state of meditation despite the fact that the composition was set to a playful but complex 9 beat cycle. Playing with equal dexterity using both hands, alternating between percussive strokes and melodic passages in three octaves created by dragging the mallet across strings, Rahul Sharma's manner and style brought images and memories of his father Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma's music on the Santoor.  Zakir Hussain's ability to anticipate Rahul Sharma's melodic passages and sensitive accompaniment was noteworthy. He created a variety of sounds on the tabla - sometimes a prolonged deep echoing sound on the bayaan or left portion of tabla, complemented by fast rhythmic passages played at lightning speed with right hand, always landing on the first beat or "sum" in an unfaltering climax. 2 more compositions in 16 beat addha teentaal and a fast paced 12 beat drut ektaal followed and ended the Bhoopali rendition with a succession of tihais( melodic fragments played back to back thrice in a row).

In the second half of the concert, Rahul Sharma chose to play a light classical composition that rested on Raga Kaushik Dhwani as its foundation but took flights to several other ragas and scales. Zakir Hussain followed suite - starting with a swinging 6 beat Dadra taal variation and moving seamlessly to 16 beat teentaal only to come back to the original Dadra taal cycle, appealing to the rhythmic sensibilities of the members of the audience who cheered his efforts with great energy.

In most concerts, audiences listen passively to music being presented. What Rahul Sharma and Zakir Hussain succeeded in doing was to draw in on the audience's ability to actively participate in the music by providing feedback in the form of claps, nods and body movement. It takes artists of exceptional calliber to involve audiences in such a manner. Zakir Hussain has always been successful in such an exercise  - Rahul Sharma proved his mettle in this concert as a performer offering great promise.

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