MUSIC REVIEW : Shankar Birthday Fest Brings Together Indian Masters

With sitarist Ravi Shankar turning 70 this year, at least one of his birthday parties will be hard to forget. Seven esteemed classical Indian musicians--including Shankar himself--performed with their ensembles Saturday and Sunday at Pasadena City College’s Sexson Auditorium, honoring the musician’s birthday (April 7) and his 50-year career in an event entitled “Festival ’90.” The gathering was sponsored by the Music Circle.

Presented over a 24-hour period, the event was conceived as a series of back-to-back concerts, each corresponding to a different raga traditionally performed at a specific time of the day.

Although delays of up to an hour created some misalignment with this scheme, unforgettable performances by at least three musicians easily compensated for any inconveniences or anachronisms.

At 6 p.m. Saturday, violinist L. Subramaniam began his set with an ensemble consisting of an electronic drone, a tanpura and three percussionists, including the virtuosic Kumar Bose on tabla. Subramaniam’s convincing performance featured a spectrum of techniques--from slow, lyrical glissandos to frantic crossbowing--all executed with uncompromising skill and brilliance.

After a dinner break, master sarod player Ali Akbar Khan performed a 90-minute evening raga, accompanied by two of his students on tanpuras and Swapan Chaudhuri on tabla. Khan’s set proved austere and orthodox, though remarkable in its purity and lucidity.

Sunday morning, Shankar closed the festival with a three-hour offering of morning ragas. His son, Shubho Shankar, assisted on sitar while Bose accompanied on tabla.

Though some of the original speed and spirit of Shankar’s playing has waned, the performance demonstrated an admirable, mature quality and yielded satisfying results. Shubho’s playing, more careful and methodical than his father’s, provided a worthy complement.

The enthusiastic audience gave each of the three masters an immediate standing ovation. Other top-billed performers in the festival included Kathak dancer Anjani Ambegaokar, flutist G. S. Sachdev and vocalists Lakshmi Shankar (Ravi’s sister-in-law) and Jasraj.