By Aadya Arora

While her association to her father, Pandit Ravi Shankar, has had a hand in propelling her musical career, it is Anoushka Shankar’s heightened sensitivity to emotions—and to life itself—that makes her an astoundingly celebrated musician in her own right.

Shankar performed at The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts on October 16 for a full-house audience ecstatic to see her live in concert as part of her world tour. She performed several pieces from her latest mini-album titled Ch.I: Forever, For Now along with other popular compositions from her past albums.

The nine-time Grammy nominee was accompanied on stage by her long-term collaborators: Arun Ghosh on clarinet; Sarathy Korwar on drums; Tom Farmer on bass; and Pirashanna Thevarajah on Indian percussion instruments including mridangam, kanjira, and morsing. Thevarajah also performed Konnakol (Indian spoken rhythm). Known for collaborating with wonderful maestros of varied instruments, Shankar’s music really does not fit in any genre one genre. It is hard to imagine how anyone would not be moved by the worlds she creates. 

She started the show with a piece from her latest album: “What Will We Remember” is composed in raag Madhuvanti with jazz and Middle Eastern influences. This was followed by two pieces from her 2016 album titled Land of Gold. “Boat to Nowhere” was reminiscent of a never-ending, arduous journey; and “Secret Heart”, with its heavy drum and clarinet combination, was a symphony of longing.

The minimal stage setup created an image of Shankar as a divine figure with light radiating from her. Inspired by the Carnatic lullabies she heard as a child, Shankar performed the pieces “Say Your Prayers” and “Daydreaming”, which were mellow yet evocative of a fantastical world.

Then came a piece called “Firenight”, which Shankar’s father composed in collaboration with jazz musicians but never performed himself. It was inspired by the 1961 Los Angeles fires. Shankar added sitar to the piece to make it her own; it was the most upbeat part of the performance, creating a lively spark among the enthusiastic audience.

A long-time advocate of the global refugee crisis, Shankar performed her final piece, titled “Reunion”, which she described as a “fantasy ending” to all those without homes and families. The piece had the essence of long-lost lovers running towards one another, finally reunited.

The loud applause and cheers led to a solo encore in which Shankar performed “Stolen Moments”, another piece from the latest album. Before ending the night, she addressed the crowd, referring to all of life’s little stolen moments: “Take them, catch them, feel them, fully.”