Italian duos' Ravi Shankar piece at pre-Biennale concert wins huge applause
Flautist Benciolini blew out softly the morning melody while Bernardi plucked the strings of his guitar to further enhance the pathos of the classical notes tuned by the legendary sitarist in 1976.
The piece won special applause at the gathering in Mattancherry, where the visiting duo presented a 75-minute performance, jointly organised by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) and the Italian Cultural Institute, as part of the lead-up to the upcoming Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
At the Indian Chamber of Commerce building, Tommaso and Bernardi tuned on an electronic tanpura ahead of playing L'Aube enchantée that evolved out of a meeting Ravi Shankar (1920-2012) had with French flautist Jean-Pierre Rampal and his compatriot Alexandre Lagoya (guitarist) in the mid-1970s.
'Of late, nine months ago, as we knew of this India trip coming, Lorenzo and I did some research, wanting to present an item for the audiences in this country,' said 34-year-old Tommaso, adding that they have been playing the piece in all venues of late.
The duo's Kerala programme, titled 'Echoes of Italy' came after their concerts in Delhi, Lucknow and Dimapur in Nagaland.
L'Aube enchantée begins with a brief alaap sketching the scale of the poignant Todi, largely developed by Mian Tansen who sang in the court of Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century.
As Benciolini and Bernardi rolled out the piece, which was a part of the trans-continental 'East Meets West' album conceived by Ravi Shankar, the audience on Friday evening listened in rapt attention, only to explode in loud cheers at the end of the performance.
The pair next contrasted the dawn raga with 'Nightfall', a contemporary composition known for its simplicity. Tuned in a minor scale that partly corresponds with the Indian classical raga Keeravani, the piece known for its minimalist brilliance is composed by Italian Roberto Di Marino, now 69.
This came after a three-movement sonatina composed by New York-based Marco Beltrami known for his association with Hollywood and TV scores in America. 'This carries a lot of inner dialogue,' said Bernardi.
The concert began with an Italian overture that used to typically open the operas during the Enlightenment period. The longest among the pieces the duo performed was a 22-minute centrepiece by 20th-century Argentine Tango composer Astor Piazolla of Italian descent.
The sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, titled 'For the Time Being', will be a 110-day show opening on December 12. Curated by artist Nikhil Chopra with HH Art Spaces, an artist-led organisation based out of Goa, the biennale will conclude on March 31, 2026.
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