Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI)’s tour will witness the UK premiere of Zakir Hussain’s Triple Concerto featuring Hussain along with Niladri Kumar on the sitar and Rakesh Chaurasia on the bansuri in London, Birmingham and Edinburgh, Rahul Laud reports
Following the Autumn 2023 Season in Mumbai, India’s first and only professional orchestra, the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI), has announced its forthcoming UK tour commencing on November 29 across seven cities including Coventry, London, Cambridge, Croydon, Bradford, Birmingham and Edinburgh.
The 17-year-old orchestra will be returning to the UK after its well-received maiden tour of the country in 2019. The tour will exhibit the orchestra’s calibre in playing complex classical compositions as well as its unique strength in being able to showcase a signature piece, specially commissioned by the orchestra, that represents a meeting of the classical traditions of South Asia and the West.
The SOI ushered in its Autumn 2023 Season in September which was one of its most ambitious seasons. It featured esteemed conductors Alpesh Chauhan OBE and Richard Farnes, pianist Pavel Kolesnikov and welcomed celebrated cellist, Steven Isserlis, for his India debut. The world premiere of the SOI-commissioned Triple Concerto by Zakir Hussain in September recorded two sold-out shows and received an overwhelming response. The one-of-a-kind season was applauded by the audience in Mumbai and other concertgoers from different parts of the country. The orchestra’s UK Tour will be an extension of the SOI Autumn 2023 Season featuring the same artistes and the UK premiere of the Triple Concerto, say the organisers.
Khushroo N. Suntook, Co-founder, Symphony Orchestra of India and Chairman, NCPA, expressed, “The SOI’s seventeenth year has been special. The SOI co-founder and Music Director Marat Bisengaliev and I are pleased to witness the orchestra’s journey and hope that this is only the beginning. The Autumn 2023 Season was a great success assisted by the excitement around the NCPA’s commissioning of a Triple Concerto for the tabla, sitar and bansuri played by the three great maestros— Zakir Hussain, also the composer, Niladri Kumar and Rakesh Chaurasia. We can safely say that it was one of the most successful seasons of the SOI in living memory. The same artistes are now preparing to go to the U.K.
The tour promises to be a remarkable musical celebration and we look forward to presenting it to the audiences in the UK.”
The UK Tour 2023 schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, November 29, 2023: Coventry, Warwick Arts Centre, featuring Richard Farnes and Pavel Kolesnikov.
Thursday, November 30, 2023: London, Cadogan Hall, featuring Alpesh Chauhan and the Hussain trio.
Friday, December 1, 2023: Birmingham, Symphony Hall, featuring Alpesh Chauhan and the Hussain trio.
Saturday, December 2, 2023: Bradford, St. George’s Hall, featuring Richard Farnes and Marat Bisengaliev.
Sunday, December 3, 2023: Edinburgh, Usher Hall, featuring Alpesh Chauhan and the Hussain trio.
Tuesday, December 5, 2023: Croydon, Fairfield Halls, featuring Richard Farnes and Marat Bisengaliev.
Thursday, December 7, 2023: Cambridge, Corn Exchange, featuring Richard Farnes and Pavel Kolesnikov.
Friday, December 8, 2023: London, Cadogan Hall, featuring Richard Farnes and Pavel Kolesnikov.