Jennifer Gonzeles, Sananda Biswas
On Oct. 20, while students on the UW-Madison campus went about preparing for a new week, about 80 of us gathered in Memorial Union’s Play Circle for an intimate and unusual concert featuring composer and kotoist Yumi Kurosawa and master tabla player Anubrata Chatterjee.
The koto is a string instrument that came to Japan via China around the 8th century. Traditionally, it has 13 strings but for this performance, Kurosawa played a modern 21-string version. In her comments to the audience, she said that centuries ago, koto playing was part of the training for doctors and monks because it helped with concentration.
The tabla originated in the Indian subcontinent and consists of two small drums that are struck with the palms and fingers. It often provides the rhythmic base for Indian ragas.
Both award-winning musicians come from musical families. Kurosawa’s parents are professional koto players, and Chatterjee is the son of the eminent tabla player, Anindo Chatterjee. But, unlike their parents, they chose nontraditional paths.
Kurosawa, who has a degree in international relations, moved from Japan to New York in 2002 to broaden her musical experiences. Chatterjee, while versed in 11th century Hindustani classical music, explores the latest contemporary trends and plays in fusion bands.
The program highlighted the performers’ diverse interests, as well as their traditional music training, and consisted mainly of Kurosawa’s compositions and arrangements. It opened with a solo koto performance of “Sakura” (Cherry Blossom), a traditional Japanese folk song. The concert then moved on to an array of musical styles. Swirling arpeggios on the koto were reminiscent of French Impressionist composer Claude Debussy. Kurosawa deftly combined minimalism, Western-style classical music, electronic music and intriguing bent notes into a fascinating mix of old and new, East and West.
Chatterjee, a superb collaborator, played with amazing speed and wide dynamic range. He and Kurosawa were clearly enjoying themselves as they engaged in some comedic call and response and even a little hambone.
The audience was thrilled and demanded an encore, so we were treated to “Summertime” from Gershwin’s opera Porgy and Bess. You haven’t heard anything until you’ve heard the all-American Gershwin on koto and tabla.
