Please write about your overall experience of the performance as well as focusing on one or possibly two of the pieces. What stood out for you? What are you taking away? Did Hope achieve his goal of showing the interaction and influences back and forth between eastern and western musical styles?
The composers whose work he played are as follows: De Falla, Takemitsu, Ravel, Mazumdar, Zwillich, and Bartok. (The name of the tabla player is Vishal Nagar — can we ever forget him?) If you want more info about the performance, you can find it at the 92nd St. Y website.
The concert surprised me. I did not realize that Daniel Hope and the other three musicians were such world class acts. I remember going to the New York Philharmonic when I was in elementary school, but this seemed far superior. I enjoyed the first few songs by Manuel de Falla because they demonstrated the connection between the Middle East and Spain during the time of Andalusia. The songs by Ravel and Takemitsu (especially Takemitsu) seemed very western. Had he not told us, I probably would have thought they were western. However, the best demonstration of East meeting West came when Hope played alongside Gaurav Mazumdar and Vishal Nagar. Hope indicated that some scholars believe that the violin originated from India. Maybe that is why the violin, tabla, and sitar sounded so harmonious together. I was slightly confused about where the sound from the sitar was coming from until Gaurav told us. Both of the songs Gaurav composed were incredible! All three instruments complemented each other perfectly and all three musicians were flawless. I thought the crowd showed great respect and appreciation for the music and Hope and the others were slightly surprised by such an emphatic reaction. They deserved it nonetheless. I noticed that the two songs had modern influences, in terms of rhythm and beat. I would have enjoyed the concert more had the entire thing been a collaboration between Hope and Gaurav. The songs from Zwilich and Bartok seemed less memorable and did not really show a strong connection between East meeting West. Otherwise, the collection of songs demonstrated this concept very well. Finally, I was slightly taken aback by Vishal Nagar, the tabla player. It seemed as if he was in a state of reverie. When he played, he showed no signs of nervousness and appeared to enjoy every moment. When he was not playing, he would look peculiarly into the crowd, often making eye contact with the audience members, while displaying an almost creepy smile. Anyway, his skills as a table player are unquestionable. Overall, the concert far exceeded my expectations, and provided me with a greater appreciation for western and eastern music.
Tim Migliore
My experience at the 92th street performance was one of interest. I found everything interesting: but the biggest interesting part was the fusion of two totally distinct instruments of the violin and the sitar. At first as I listened as was sitting with disgust (I am a musician) hearing the two pitches not coincide quite flawlessly as I had imagined. Yet as I sat there disgusted that emotion seemed to fade away once both played similar melodies at the same time. The notes interwove together so nice that it made everyone in the room excited. Normally I do fall asleep at these events, and I have to admit to coming close to the violinist playing by himself (even though he was amazing). However when East met West it got exciting.
Also probably not mentioned by the other students that went to the concert, I thought the piano man did an exceptional job. As a pianist myself I know the deadly difficulties of playing piano at a professional level. He utilized the piano to its fullest using all octaves, all 88 keys. His arpeggios sweeping through the piano was amazing, knowing all to well how that can tire out the fingers really quickly (although he got breaks in between with just playing accompanying chords! To the violin).
I was also interested to see how the piano would have been incorporated into the mix but was disappointed that the piano did not join the violin in the meeting with the Indian instruments. I wish they would consider for future concerts. I loved how the violinist sat down, cross legs and his hilarious explanation of this later on. All in all I definitely enjoyed myself, even when I came close to falling asleep several times. However I really thought the concept behind the whole performance was unique, and hope that this would inspire more compositions, and concerts like this in the near future.
Joe and Tim both described eloquently the things I found most striking about the performances- the wonderful performance by Hope, Mazumdar, and Nagar, as well as the point that the other performances didn’t seem to make the connection between East meets West as well as those two performances did.
I was surprised by the gurgling kind of sound the sitar produced, and thought it was so humbling how they sat on the floor. I’ve never really seen a violinist playing while sitting indian-style, but that was a nice first.
I was especially mesmerized by the tabla player, Vishal Nagar. Not only was it nice to see him smiling throughout the whole performance, but his hair flapped back and forth when he threw his head back along with the beat and it was so intriguing. I couldn’t take my eyes off his hair. And the way he played his tabla! It was amazing how he arched his fingertips and the end of his palms to produce those incredible sounds without the help of strings. At certain moments it looked as if he was so at peace- he would just close his eyes and seemingly escape into his own world.
The music was like a conversation between them. Every few moments they would look at each other and smile, as if they were saying to each other, “this is pretty nice, huh?” It was definitely eye-opening to listen to a completely different genre of music and overall, very, very, worthwhile.
I wish that I had thought of taking some notes about what I felt during each of the performances. However, it completely slipped my mind and now I’m left with only the memories. However, out of the performances of both halves the violin, sitar, and table combination still rings in my head in a weird way. None of the other performances struck a chord with me as this one did.
It was as if all those childhood years of listening to Hindi music came rushing back in an instance. I’m stealing a word that Sifaat used but it truly was “nostalgic” feeling. The combination of the three instruments was truly something great to behold because I’ve listened to the sitar and table without the violin. But that day was the only time that I completely resonated with the music. To them music didn’t seem like just a way of expressing talent with an instrument or voice; it was a way of life. I think I felt that especially through Vishal Nagar.
I agree with Stephanie. Vishal had my full attention from the moment he touched his tabla to the very end. I just couldn’t stop getting excited as the rhythms became faster beat-wise like it seriously was a “oh-you can-play-that?- well I–can-play THIS” concert. I hope there will be more concerts like this in the future but with more violin-sitar-tabla combos.
The concert was definitely exciting. Overall, I was intrigued by the combination of the violin and the sitar and I agree with Tim about how the sounds were so in sync. Hope brought us music from every corner of the world through his violin and the piano that was also very well played. His introduction to the composer was a nice touch of appreciation and the piece right after was just as captivating. He played the violin so skilfully by mixing stringing it with the bow and plucking it which in turn lengthened or shortened the sound. Both classical instruments played in rhythm and complemented each other’s sound that helped emphasize the tone of the piece as they played. There were slow and sad pieces and I enjoyed how quickly a high and happy piece can follow right after. When the sitar was introduced with the table, they instantly brought liveliness and joy to every piece because the sitar sounded whimsical while the tabla was soaked with quick beats. The violin matched well with the rhythm of the Eastern instruments because Hope was able to play high and quick beats with them. Every time all three of them played together there was just a whole lot of energy hitting your way and they played like the music, the lights and the energy of their movements possessed them. It was very “addictive” and wonderful to hear from someone like me who has not heard such a blend before.
My experience at East meets West was surprisingly pleasurable. I say “surprisingly” because this is not my type of music at all, nor have I every been to a show like this in my life. It was crazy to see how the violin played by Daniel Hope infused so nicely with the sitar and tabla, played by Gaurav Mazumdar and Vishal Nagar. It was almost like these instrumental were meant to be together. The whole idea of “east meets west” didn’t quite stick with me as much as I think Hope wanted it to. It was nice hearing the little excerpts between songs explaining the history of the next song, but as he played, it did not sound specific to any part or culture of the world. Maybe it is because in my mind, violin is an instrument played in orchestras and it is in a specific category of music. Although this may not be true, it was my mindset going into the concert.
As for my favorite piece, I enjoyed listening to “the kaddish”. It took me back to the days of hebrew school. Although I didn’t particularly like hebrew school, I connected with this song on a more personal level then the rest.
All of the songs with the sitar in them sounded amazing. It is such a majestic sounding instrument. The sitar has a very old school feel to it, and it has a lot of history. I only wish the sitar and tabla were in the show for a longer period of time, because that is what most of the audience and I enjoyed listening to the most.
Frankly, I was a little skeptical about the whole idea of “East meets West.” I mean, it just sounds so clichéd, and I’ve seen a little too many failures of such attempt to merge the seemingly contrasting cultures. Yet, as most of the audience on Thursday night did, Daniel Hope successfully produced a harmony with the traditional northern Indian music. The sweet, mellow sonority of the violin magically matched the mysterious resonance of the sitar. And, of course, the rhythmic beats of tabla brought those two instruments together with its relative neutrality to pitch.
Especially the sitar and tabla ensemble was quite different from the north Indian music I was used to. My school had frequent recitals, including north Indian music recitals, so I expected a somewhat familiar tune. Maybe the music varies a lot from one performer to another because north Indian music (I don’t know about south Indian music. I am completely ignorant of south Indian music) is heavily improvisatory. The north Indian music I am used to is more serious, more heavy, what Steve would call “sad.” But, the music I heard on Thursday night was nothing like that. Take the tabla player, for example. He was very much engaged with the audience, which I had never before seen in any other music concert (whether it be Western, Indian, or Korean). He was just so happy to be there, so happy to be playing the music, so happy to be connecting with the audience that it made the audience, in turn, happy. I’m glad Steve is now convinced that Indian music isn’t always sad, after all.
I equally enjoyed the other pieces, especially the ones by Ravel and Bartok. Ravel, being one of my favorite Romantic composers (I strongly recommend “Miroirs.” It is a piano suite), having Tzigane played by a renowned violinist was such a joy to my ears. I was never a big fan of Bartok. His music appears too abstract to me. Nevertheless, I played the piece Hopes played in my orchestra a couple years ago, so it brought back the very fond memories I have playing in the orchestra.
As Hope mentioned in one of the interview videos we watched in class prior to the concert, he did, indeed, seem to put emphasis on the visual effect in his performance. I’ve never actually seen a violinist jump to his tiptoes like conductors often do for symphony performances. It was interesting. Also, he held his violin like a “machine gun,” as my violin lesson teacher would say. I used to hold my violin in that manner for about a decade, but I’m currently undergoing process of fixing my “bad habit.” I was glad to see a fellow machinegunner on stage. It made me feel less bad about my past playing habits. I very much enjoyed Hope’s performance, and I cannot wait to watch the jazz performance next weekend.
I thought that the concert was amazing. It was eye-opening for me especially because of my previous dislike of Indian music, because I used to feel sad listening to it. Aside from that, the other pieces were also good, and I was surprised at the sheer number of connections between Eastern and Western music. However, the final musical piece stood out to me. The violin was surprisingly good at Eastern music of the sitar. I will admit that the music sounded a little bit mellow until it got faster and the artists were almost competing with more complex and faster pieces while the others followed. I was extremely surprised when tabla was chosen to lead the violin and the sitar because it is usually taken as a secondary instrument to the stringed instruments with my limited exposure to Indian music. The pace was swift and the music was very energetic. Overall, Daniel Hope’s “East Meets West” was a success as his violin, a Western instrument, was used to play an Eastern composition. I have gained appreciation for Eastern music after this performance because I do not view it as making only a sappy nostalgic sound. In addition, I was surprised at the versatility of the violin that has been played by composers in the West for years, being used for Indian music and other Eastern music. I think Hope succeeded in showing that both Western and Eastern music share similar roots by his violin’s adaptability to music from India, Japan, Arabia, and from the Gypies. The similarity did not show up as much in the finale as Hope was only playing an eastern style, but the piece by the Japanese artist had violin that sounded almost Western.
Meghan Bravo
The Daniel Hope “East Meets West” concert turned out to be surprisingly fun for me. I went into the concert thinking that at best it would be alright because I was previously not interested in that particular type of music but I came out of it with a new appreciation for that type of music.
I really enjoyed the pieces that included Gaurav Mazumdar on the sitar and Vishad Nagar on the Tabla. The instruments were completely new to me and gave me a completely new experience with a type of music I have never heard. My favorite thing about the whole concert was the smile the Vishad Nagar had on his face the entire time. He looked like he loved what he was doing and was very enthusiastic about it and it made me more excited to hear him play.
Another thing I really enjoyed was how beautiful the sitar and tabla were. The sitar was beautifully designed and looked very different from anything I had ever seen, and I like how the bottom was made out of a pumpkin. I find it very interesting that they go out and find the perfect pumpkin to make the instrument, it gives it a much more authentic feel. Also I appreciated the traditional clothing that both Mazumdar and Nagar were wearing it added to the whole appeal of their performances.
I feel that Hope did achieve his “East Meets West” theme in the two pieces, Hommage to Yehudi Menuhin and Hommage to Ravi Shankar. In these two pieces you could see the physical differences between the artists and hear the differences in the music. Other than that I feel Hope just played pieces from different parts of the world and I believe that if a listener had not been informed of the “East Meets West” theme they would have never connected the two.
Other than those two pieces I really do remember having any distinct interest in the others. Although I did thought it was insane how difficult it looked to play the violin. The movements Hope had to make were extremely fast and you could see the sweat on his forehead, It made me realize how difficult it must really be since I have never been involved with music, so I had no idea how hard it would be to play.
Beforehand, I had the idea that the concert would be boring, complete with pretentious old people giving two-finger claps. It turns out that the old people part was true, but “boring” couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Daniel Hope played violin in ways I never thought possible. And the musicians backing him were just as stunning. To be a world class musician like them, you have to not only wield an immaculate technical ability, but you must also have a certain, special “touch.” I experienced this “touch” firsthand, as with every song I felt like I was transported to different musical realm. I wandered the streets of Spain. I meditated in a meadow in Japan. All the emotion and imagery evoked by the pieces demonstrated the musicians’ vast understanding for the instruments and the craft. Personally, my favorite was the tabla player. He had this odd, politician-like smile he would cast out at the audience. Whenever our eyes met, I could tell he wished to share his love for the music with others. Also, being a drum set player, the tabla was intriguing. Hand drums have always been fascinating to me, and it’s crazy beating method caught my attention. Perhaps, in the future, I will return to the Y and see other performances. I really had a great time.
The violin is one of those instruments I wish I knew how to play. I love how it sounds and I love watching people play it, so therefore, I really enjoyed this concert. I thought Hope did an excellent job at fulfilling the east meets west theme, partly because of the descriptions he gav beforehand, which described the type of music he was going to play and its background. I think that without that I would have had trouble discerning the origin of the songs (except for the ones with the sitar and tabla of course).
Because I play piano and really enjoy listening to it, I loved the combination of piano and violin, and I thought the paino player was fanstatic. The synchronization of the two instruments was impeccable which was very impressive, and I thought the piano added a lot to the performance. I really enjoyed his third song, by Ravel, because I felt it was the one that really told a story. It went from soft and melancholy to fast and intense, and I was riveted by the peformance of it.
The sitar and tabla were the best parts of the performance for me- the combination of the three instruments was so unique and amazing, and it was very cool to hear the explanation of the instruments- I can’t believe the sitar is made from a pumpkin! And of course, Vihal Nagar added so much through his enthusiasm. He seemed so happy and energized to be performing. Not only that but I have never seem such an impressive drum performance!
Overall, I am very happy I attended this concert. It expanded my knowledge and interest of the violin and different styles of music. I am a big fan of pretty much all music and love watching people play instruments that I cannot play, so I enjoyed this concert very much. Thanks so much, Professor Perl!
To be honest, I was a bit skeptical about how I would react to the performance. After facing damaging winds, freezing temperatures, and diagonal rain, the warm dry theater seemed like a wonderful place to rest my eyes and eventually sleep. The sounds of beautiful classical music would soothe me to sleep as I closed my eyes finally. However, sleeping was definitely not something I wished to do.
Daniel Hope was phenomenal. As he began to discuss the concept of “East Meet West,” the ideal of the two musical cultures meshed into one sound fascinated me.
He began slowly, his violin dipping low as his body followed suit. His violin seemed like an extension of his left arm, leading the way for the musical journey. As the tones dipped low with soft trepidation, his violin would sink towards the ground. As the sounds of the violin rose to higher notes, the violin would gracefully elevate in the air. After a few moments of distinct violin strokes, Hope would slowly pull his arm back and hold it in suspension. We were all stuck in this suspended state, waiting for the culmination of the song to be complete. The pianist, Simon Crawford-Phillips, seemed to also follow the same motions of suspension. His face contorted as he seemingly struggled to play the piece on the piano. The actions and the movements created a deeper story to the piece, which in effect added to the entire performance as a whole.
Though, the best part of the performance was the actual Eastern instruments meeting Western instruments. Sometimes the best art comes from the combination of two completely different cultures. The sitar’s magical quality complements the violin’s stringent qualities. As they were playing together, I was mesmerized and could not look away. Gaurav Mazumdar on the sitar looked as if he was immobile even as he was making sounds that seemed only possibly through multiple different instruments. And nobody could forget about Vishal Nagar on the tabla. As he began to slap his hands against the two drums it was a simplistic rhythm I could follow along to. His head was nodding towards the crowd as a smile kept emerging onto his face like a mix between a kid in a candy store and a person who has all that he can ask for. He began the rhythm so slow, and soon enough the rhythm began to escalate till the end of the song. The combination of all three gave meaning to the event, as well as make beautiful sounds.
In conclusion, it was wonderful.
The performance was quite an experience. Seeing Daniel Hope play the violin inspired nostalgia, because it reminded me of my solo/orchastraic performances in the days I played the violin. Seeing the taubla being played was also another “blast from the past” because my dad is a musician and I saw him play the taubla a number of times throughout my childhood.
But the sitar was entirely new. Besides hearing it in desi films and televised performances from India/Bangla broadcast, I never looked into this 17 string instrument before. The strings resonated, chimed, and hummed throughout the auditorium with what seemed like the slightest touch. Hearing this instrument in real time was a lot different than hearing it through a T.V., radio, etc.
I also found the title “East Meets West” intriguing. In my five years of playing the violin, I learned from the western style. But I grew up from a culture of eastern style music. Hearing the two styles during the performance was different, and it was nice to experience how well they complemented each other. I also agree that the two styles held many common things before globalization. One way or another, they have to have a common root.
The auditorium itself was unique as well. During the blend of the two styles, I noticed the auditorium held names like “Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Moses, Isaiah, Abraham.” The room was quite geometric too, with orderly square patterns. I also noticed some seats held dedication notices on the back. Some of them were for ambassadors and prominent figures. I don’t know the reason behind these memorialization, but I found it cool that some of us sat in the same seats as them.
As soon as I heard that we would be seeing a violin and sitar performance, I became extremely excited. I have a soft spot in my heart for classical music, and I love it every time my best friend plays sitar or when I listen to the Beatles “Within You Without You.” Daniel Hope’s “East Meets West” turned out to be more than what I expected it to be. It was so amazing! He played the violin in ways I didn’t even know it could be played, like tugging at the strings with his fingers and such. Even by doing so he made it all sound so beautiful. Simon Crawford-Phillips on piano was amazing as well. I ended every performance exasperated; I couldn’t help but say “wow” whenever they would finish a piece. Gaurav Mazumdar was excellent on the sitar, as I expected he would be after the lengthy introduction by Hope. However, for some odd reason, I liked Vishal Nagar’s playing the tabla the most of all. The way the drums would make a “boing” sound was so cool.
*exhilarated, not exasperated
I wasn’t expecting Daniel Hope’s “East Meets West” to be as amazing and unique as it was. The concept has been presented to me so many times before but never like this! I did expect to enjoy myself since it’d been a long time since I went to a concert but I really didn’t think the performance would be so special. All together I was pleasantly surprised by the entire experience. Hope is obviously a very skilled violinist and his body language while playing was interesting to watch. While I enjoyed the entire program the two that jumped out at me where the ones that included sitarist My two favorite pieces were the ones with sitarist Gaurav Mazumdar and tabla player Vishal Nagar. When Hope told us Mazumdar had studied with Ravi Shankar I felt so honored to hear him perform. The two Indian pieces were just great, they were exciting and full of life! I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Nagar play because he had a huge smile on his face and I could tell that we weren’t the only ones enjoying the music, the musicians were too! I’m so glad I had the experience of listening to such creative music!
I have seen a violin performances a lot, so all violin play accompanied by a piano was not that impressive to me. The performance was good and I enjoyed the music. However, the performance with two other instruments sitar and tabla, which I have never seen before, was very interesting and totally satisfied me.
It was a new concept for me that western instruments played music with eastern ones, and I doubted whether they could make a good harmony together. The performance was actually better than I expected. Two eastern instruments sounded good with the violin. Some melody lines were played by a sitar and a violin together, but neither sounded too intense to break their harmony. The rhythm of a tabla was well managed to lead this harmony perfectly.
The theme “East meets west” means combining two different cultures and its music. Their appearance, costume, instruments, and nationality was totally different but their music became one. Music I found during the concert was that everybody could enjoy and be united no matter what culture I had and how I looked like.
There is one thing that Daniel Hope failed to be adjusted to eastern culture. During the performance with the other two eastern instruments, Daniel Hope, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, looked very uncomfortable. I guess he had a hard time there with his painful legs.
During the show, the violinist and pianist showed expressions and breathing that followed their playing (as professor Perl explained beforehand). The violin pieces were very somber and serious. To agree with ha young, I preferred the sitar pieces. The eastern instruments provided a more jubilant sound. It may have been the instrument and also the drummer’s expression that made the sitar music more enjoyable. I also appreciated Daniel Hope providing a background on the instruments, without it i would not have seen where east met west.
Daniel Hope’s performance was a relatively new experience for me. I have never been to a violin performance in my life (or if I have, it didn’t involve a sitar), so I didn’t know what to expect (short of that I would probably enjoy regardless of the situation I found myself in. It’s Josh’s fault.). I have to say that I really did enjoy it (Josh strikes again). Listening to the meetings between two schools of music (though somewhat infrequent) was particularly fun, and I really found it interesting to learn about the eastern origins of the violin. There was also a certain chemistry emitted by the musicians that was pretty cool. The thing is that I really don’t know how else to evaluate this, as it is my first time really experiencing something like this.
I very much enjoyed the first songs by De Falla, and I thought they were a particularly good choice to begin the concert with, as their sound seemed to represent the very idea of a fusion of East and West. Zwilich’s Romance seemed to be ironically angry and I noted how the plucking of the strings sounded bitter instead of soft and romantic. Yet it was the Romanian Folk Songs I found to be my favorite of the all the pieces performed, and I enjoyed their distinct character and emotion although they were all very short.
I found the playing of the sitar and violin, when their sounds synchronized and seemed to become one, to be very interesting. The compositions performed alongside the sitar and tabla were very relaxing and trancelike.Watching Nagar constantly greet us with his hair flips was also fun, and made their performance a lot more approachable, I thought. I also enjoyed Mazumdar’s short lesson on the instrument as it cleared up some of the questions I’d been asking myself as I watched him play— such as why the sound seemed to hold so much texture, as he called it. I was blown away to learn the body was made of a pumpkin because from its construction, it seems such an antique instrument yet it’s relatively popular.
While I don’t tend to listen to classical on my free time, I do enjoy watching it being performed, and as I watched the Daniel Hope concert I noticed just how picturesque it was. The way everything and everyone on stage followed a limited and warm palette of colors: browns and yellows, and black and white, the way the bow of the violin and the neck of the sitar would align themselves in a perfect parallel while they played was fun to watch for, the way the lighting would reflect off certain surfaces, and their slow rhythmic movements were all very aesthetic.