VSO at The Paramount: East Meets West

Guest soloists: Sandeep Das, tabla; and Rajib Karmakar, sitar; conducted by Andrew Crust

The 2025-26 season opens with one of the world’s leading tabla virtuosos, Grammy Award-winning musician Sandeep Das, a 21-year member of the Silk Road Ensemble and collaborator with Paquito D’Rivera, Bobby McFerrin, Yo-Yo Ma amongst others. VSO also welcomes guest sitarist Rajib Karmakar to start the concert with the first movement of pioneering composer Ravi Shankar’s Symphony. Das follows with Sri Lankan/Canadian composer Dinuk Wijeratne’s brilliant Tabla Concerto, a three movement exploration of baroque, electronica, folk, and romantic styles.  The concert completes its East/West connection with Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, a hugely popular, sweeping work masterfully orchestrated by Maurice Ravel. The piece gives a distinct musical voice to visual art and shows the full colors and virtuosity of the orchestra.

PROGRAM

RAVI SHANKAR – Symphony (1. Allegro – Kafi Zila)
DINUK WIJERATNE – Tabla Concerto
SANDEEP DAS (arr. Crust) – Mohini

Intermission

MODEST MUSSORGSKY/MAURICE RAVEL – Pictures at an Exhibition