The Indian/Western supergroup Simon Thacker’s Svara-Kanti will tour one of the most ambitious and exciting intercultural programmes ever assembled as part of The Year of Creative Scotland, with new works by legendary American pioneer Terry Riley, British modernist master Nigel Osborne, India’s greatest composer Shirish Korde and visionary Scottish guitar virtuoso Simon Thacker, performed by four renowned musicians.

Simon Thacker’s Svara-Kanti also features the beautiful voice of Japjit Kaur, leading tabla (Indian percussion) player Sarvar Sabri, who has a musical lineage stretching back ten generations to the Royal Court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, and acclaimed violinist and leader/director of Britten Sinfonia Jacqueline Shave. They combine two of the world’s greatest and most diverse musical cultures, Indian and Western, creating powerful and inspiring new music using the classical, folk and spiritual music traditions of India as a basis to innovate.

Terry Riley launched what is now known as the Minimalist movement with his revolutionary classic “In C” in 1964 and pioneered the use of various kinds of tape delay in live performance, changing the course of 20th-century music. As one of the USA’s greatest ever composers, Terry Riley was listed in the London Sunday Times as one of the 1000 Makers Of The 20th Century. His new work SwarAmant is an instrumental tour de force, with explosive rhythmic interaction between guitar, violin and tabla. Nigel Osborne is a composer and music therapist whose studies and work have taken him all over the world. His works have been performed by many leading orchestras worldwide and he has pioneered the use of music in therapy and rehabilitation for children who are victims of conflict in the Balkans, Caucasus, Africa and Middle East. The Five Elements is based on the ancient philosophy of the Vedas, with raags from both the South and North Indian traditions used in new ways. Shirish Korde is an Indian composer celebrated for “integrating and synthesising music of diverse cultures into breathtaking works of complex expressive layers” (Musical America). His music is performed by orchestras and ensembles across the world, such as the Ensemble Modern, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva and Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Anusvara 6th Prism is a sonic meditation which combines Hindustani ragas, elements of the North Indian dhrupad style and contemporary Western classical influences. Simon Thacker is well known not only for his solo and chamber music performances but also as a leader of and composer/arranger for innovative ensembles, such as The Nava Rasa Ensemble and Camerata Ritmata. His four pieces explore hybrid raags and new time cycles merging Indian improvisation with Western jazz and classical composition.

A unique opportunity to witness some of the finest musicians in the UK perform incredible new music that effortlessly crosses cultures and offers Western audiences an unforgettable and accessible path into Indian music.

“What particularly impresses is the sheer cohesion of the playing, with Thacker proving an acutely stylish and sensitive fulcrum for an often mesmerising melding of old and new, Indian and Western.” The Classical Review

This project is generously supported by Creative Scotland, Gem Arts and the Hope Scott Trust.

Woodend Barn, Banchory, Aberdeenshire, AB31 5QA, part of Sound 2012, www.sound-scotland.co.uk, 01330 825431

Tues 13th Nov, 8.00pm,

Ardross Hall,

Easter Ross, Highlands, IV17 0XW www.ardrosshall.org,

£10/7 call 01349 880591

Wed 14th Nov, 7.30pm,

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig (main Hall),

nr Armadale, Isle of Skye, www.seall.co.uk, 01471 844207

Adults £9, Members £7, Students and Young People £4, Under 10s and Seasons free.

Source: Simon Thacker