There was a ghostly quiet as the Indian classical music trio took to the stage. Anticipation and expectations filled the room which was no surprise as this was only the second time these three masters of their art have played in the UK. Pandit Shivnath Mishra (sitar) and his son Deobrat Mishra (sitar), both described as “household names on the Indian music scene”, were performing with his great nephew and child prodigy Prashant Mishra (tabla). If you had not heard these names prior to their show, you were certain to remember them after.
A calming wave enveloped the room, mixing an atmosphere that was relaxed yet still very excited to see what was to come. As they tuned their instruments, Deobrat explained that the first raga was close to a blues scale and that it would be split into two halves – “the first part meditative before it will enter more of a trance”. With just the sitars playing, it was like they were slowly awakening the music from within, delicately trickling out the sitars natural rhythm. With Shivnath and Deobrat exchanging between rhythm and lead, the audience were fixated but it was the players who were becoming ever more hypnotised by the sitars 1300 year old mystical trance. About twenty minutes in, when both players had forgotten their surroundings, you started to understand each player’s musical personality – Shivnath’s style being traditional, having learnt from some of the greats, whereas Deobart was more experimental with a modern influence.
As soon as Prashant started playing, the 22 year old immediately showed why he is the rising star of Indian music; showcasing notes that would last an age, a surprising range of bass notes as well as some incredible sounds from his two drums. Consequently, the sitars became more melodic and Prashant started to dictate how the listener should receive their music. It was transfixing. You would be mistaken to think that all Indian classical music is relaxing – as when each of the musicians were feeding more and more off each other’s exquisite talent, the sound would intensify, building into an almost rock battle. Their hands were moving at speeds that you could not imagine and Deobrat aggressively head banging along to his exuberant playing style.
The half way mark saw terrific applause that wouldn’t stop, followed by a brief interlude that I’m sure was needed after an hour of constant playing. When they came back on stage, as is the tradition when playing in public places, they asked the audience which raga they would like to hear. With a hint of jazz accompanied by Deobrat’s extraordinarily perfect soft singing, they accordingly played a short but just as impressive raga. They went on to play a song by Shivnath, which was made in support of a purity and sanctity campaign for the Ganges in Varanasi where one hundred and eight sitar and forty-three tabla players performed to mark the end of the one hundred and fifty-one day campaign. With father and son playing and singing in unison, it really highlighted just how incredible their rapport and understanding was for each other. The show finished with what was a unique coda, introducing four new artists (minus Shivnath) from Brighton’s Spirit Of Gravity Collective who added a further sitar and three synths. The eerie euphoric and anthemic collaboration slowly built up around Deborat’s sitar and the synths, creating a dark atmospheric trance based around Prashant tabla and his astonishingly rapid singing.
Having thanked Ravi Shankar, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles before the show for introducing traditional Indian music to the western world, Deoborat couldn’t have been more right in making the point that “music is without boundaries”. It ran true in their performance, playing a music that wasn’t scripted and that was straight from the heart. When you have the privilege of seeing a performance by three maestros from three different family generations, it is easy to see why music of this ilk is so utterly compelling.
Iain Lauder