WOMAD

Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma

From India

In the Indian classical tradition, the human voice is considered the most pure form, with instruments such as the sarod and sitar ranked in accordance with their similarity to it. One instrument, the santoor, had no place in the classical hierarchy until relatively recently. And its acceptance was entirely due to the work of one man, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma.Sharma celebrated his 60th birthday earlier this year, and concerts and social functions were organised in his honour, while special live albums were also released in India to mark the occasion. Sharma trained as a singer and tabla player in his youth but then switched to the santoor. This complex instrument is a hammered zither with more than 100 strings, laid out in pairs which stretch over two bridges at either end of the instrument. Two curved wooden sticks are used to hammer the strings. The sound is beautiful, but it does not mimic the human voice, hence its low standing in the Indian tradition.Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma made his first concert appearance in 1955 and, using his knowledge of classical music, adapted the normal playing style of the santoor, adding rhythmic patterns to its music that flowed from his time as a tabla player. Shiv Kumar Sharma's ragas are entrancing, making full use of the santoor. He creates shimmering effects and finds an extraordinary range of timbres within the instrument. His reading of the raga 'Mian Ki Malhar', released on Navras Records and recorded in concert at Bath's Pump Room in 1993, is an excellent example of his technique. On that occasion, Sharma was accompanied by tabla player Anindo Chatterjee. Recently, he has also played with Ustad Zakir Hussain. And at his 60th birthday concert, Sharma was also joined by his 25-year-old son Rahul, also a santoor player.