Concert presented by Chitra Srikrishna, Carnatic vocalist, writer and teacher of music appreciation

Chitra Srikrishna (vocal & narration) 
Accompanists: Arvindd Narayanan (violin) and Vignesh Jayaraman (mridangam).

Udaan explores the melodic realm of Indian poetry, focusing on birds as literary symbols. From the common crow to the partridge, Indian poets through the ages, have used birds as literary devices to compose captivating melodies. The concert will explore these themes through bhajan, classical and folk music compositions in Bengali, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu. With live accompaniment in the Carnatic idiom, the music is interspersed with short narrations in English
 

Curated and introduced by Sunit Tandon

CONCERT
Gustav Mahler: Symphony No. 3 in D minor
(106 min; 1991; dvd)

Florence Quivar, contralto
Tölzer Knabenchor
Chorus Master: Gerhardt Schmidt-Gaden
Women of the Enrst-Senff-Chor
Chorus Master: Hellwarth Matthiesen
Berliner Phlharmoniker
Conductor: Bernard Haitink

Mahler's Third Symphony is one of his sunniest, most extrovert scores. It is also his longest symphony, lasting at least an hour and a half. It needs large-scale performing forces and is, indeed, unconventional and all-encompassing. It ended up being six movements but started out as seven. Perhaps most interestingly, the Third Symphony also offers one of the most complete musical statements of Mahler's world view that the composer ever penned. Mahler used the sounds of nature to represent the "worldly tumult," a tumult not only of birdcalls, rustic dances, military marches, and other mundane sounds, but also of emotions. For Mahler, nature meant everything; it was the world. Jean Sibelius recalled Mahler saying something similar to him when the two met in 1907: "The symphony must be like the world. It must embrace everything."
 

Curated and introduced by Sunit Tandon

OPERA
Gaetano Donizetti: Don Pasquale
(130 min; 2006; dvd; English subtitles)

From the Opernhaus Zürich with Ruggero Raimondi (Don Pasquale); Juan Diego Flórez (Ernesto); Oliver Widmer (Dottor Malatesta); Isabel Rey (Norina);

Orchestra and Chorus of the Opernhaus Zürich
Conductor: Nello Santi
Chorus Master: Jürg Hämmerli

Lifelong bachelor Don Pasquale is livid when his heir, Ernesto, falls for a penniless widow. Determined to teach him a lesson, Don Pasquale decides to disown Ernesto, marry, and produce a new heir himself. Enter Norina, Ernesto’s love, and her crafty friend Dr. Malatesta. They trick Pasquale into a fake marriage, with Norina posing as the picture-perfect bride. But before the ink on the marriage contract is even dry, Norina unleashes her inner spitfire, turning Pasquale’s tidy world riotously upside down.
 

Curated and introduced by Sunit Tandon

BALLET
Léo Delibes: Coppélia
(105 min; 2019; dvd)

From The Royal Ballet with Marianela Nuñez (Swanilda); Vadim Muntagirov (Franz); Gary Avis (Dr Coppélius); Ashley Dean (Coppélia); Christopher Saunders (The Burgomaster); Erico Montes (The Innkeeper); Mayara Magri (Peasant Girl); Lukas Bjørneboe Brændesrød (The Duke); Claire Calvert (Aurora); Annette Buvoli (Prayer)

Choreography and Production: Ninette de Valois after Lev Ivanov and Enrico Cecchetti
Orchestra of The Royal Opera House
Concert Master: Sergey Levitin
Conductor: Barry Wordsworth

Ninette de Valois’ charming and funny Coppélia is a classic of the Royal Ballet repertory – a story of love, mischief and mechanical dolls, starring Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov. The intricate choreography is set to Delibes’ delightful score and shows off the technical precision and comedic timing of the whole Company. Osbert Lancaster’s designs bring a colourful storybook world to life in this entertaining and joyful ballet.

Dastaan-e-Laila (70 min)
A comedy play directed by Vishaal Vashishtha
Presented by Nabhya Theatre Group

An ironic take on the Laila-Majnu love story set in today’s scenario with a twist reflecting the aspirations of the modern day Laila…

(Collaboration: Nabhya Theatre)
 

Curated & Introduced by Sunit Tandon

CONCERT
Gulda: Mozart Concertos
(67 min; 1986; dvd)

Friedrich Gulda, piano
Munich Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted from the piano by Friedrich Gulda

The world-renowned Friedrich Gulda conducts and performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in d minor, K.466 and his Piano Concerto No. 26 in D major, K. 537 (the “Coronation Concerto”) with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra.
 

Hindustani Flute Recital
By Rajat Prasanna from Mumbai, disciple of Pt Ravi Shankar Prasanna

At 18.30
Hindustani Vocal Recital
By Arindam Chakraborty from Kolkata, disciple of Pt. Aloke Kumar Chatterjee

Carnatic & Hindustani Classical Instruments Recital - An ensemble of Indian Percussion
By Shankar Narayanaswamy from Kolkata (mridangam); Mandola Joy (shreetar); Sohon Ghosh (tabla); Anand R Jayaram (violin & vocal); K.G.Prasad (ghatam); Akash Mukherji (vocal)

At 18.30
Dhrupad Recital
By Pandit Radha Govind Das from Delhi, disciple of Pandit Vidur Malik

Curated by Rajiv Mehrotra

Windfall of Grace (India)
(129 min; 2020; English)
Director: Japna Tulsi

An engaging insight on one of the most enigmatic mystics of the 20th century, Shri Neem Karoli Baba (1900-1973). Through a blend of narratives from simple, rustic Indian devotees juxtaposed with narratives of renowned American devotees, the film seeks to bring out how their individual encounters with Maharajji sparked dramatic shifts in their life’s purpose, along with profound shifts in their consciousness. From Steve Jobs to Larry Brilliant and Mark Zuckerberg, from Ram Dass to Krishna Das and many others, these stories are interspersed with devotional chants, music and kirtans

(Collaboration: Foundation for Universal Responsibility of His Holiness The Dalai Lama)
 

Curated & Introduced by Sunit Tandon

OPERA
Christoph Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice
(124 min; 1982; dvd; English subtitles)

From The Glyndebourne Festival Opera, with Janet Baker (Orfeo); Elisabeth Speiser (Euridice); Elizabeth Gale (Amore);

The Glyndebourne Festival Chorus
The London Philharmonic
Conductor: Raymond Leppard
Producer: Peter Hall

British mezzo-soprano Dame Janet Baker chose to retire from the operatic stage singing the title role in Sir Peter Hall’s acclaimed production of Orfeo ed Euridice. This 1982 recording from Glyndebourne where she began her professional career, proved a suitable crowning glory to her career, with a moving portrayal of Orfeo, the grieving musician from Greek mythology, who follows his beloved wife Euridice to the depths of Hades in an attempt to bring her back from the dead.