NCPA presents the Symphony Orchestra of India (SOI) Spring 2020 Season

The season will witness splendid performances by pianists Maria João Pires and Jean-Philippe Collard and conductor/violinist Augustin Dumay amongst others, and an India premiere of ‘Ameen, Amen, Shanti’ a concerto featuring tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan and Hariharan.

The Symphony Orchestra of India, the first and only professional orchestra in India, is set to captivate audiences with its Spring 2020 Season. Running from 16^th February till 1^st March 2020 this season is the most diverse season in terms of repertoire that the SOI has ever presented. The season will feature world-renowned artists including pianists Maria João Pires and Jean-Philippe Collard, conductor/violinist Augustin Dumay, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, vocalists Shankar Mahadevan and Hariharan, amongst others.

Mr. Khushroo N. Suntook, NCPA Chairman and Co-Founder of the Symphony Orchestra of India said,

“It is our constant endeavour to present the finest performances across the country and internationally, consistently maintaining high standards of music-making. A lot of thought has gone into curating this season’s programme. It will offer an interesting line up of performers who are sure to take the audiences by surprise. We are particularly glad to have renowned pianist Maria João Pires return to the SOI for the second time. We will also present the India premiere of Ameen, Amen, Shanti, a concerto for four soloists composed by Zakir Hussain.”

Spanning over four concerts, the season opens on February 16th with a programme that features the heart of the classical repertoire—the music of Mozart & Beethoven. Maria João Pires, often regarded as one of the greatest living pianists, returns to the SOI to perform Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto. Augustin Dumay will conduct this concert which also includes Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony.

On February 20th the SOI presents a rare musical theatre gala, featuring stars of the West End Lucie Jones and John Owen-Jones. Daniel Bowling, music director for such iconic productions as The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Cats, will conduct. The programme will feature excerpts from beloved musicals including The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked, Les Misérables, West Side Story, and much more. John Owen Jones is best known for his acclaimed record-breaking performances on the West End as Jean Valjean in Les Misérables (which he has also played on Broadway) and as The Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera. Lucie Jones rose to prominence on The X Factor UK, and has since appeared in numerous stage productions, including currently playing the lead in Watiress on the West End.

On February 25th Associate Music Director Zane Dalal conducts a special programme that will see the SOI come together with some of the biggest names in the Indian music scene today to present the India premiere of a unique work composed by Zakir Hussain. Ameen, Amen, Shanti is a concerto for four soloists that centres on the ecstasy of discovering the sameness in ourselves and the common experience of the human condition. Along with Zakir Hussain on tabla, the work will feature Shankar Mahadevan, Hariharan, and mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor as vocalists.

Describing his concerto, Zakir Hussain says:

“An Islamic Sufi, a Hindu priest and a Biblical preacher embark on a journey together, convinced that they have nothing in common. As the journey unfolds and thoughts are shared, they realize with boundless joy that they can be friends and that their music and way of life bind them together in the strength of oneness. Their common experience of the human condition—from frailty and fear to exaltation and hope—are expressed, as they are sustained by the gifts of our natural world, to arrive at this oneness, beyond appearances and duality.”

The work uses the vast musical landscape of an orchestra and combines Indian raag and taal along with Sufiyana Qalam and church music to experience the unity emerging from what mankind presumes to be an irreconcilable diversity.

The final concert of the season on March 1st features an evening of French music with two specialists in the repertoire: pianist Jean-Philippe Collard and conductor Laurent Petitgirard. The programme features Saint-Saëns’ Piano Concerto No. 5 and Franck’s radical Symphony in D minor.

Apart from the breadth of repertoire, this season also offers audiences new repertoire from the orchestral canon, with each concert featuring at least one work that will be performed by the SOI for the first time.

The season also features recitals by Maria João Pires and Augustin Dumay, and Jean-Philippe Collard.

PROGRAMME