At the age of 17, Utsav Lal has already performed at many paid concerts. Now based in Ireland, he continues to pursue his passion for Indian classical music as an internationally touring ‘raga pianist’. Archita Kumar catches up with Utsav before his concert at the Purcell Room promoted by Milapfest.
We have seen ragas being performed on the piano by other artists including Adnan Sami. Still in his teens, Utsav has already made an impression on the music scene, but as he matures as a musician expectations from Indian classical music connoisseurs will rise. The challenge ahead is how he develops as a performer and how far the piano becomes accepted as an Indian classical music instrument.
At the age of 17, Utsav Lal has already performed at many paid concerts. Now based in Ireland, he continues to pursue his passion for Indian classical music as an internationally touring ‘raga pianist’. Archita Kumar catches up with Utsav before his concert at the Purcell Room promoted by Milapfest.
How and when did your journey with the piano begin?
I was about 7 years old when I got interested in the piano. I began with Western classical music at the Delhi School of Music and also received some training in Indian classical music. After moving to Ireland I started learning jazz. I travel to India to train with Sharad Srivastav who’s a very well-known Indian classical violinist and recently I’ve started learning from the renowned dhrupad vocalist Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar.
What made you decide to play ragas on the piano?
Indian classical music is my passion. I want to learn as much as I can about it and try to preserve it. The piano is more accessible to Western audiences as it is an instrument that they are more familiar with. I hoped this would help make Indian classical music more accessible to younger audiences.
What kind of music/artists are you inspired by?
Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma is my main inspiration. What he did for the santoor, I’m trying to do for the piano. I admire Pandit Ravi Shankar for popularising Indian classical music in the West. Dhrupad music inspires me, in particular, my Guru, Ustad Wasifuddin Dagar. I listen to a lot of Western minimalist music; La Monte Young being my favourite. I also listen to a lot of folk and popular music.
Due to the nature of the piano, some would say that it is not possible to produce microtones and glides that are so integral to ragas. What is your response to this?
Well the santoor, for example, has the same limitations but it is accepted as an Indian classical instrument. There are composers who have used quarter tones and those who are experimenting with the piano tuning system. Each instrument has its own system of playing: the jhalla on flute is different to the jhalla on sitar. On piano, the fact that you can play more than one note simultaneously enables you to integrate elements of harmony into Indian classical music. So for me, incorporating the strengths of the piano to render Indian classical music is more important than trying to modify the instrument.
How much attention do you give to harmony?
I play the raga in its purest form. I avoid playing anything that will deviate from the mood of the raga. Although I do not attempt to orchestrate ragas, I find there is a lot of scope for harmonisation within the jhalla sections, in particular. I have been trying to harmonise some taans, but I believe it is a continuous process of exploration.
How do you balance your academic life with music?
I think they kind of help each other in some ways: there have been studies showing that playing the piano improves your memory. I’m in my final year of school so if I have exams coming up I’ll study, but otherwise it’s mostly music. I practise a lot and listen to music almost all the time. I’m also part of a rock band and then I do weekly jazz gigs at a local restaurant.
What are your future plans?
I’m hoping to do a music degree in 2010. Since the piano is a percussive instrument, I would like to see if I can interpret tabla solos, for example, by assigning a key to each bol of the tabla and translating it onto piano.