Friday, January 29, 2016

Together

I envy musicians. Every time I listen to a favorite track, I imagine how it might have been conceived: in an expensive but lonely studio at midnight, after weeks of relentless practice with a dozen musicians or just an epiphany in the shower. Whatever the source, good music has one endearing quality - all the team members have to enjoy making it in order to get that standing ovation. I don't think it happens that often in other kind of team work. Nowhere else, other than in dance and music, is the result so instant and the mistakes so obvious. I watch video after video of great concerts and always find that glow of success mixed with happiness on the faces of the performers. Even the accompanying musicians always look happy. Even though they are not the focal point, without them, it won't be as good. 


I used to repeatedly listen to this fusion by Pt. Ravishankar and Yehudi Menuhin. About six or seven years ago, this would play in a loop on my small ipod shuffle. The soothing sound of a violin and the energetic strumming of the sitar makes it really addictive. To add to that, the "East meets West" theme makes it exotic. The sound of Indian notes from a violin can suddenly escalate to an emotional level for me. So this track had always been special. 

Then I stumbled upon this!


It is a direct recreation of her father's work. This time, you can actually see the entire ensemble in action. The energy of the concert is certainly envy-inducing for me, and the legacy just makes it even more precious. All teams should be built the way musicians make it all work - together!