INTERVIEW
Ace sitarist Anoushka Shankar doesn’t need any introduction. Daughter of the sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, Anoushka has managed to garner fame internationally through innumerable global concerts and performances of her own. Six-time Grammy nominee, Shankar returns to India again this year with her new album Land of Gold and is travelling to six cities, including Delhi, for concerts. Land of Gold released globally on Deutsche Grammophon, a classical music lable, earlier this summer.
Q. Tell us about your latest concert?
Land of Gold
We are touring with my album Land of Gold which is very distinct from my other work. Therefore, we will not be dipping into my other albums and are playing a special show thoroughly designed around the music and themes from Land of Gold.
A. Q. is your heartfelt response to the trauma and injustice being experienced by refugees and victims of war. How did you conceptualise the album? A.
Land of Gold
Writing this album coincided with the birth of my second son. I was so troubled with the contrast between my ability to care for my baby and watching millions of people who weren’t able to provide the same security for their children because of a life lived under nightmarish circumstances. This album was a constructive way for me to channel my distress, to express and explore the emotional response to the trauma I was watching as it unfolded. I believe that art can make a difference and music has the power to speak to the soul. It feels important for people who believe in the power of connection to speak out when we are surrounded by leaders who encourage isolationism and mistrust.
Q. How is your latest album different from your past work? A.
It’s similar to past albums, and different too. While it’s a crossover like most of my last albums, it’s again very electronic, which I have avoided in the last few of my records. I really focused on taking the sitar out of its comfort zone. The album isn’t exotic in a way that’s often associated with the sitar. My instrument gets to be wild and be angry along with being loving and tender. I worked with amazing co-producers; my husband Joe Wright produced along with me and brought a really cinematic scope to the music. Bjork’s producer Matt Robertson did the amazing electronics. And my co-writer Manu Delago, well, he just has to be heard to be believed. He’s part of the band I’ll be touring India with and he’s an absolutely unique and incredible musician.
Q. Can we say that your album is somewhere related to your previous album which explored cross-
Land of Gold Traveler,