Immerse in this unique performance in Mumbai that explores Indian sounds this weekend

Over four decades of travelling composer and musician Enzo Favata has come a long way from his home island of Sardinia Italy ldquoIt is a lovely place and I hope to be back for Easter We always celebrate with friends food and of course choral folk musicrdquo the 67yearold saxophonist shares For now though he arrives in the city for a concert that will premiere his latest collaboration titled Sonic Ties at the NCPA tomorrowFabio Giachino and Enzo Favata at the Bengaluru sessionsldquoI had first arrived in Mumbai two years ago This time you will hear India in Enzorsquos musicrdquo he says The reason behind his assured confidence is a diligent exploration of the form of Indian music that has driven this collaboration presented by The Consulate General of Italy in Mumbai and an Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Mumbai Since breaking through in 1983 Favata has often found his way to Indian music by choice or curiosity Having performed alongside the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in a concert in Italy in 1991 the style was not an unfamiliar one ldquoI was a very young musician then He had come to Italy in the 1990s for a music festival We spent two or three days together He really was a legend nordquo he asks in a sentence that flows with Italian staccatoYet over the years Favatarsquos journey has shaped itself ldquoI explore sounds but do not experiment with themrdquo he explains The current exploration began during his last trip in 2023 ldquoI was familiar with the code of Indian music I often listen to it having performed with musicians My old friend Jan Garbarek and I would often sit and talk about Indian rhythms The only concern is that traditional musicians across the world do not often waver from their structure or stylerdquo he sharesSinger Bindhumalini at a session Pics CourtesyAkila Venkat InstagramThis is where finding musicians like Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy and Varijashree Venugopal comes in handy Having collaborated with the duo in 2023 Favata invited Bindhumalini to Italy for the folk festival he was curating ldquoI started with Carnatic music but also studied Hindustani and folk music over the years My interest is as diverse as the group that has come togetherrdquo shares Bindhumalini The National Awardwinner and composer of Tamil film Aruvi 2016 was drawn to the idea of not being bound by the practice ldquoIt was not the music but rather the personality that drew us together I realised that it is a diverse group put together and all I had to do was to listen and respondrdquo she saysIn addition to the duo the quartet also features composer Fabio Giachino on the keyboard and Pramath Kiran on percussion While finding common ground is easy translating it to a musical medium can be challenging Favata admits ldquoBefore you perform in music you need to know It is impossible to compose poetry if you do not know the tools of the language Although I have never played this Carnatic music before when I play it I can hear all forms within itrdquo The key is finding the melodic balance ldquoOnce you have the key in music you can open many doorsrdquo he laughsFavata in performanceThe quartet has been spending the last 20 days in Bengaluru working on the compositions mdash the longest Irsquove stayed in one city shares Favata After Mumbai they will return to Bengaluru ldquoWe are already conducting studio recordings and the songs might be transformed into an albumrdquo shares Bindhumalini In that sense Mumbaikars will have the first hearing of this new creationON March 27 7 pmAT Experimental Theatre NCPA Nariman PointLOG ON TO ncpamumbaicomCOST Rs 450 onwards members Rs 500 onwards nonmembers