Ravi Shankar: Sukanya

Sitar legend Ravi Shankar's only opera, Sukanya, was first performed in 2017. Shankar left it unfinished at his death, and it was completed by longtime collaborator David Murphy, Shankar's daughter Anoushka, and his last wife, Sukanya, after whom the opera is named. Inspired by her and based on an ancient story, the opera here receives its world premiere recording, taken from the London Philharmonic Orchestra's concert performance in January 2020, and featuring the original cast.

Featuring

Susanna Hurrell
Njabulo Madlala
Michel de Souza
Alok Kumar
Keel Watson
Eleanor Minney

David Murphy
London Philharmonic Orchestra
Ravi Shankar

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Compositional Technique

Ravi Shankar was exploring new ideas for Sukanya, combining Indian spoken percussion (konnakol) with Western harmony and counterpoint to explore Indian rhythms in a novel way.

Compositional Technique

Sukanya combines a Western chorus, orchestra, and soloists with a five-piece Indian instrumental ensemble, including sitar, shehnai oboe, tabla, mridangam, and ghatam percussion.

Recording & Production

This recording of Sukanya was taken from a live performance at the Royal Festival Hall in London on May 19, 2017.

Composition History

Ravi Shankar's opera Sukanya was inspired by a story from the ancient Sanskrit Mahābhārata epic, which his mother-in-law recounted to him.

Composer Biography

Ravi Shankar, a great Indian maestro, was known for his determination to fuse Eastern and Western musical traditions.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Ravi Shankar did not want the Western singers in his opera Sukanya to imitate Indian singers, but rather to maintain their natural mode of expression.

Composition History

Ravi Shankar left Sukanya uncompleted, and it was finished by British violinist-conductor David Murphy with help from Shankar's wife Sukanya and daughter Anoushka.