Still basking in the glow of “A Little Night Music,” we barely have the time to catch our collective breath before our next exciting event: our dear friend, Priti Gandhi, gives her first ever solo recital at the Birch North Park Theatre on March 6.
We’ve known Priti since she was a wee babe, or at least it feels that way. She’s as close to a San Diego native as most people ever get – born in Mumbai, India, but raised in Del Mar since the age of 2. Her combination of gorgeous voice, determination, winning personality, and wholesome beauty helped her establish an opera career any young singer would be proud of. And now, to our great delight, she’s chosen to give her first solo recital at our very own theatre, accompanied on the piano by another fabulous friend of ours, Nicolas Reveles.
We asked Priti what inspired her in creating the program for the recital, which will include songs from and about her native India as well as her adopted homeland of the United States and the European opera tradition.
“I created this recital with a desire I've had for a few years. When I started singing, I became curious about what kind of relationship there might between some sort of Indian influence and Western classical music,” said Priti. “There ARE no Indian operas per se, and the style of opera is completely different in technique and background than that of Indian classical music... but there had to be a place where the two met. And since I am a product of both cultures, I decided to start scouring the Western classical music spectrum for any hints of such a fusion.
“What I found was a hidden but definite influence of Indian culture and poetry on various composers and art song cycles through the years... hidden, but it's there! Getting my hands on some of the music was a challenge, but I've been collecting it for about five years now. Finding recordings of some of these pieces was even more challenging.
“The result is a recital that is part Indian, part American... a program that is a fusion of two different backgrounds. I wanted this recital to reflect who I was... and I think I have found that. Not only in the music that appealed to me, but its background, the lyrics, the settings-- all of it.
“All of the music is Western classical music, but the first half is called INDIA.... there are song cycles with poetry by Rabindranath Tagore, arias from operas with Indian characters, and the like. I found so much material that choosing what to use was quite difficult! This half reflects my background, my culture, and the upbringing I learned in my Indian home. It also speaks to how I have seen my birth country from thousands of miles away. The second half is called AMERICA, and in this set, I chose pieces that rang true to my upbringing here in America, lyrics that spoke to my childhood, and songs that reflected what being an American meant to me.”
Priti Gandhi in Recital is Saturday March 6 at 7:30pm. Tickets are $40: http://www.birchnorthparktheatre.net or (619) 239-8836.
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